Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center for Excellence (SU Gender) continues its international webinar series on sexual harassment, gender based violence, diversity and inclusion within and outside the university.

In this series, experts, researchers, and activists from different universities, research centers and NGOs, learn from their expertise and share experiences.

The twelfth of the webinar series will take place on July 20, Wednesday. You are welcome to join our webinar by registering via the link below.

• July 20, Wednesday, 18.00 UTC+3 (Istanbul time)
• Indigenous Women Practices for Reparation of Sexual Violence in the Colombian Caribbean Region/ Angela Santamaria (Universidad del Rosario)
• For registration: https://bit.ly/SUGender_Webinar12

*There will be simultaneous translation during the event.

Sabancı University’s 20th undergraduate and 23rd graduate classes’ commencement ceremony was held on the campus in Tuzla. During her address to the graduates, Güler Sabancı, the Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University, highlighted that the climate crisis is too urgent to be postponed, and said, “Both in our country and in the world, we are experiencing significant increases in natural disasters such as floods, fires and droughts due to climate change. The world needs to come up with solutions to this problem by working together”.

Sabancı University’s 20th undergraduate and 23rd graduate classes’ commencement ceremony was held on the university’s campus. Attended by 1092 graduates from the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and Sabancı Business School, the ceremony took place with the participation of Güler Sabancı, the Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University, Yusuf Leblebici, President of Sabancı University, and faculty members.

Speaking at the ceremony, Güler Sabancı, the Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University, reminded the advice of Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci to young people, and said: “Last year, at our Commencement Ceremony, our distinguished scientists Özlem Türeci and Uğur Şahin addressed our graduates. Ms. Özlem Türeci said, "The important thing is not to choose the easy option, but to choose a task or job that has a purpose". I also attach great importance to this.

Mr. Uğur Şahin, on the other hand, highlighted the importance of science in the world, adding that the pandemic once again showed us this fact, and that the way to progress in science is through curiosity. He also emphasized that curiosity and having a purpose are very important. You are graduating at a time when the world is going through a difficult period. You are at the beginning of a new period, a new normal and a new path. In this new normal, I believe that you will be successful by working with courage, perseverance, and most importantly, working hard”.

Güler Sabancı draws attention to the climate emergency

Speaking about the climate emergency in her speech, Güler Sabancı continued as follows: “It is now accepted that the 1.5-degree warming target set in the Paris Agreement will be exceeded. Both in our country and in the world, we are experiencing significant increases in natural disasters such as floods, fires and droughts due to climate change. The world needs to come up with solutions to this problem by working together”.

“You should have a useful purpose to serve humanity”

Giving advice to young graduates, Güler Sabancı said, “You have the skills needed to easily achieve the successes you aim for in your career. Each of you can contribute to the solution of all problems in your environment, in your families, in your neighborhood and be a part of the solution. Research shows that for long-term happiness in life, it is very important to have a purpose that will serve the society and humanity. Thanks to the education you received and the knowledge-based studies you carried out at our university, and the approach of creating and developing together, you have solution-oriented competencies that involve the effective use of technology. These competencies will give you great advantages”.  

Güler Sabancı also emphasized that Sabancı University is among the most respected universities in the world, despite being a very young university. She said, “This was the purpose of our university at the establishment stage. We have reached this point with great effort, endless faith and hard work. Behind this success lies the dream and aim of bringing a world university to Turkey. On this occasion, I also commemorate our Honorary Chair, the late Sakıp Sabancı, whom we always feel by our side, with great love and respect".

Sabancı University doubled the number of students from the Top 1000 in three years

In his speech at the commencement ceremony, Yusuf Leblebici, President of Sabancı University, summarized the progress and achievements of Sabancı University in the past few years. Leblebici said: “The success rankings of our new students who join our university continue to rise every year. According to the university exam results, we managed to double the number of students from the top 1000 within 3 years. Today, we award undergraduate diplomas to 226 students in Computer Science and Engineering and 240 students in Industrial Engineering. In the field of computer science, we will increase this number to over 450 in the next two years. I am proud to emphasize that we are the only university in Turkey that can achieve this without applying a quota limit in any of our undergraduate programs”.

Leblebici stated that 97 percent of Sabancı University graduates start their careers in the sectors they prefer or continue their graduate studies in their country of choice within the first year of receiving their diplomas, and noted that they aim to become one of the most recognized and appreciated research universities not only in Turkey but also in the world. Prof. Dr. Yusuf Leblebici said, “We conduct pioneering and prominent research in our faculties and centers, and we receive strong project support from domestic and international sources for these studies. I would like to inform you that as a result of our achievements we are one of the first 3 foundation universities to be included in the list of Research Universities approved by the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) in the past months”.

Stating that Sabancı University Executive Development Unit, EDU, maintains its steady rise in the field of custom programs in the Financial Times rankings, Leblebici concluded by saying, “EDU, which first entered the list at the 78th place in 2018, rapidly rose in the rankings, and became 42nd among the world universities this year. We are very proud to be the only university in Turkey to achieve this”.

At the 2022 Commencement Ceremony, the top-ranking students deserving of a special award were announced. These awards are fully funded by the Sakip Sabancı Fund set up in the will of Sakıp Sabancı. The top-ranking students in the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, and the Sabancı Business School were Gülsen Görkem Köse, Muhammet Akif Midilli, and Gizem Uçal, respectively. The top-ranking students received their awards from Güler Sabancı.

The Center of Excellence for Functional Surfaces and Interfaces for Nano Diagnostics (EFSUN) is pleased to announce the Best Paper Award to recognize their scientific achievements via articles outstanding young scientists have authored, in part or full, related to Functional Surfaces and Interfaces published within the last 3.5 years (between 2019-2022). The deadline of the submission is 18 August 2022.

More information could be obtained using the following link:

https://efsun.sabanciuniv.edu/content/efsun-best-paper-competition-2022

Transfer applications to Sabancı University from other universities are evaluated by the relevant Faculty Boards upon the pre-evaluation of the Commision within the scope of the rules determined by Sabanci University and the quota, in compliance with "Instruction Letter for the Transfer among the Higher Education Institutions at the Associate’s and Bachelor’s Degree Programs and the Rules for Double Major, Minor and Credit Transfer between Institutions" published by the Turkish Higher Education Council (YOK). Online applications have to be completed without any missing documents until 25 July 2022. Interviews for applicants, who meet application requirements, will be held on 2 August 2022; and the applicants to be admitted to the programs will be decided after the Faculty Administrative Board evaluates the application documents.

General Rules for the Application Requirements:

1. YOK Equivalency: For the applications made from abroad; the institution, that the applicant will leave, have to be among the institutions of which equivalency is recognized by YOK.
2. Program Equivalency: Institution and the program which the candidate are to leave should be the equivalent of the Undergraduate Programs of SU.
3. Term: Students who had completed first two semester of the undergraduate diploma programs can apply. Last two semester of the diploma programs can not be applied.
4. Grade Point Average : Applicants must possess a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 60 out of 100 or 2.29 out of 4.00. Candidates, applying from the universities implementing the grading system other than x out of 4.00 or 100, should submit an official document explaining the grading system and conversion table for the grades.
5. To Be Registered: Applicants must be registered in the current higher education institution as a student.
6. English Proficiency: The students certifying that they have passed one of the national and/or international foreign language examinations at a level determined by the university (**) and the ones who have graduated from a higher education institutions where the medium of instruction is English are exempted from English Language exam. Applicants, who do not meet these criteria, are required to be successfull in the English Language Assessment Exam (ELAE) held by Sabancı University, to be able to start to study in the program.(**) Exams and Scores for Foundation Development Year Exemption
7. Education Period: The total periods required to complete the program and those formerly passed must not exceed the maximum education period of 14 terms.
8. OSYM Score: For students with Turkish citizenship, who are registered in a university abraod; it is required to meet ranking condition stated in OSYS guidebook for the related year for applications to Faculty of Engineering and Natual Sciences. For Management Programs and Arts and Social Sciences Programs, it is required to have an equal or above central placement score from the relevant score type in the year that the student took OSYS/YKS exam, than the minimum required score for the equivalent diploma programs in Turkey to the program that the student intend to transfer.

Application Documents:

All documents must be offically prepared in English or Turkish languages. It is necessary to attach the Turkish or English notarized translations besides the original documents prepared in other languages.

1. Application Form and Application Fee

Please click for the Application Form

1000 TL application fee must be paid to the the account of which details will be sent to you with an e-mail right after you submit the application.

Application fee is non-refundable.

Whether the applicants will be placed in a program or not will be determined according to the number of the semesters and credits.

1. The Certificates of Examination Results

There must be a copy of OSYS certificate (indicating the score and the higher education institution placed) used for the admittance to the institution the applicants are to leave for the applicants from domestic universities, including higher education institutions in KKTC and those mentioned in the OSYM guide; OSYM certificate showing obtained scores from all score types is also required.

Applicants who are registered in a higher education institution abroad are required to meet the conditions in the Higher Education Programs and Quotas Guide.

For T.C. nationals registered abroad; OSYS certificate (Student Pleacement Exam) and OSYM certificate showing obtained scores from all score types is also required.

In order to be able to transfer from a higher education institution abroad to a program in our country for which success ranking is required;

a) In the year a student starts his/her higher education, the university he/she is registered in must be in the first four hundredth percentile in the world rankings determined by the ranking institutions based on the Higher Education Council and meet the term/class and success requirements,

b) In case of being registered in a university other than the first four hundred percentile;

1.Those who have completed their secondary education in Turkey must take the central placement exam and meet the requirement of success ranking in the relevant score type of the program for which the success ranking is required as of the registration year,

2.Those who have completed at least the last two years of their secondary education abroad must have successfully passed at least four semesters of the diploma program they are enrolled in excluding the preparatory year.

It is required for the international applicants or the ones who complete entire high school education outside of Turkey, to submit one of the exam or diplomas stated in the list

1. Transcript

An official document, demonstrating all courses, grades, and GPA's, issued by Student Affairs Office of the higher education institution the applicant is enrolled in. If the grading table is not on the transcript, an official letter explaining the grading system must also be submitted along with the transcript.

For international applications; those who have completed at least two years of their secondary education in an institution abroad must also submit their high school transcripts (report card).

1. Detailed Description and Contents of The Courses

There must be documents with the contents and detailed descriptions of the courses indicated on the candidate's transcript. It will be useful for the overseas applicants to attach catalogs giving information about the foreign institutions or documents like these. It is required for each course which is succesfully passed. Courses which are found equivalent by the Faculty Administrative Board will be substituted with their grade.

1. English Proficiency Exam Result

• The document certifying that the student has passed one of the national and/or international foreign language examinations at a level determined by the university (*)

• An official document indicating the program's education language prepared by the Student Affairs Office of the university the applicant is enrolled in (for the institutions of which medium of instruciton is fully English). If the information is indicated on the transcript, no additional document is required.

(*) Exams and Scores for Foundation Development Year Exemption

1. Student Certificate

The document demonstrating that the applicant is a student of the institution, prepared by the Student Affairs Office of the university the applicant is registered in.

1. Certificate of Disciplinary Standing

The document indicating the disciplinary standing for the domestic applicants prepared by the Student Affairs Office of the university that the applicant is registered in.

1. Letter of Recommendation

It is not mandatory; can be submitted optionally.Minimum 2, preferably 3 letters of recommendation

Recommendation Letter

1. High School Diploma

High school diploma copy attested by the university, for the applicants graduated from a high school in Turkey

For the applicants graduated from overseas high schools, it is required to attach notarized Turkish translations of their high school diploma and diploma equivalency certificate obtained from Turkish Ministry of Education, along with the high school diploma

1. The Passport Pages

Those pages with photo and identification information and approved notarized photocopies of the pages related to the years of education in the foreign higher education institutions for the overseas applicants.

"Yurda giriş-çıkış belgesi” from e-devlet for students who have Turkish citizenship. As of March 2020, entry and exit inquiries are not mandatory due to the pandemic.

1. The Document of Return from Abroad

The official writing indicating the state of the applicants whose parents have returned to Turkey upon completion of their offical duty or their working lives abroad.

1. Copies of certificates, courses, internships, sports competitions with rewards taken before.

Which of the courses taken before to be substituted; and which course will be substituted with which one will be indicated in the Faculty Administrative Board resolution, after the transfer application is accepted.

2022-2023 Academic Year Fall Term Quotas

A new report by RESISTIRÉ project, which is represented by Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender) in Turkey, takes a close look at National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs), which Member States had to submit to access the NextGenerationEU funds. NextGenerationEU is a €800 billion recovery plan to help repair the immediate economic and social damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

New RESISTIRÉ report on policy mapping: Post-Covid National Recovery and Resilience Plans lack concrete solutions to tackle gender inequalities.

It highlights that few measures have been taken to mitigate gender inequalities. When available, such measures are mainly found in the area of work, education and care. There is a striking lack of measures in other areas, such as power-sharing (decision-making and politics) and gender-based violence.

The plans have now been approved, but it is not too late to include a gender perspective in their implementation and monitoring. This is crucial for the EU to achieve gender equality.

Gender equality has been set as an objective, but few NRRPs actually address it

The regulation establishing the NRRPs framework stipulates that “gender equality and equal opportunities for all, and the mainstreaming of those objectives should be taken into account and promoted throughout the preparation and implementation of recovery and resilience plans”.

RESISTIRÉ report shows that this orientation has been poorly translated into practice. In most cases, gender issues are mainly relegated to the level of a general reflection or a description of the context, without being linked to concrete solutions.

Furthermore, gender is often considered in isolation, rather than in combination with other characteristics (such as age, social class, ethnicity, etc.). Without a framework that acknowledges intersectional experiences, policies may fail to adequately tackle gender inequalities.

The plans also incorporated stereotypes: women's access to the labour market, lower wages or difficulties in career progression would simply be due to a lack of skills and education or the need to learn (male) management skills.

It is time to include women’s perspectives in the implementation of the NRRPs

The project of RESISTIRÉ aims to understand the social, economic, political, and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak and its policy responses on existing inequalities in 31 countries (EU-27 plus Iceland, UK, Serbia and Turkey) and to work towards individual and societal resilience. This is achieved by mapping and collecting data, and by analyzing and translating these insights into solutions to be deployed by policymakers, stakeholders and actors in the field in different policy domains.

The first cycle of the RESISTIRÉ project showed that initial policy responses to the pandemic were rarely gender mainstreamed, and in only a few cases did they seek to mitigate inequalities related to gender dynamics. This new analysis does not present a much better picture of policy efforts to mitigate gender inequalities.

Although the plans have now been adopted as they are, it is crucial that the next steps include women’s perspective. By September 2022, RESISTIRÉ will launch a set of recommendations to address women’s perspectives in the implementation and monitoring of the NRRPs.

The Purple Certificate Program, run by Sabancı University Gender and Women's Research Center of Excellence (SU Gender) with the support of the Sabancı Foundation, continues its efforts in the field of gender equality in education. The program strives to eliminate gender-based discrimination by raising awareness on gender equality among high school teachers.The Purple Certificate Team introduced their work to the stakeholders and educational institutions on June 14.

The Purple Certificate Program Launch for bilingual schools in Istanbul was held at Sabancı Center on June 14. Information about the Purple Certificate and SU Gender studies was shared with the participation of many bilingual education institutions in Istanbul. Ayşe Gül Altınay and Hülya Adak, co-founders of the Purple Certificate Program, as well as many speakers, introduced the Purple Certificate Program in English and Turkish with their presentations. The participants plan to establish a network to exchange ideas and carry out joint studies in this field. The Purple Certificate team will complete the preparations for concrete steps to be taken on future collaborations during the summer months.

TURKEY WAS RANKED 133RD IN THE GLOBAL GENDER GAP REPORT

In her speech at the program's opening, SU Gender Director Hülya Adak shared up-to-date information about the Purple Certificate Program and Sabancı University’s Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence (SU Gender) and made various observations on the anti-gender movements in Turkey and around the world. In her speech, Adak stated that the

UN Conference on Population and Development (1994) and The World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995) were seminal in the use of the term “gender” (in lieu of “sex”) to underline cultural differences. These two conferences were also pivotal in the development of gender studies as a field of research and activism. Concomitantly, the 1990s witnessed antigender movements which centered their theses on the protection of the “innocent child” allegedly contaminated by gender studies in education.

In order to empower K12 schools and gender and women’s studies departments and centers in higher education, Adak suggested a roadmap which included collaboration between high schools and universities in curriculum development and institutional transformation. Adak also underscored that in 2021, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, Turkey was ranked 133rd out of a total of 156 countries in the fields of education, politics, economics and health. Discussing a few of the salient reasons behind the challenges in education, Adak also provided analyses of exemplary institutions, besides Sabancı University, that strove to mainstream gender in education.

PURPLE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM REACHED OUT TO MORE THAN 4000 TEACHERS AND TEACHER CANDIDATES

The Purple Certificate Program, which was first implemented by Sabancı University faculty members in 2007 as a part of the United Nations Joint Program and supported by the Sabancı Foundation since its establishment, has been training teachers on gender, inclusion, diversity and intersectionality in educational environments and curricula for 15 years.

More than 4000 teachers have been trained through our dissemination efforts in the project so far, and 440 teachers have been awarded the Purple Certificate. In addition, the project reached out to more than 100 NGO representatives from 25 cities with NGO trainings. Organized for the first time this year, and a first of its kind in the field, the Purple Certificate Program Gender Equality in Education Awards' İpek Gürkaynak Creative Pedagogy Award was granted to Selin Sengir, a school counselor from Kayseri, who participated in the 2015 Purple Certificate Program; the Gender Equality Award was granted to Büşra Bayram from Isparta, a teacher of philosophy, who completed the Purple Certificate Program in 2020, and the Egalitarian Practices Award was granted to Zeynep Alay from Istanbul, a teacher of Turkish, who participated in the 2016 Purple Certificate Program. In addition, Dilan Özdemir, a primary school teacher of mathematics, and Fadimana Küçük and İlke Özipek, both teacher candidates, became the recipients of the Purple Seeds Award.

The project, one of the oldest programs of Sabancı University Gender and Women's Studies Center of Excellence, aims to bring a gender equality perspective to education with teacher trainings, innovative classroom materials, and Gender Equality in Education Awards.

The countdown has begun for the Sabancı University 2022 Commencement Ceremony. The Commencement Ceremony, which will be attended by our Founding Chair of the Board of Trustees, Güler Sabancı, and our President, Yusuf Leblebici, who will deliver a speech, will take place on Saturday, July 16 on Sabancı University Tuzla Campus.

The ceremony can also be watched live on the Sabancı University Youtube account at 20:00.

2022 Commencement Day Program

Saturday, 16 July, 2022

16.00-18.30    Caps and Gowns Distribution / Reception (Sabancı Performing Arts Center)

18.00-18.15    Laying the Class Brick with Top Scoring Students and the 2022 Commencement Speaker (The alumni candidates who wish to attend are invited.) 

18.30-19.00      Alumni Photo Shooting (Amphitheater)

19:00-20.00    Gathering the Class of 2022 and Faculty Members Behind the Amphitheater

20.00-21:40     Commencement Ceremony (Amphitheater)

Sabancı University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC) continues to enlighten the public with events it organizes on energy and climate, which are among the most important issues facing the world. This time, IICEC covered the issue of energy security, which is at the top of the global agenda and has become much more important with the Russia-Ukraine war, together with clean energy trends, at the "Energy Security, Clean Energy & The Role of Finance" conference and panel held in Istanbul.

Held at Sabancı Center and opening with the opening speech of Founding Chair of Sabancı University Board of Trustees Güler Sabancı, the conference included speeches delivered by EBRD Turkey Director Arvid Tuerkner and IEA Executive Director and IICEC Honorary Chair, Dr. Fatih Birol.

 “We are faced with a multidimensional energy security paradigm.”

Starting her speech by thanking the participants and congratulating Dr. Fatih Birol, who was unanimously elected as the IEA Director for the third term in March, Güler Sabancı said, “Under the management of Dr. Fatih Birol, the International Energy Agency has become an organization that shapes 'global energy security' and leads the 'global clean energy transformation'. From here, he will go to the G7 Leaders' Summit to make speeches and hold bilateral talks on energy and climate upon the invitation of the G7 Term President, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Today, we will have the privilege of listening to Dr. Fatih Birol about the latest developments and future perspectives in the field of energy and climate.

“Recently, with the global and regional developments, energy security has come to the top of the world agenda. We are faced with a multidimensional energy security paradigm that encompasses the supply chains of oil, natural gas, other fuels, electric power, and clean energy technologies. On the other hand, we are in a period in which important steps should continue without any interruption in order to ensure a more sustainable future for our planet in terms of climate security and clean energy, as well as supporting social and economic development goals. A more sustainable future requires a holistic perspective that strengthens energy security and supports growth in clean energy. We need to grow with sustainable investments and financing with a focus on efficiency, competitiveness, innovative business models, and clean energy technologies.”

“IICEC is a leading model and center in Turkey”

“At Sabancı University, we have given priority to energy and climate issues for a long time. We founded IICEC as an energy and climate center with the vision that these two issues are inseparable. Within the model that I define as the 'Success Triangle', IICEC continues to bring together the public, private sector, and academia to create collective wisdom towards goals that will support a safer and cleaner energy future. I am very pleased to see that IICEC is expanding its cooperation and sphere of influence within the ecosystem.

“IICEC published the 'Turkey Energy Outlook' report, breaking new ground in Turkey in 2020. This study, which was adopted by the stakeholders of the sector, has become a source of reference. Last year, IICEC published the 'Turkey Electric Vehicles Outlook' study, again for the first time in Turkey. This year, within the perspective of its "Outlook" series, IICEC continues its studies on "Renewable Energy", which is one of the most important opportunity areas in Turkey. It develops the 'Turkey Renewable Energy Outlook' study, again with a holistic and analytical perspective and with a participatory approach with the stakeholders of the sector. Creating value from science-based approaches and business collaborations has become one of the most critical success factors today. In this perspective, IICEC is a leading model and center in Turkey.”

“Turkey has the potential to become a green hydrogen exporter in the long run”

Noting that the energy security and decarbonization agendas have become mutually supportive, EBRD Turkey Director Arvid Tuerkner said the following: “Today the topic of renewable energy has become even more convincing. Increasing renewable energy capacity will free up natural gas for export and create an opportunity to transform renewable energy into green hydrogen to develop more complex products. This will ultimately help decarbonize energy-intensive industries. 

“Turkey has the potential to become a green hydrogen exporter in the long term, in addition to domestic use, to help achieve net-zero emissions in sectors that are difficult to decarbonize and to reach the net-zero target of 2053. The last decade has seen impressive growth in renewable energy production. Thanks to Turkey's solar and wind power generation potential, we hope that we will see a further increase in this growth going forward.

“Through the Ministry of Commerce's 'National Green Deal Action Plan', Turkey has announced plans to develop decarbonization roadmaps for a number of carbon-intensive sectors. We are currently working in partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Technology on a 2053 decarbonization roadmap for Turkish industrial sectors, which will also be the first to be impacted by the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. These sectors are aluminum, cement, fertilizer, and steel.

“Additionally, the EBRD Green Cities, the Bank's flagship program and the largest financing framework ever, has been expanded to reach a total of €5 billion. Four cities, Ankara, Gaziantep, Istanbul, and Izmir, joined the program following green investment projects ranging from clean urban transportation to renewable energy generation for municipal uses. We also help small and medium-sized businesses and homeowners invest in green technologies through our Green Economy Financing Programs, our GEFFs (Green Economy Financing Loan). Through the EBRD's programs in Turkey, TurSEFF (Turkey Sustainable Energy Financing Programme), MidSEFF (Turkey Medium-Scale Sustainable Energy Financing Programme), and TuREEFF (Turkish Housing Energy Efficiency Financing Programme), 2 billion Euros were invested in projects in Turkey. The EBRD also announced a new 500 million Euro framework this year under the name of GEFF Turkey and the first loan transactions started to take place.”

“This crisis could be a turning point for the energy world”

Stating that it is thanks to the vision of Güler Sabancı that IICEC is 12 years old and carries out studies as a guide to such important issues, Dr. Fatih Birol continued: “With the invasion of Ukraine by Russia on February 24, the world began to experience its first global energy crisis. We are currently in the middle of the first global energy crisis. It does not seem possible for the world to get out of this energy crisis in a short time. This energy crisis brings along other crises, especially food crises. Besides, we are experiencing a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

“We had oil crises in the 70s, but then there was only the oil crisis. Now we are faced with serious problems with  oil, natural gas, coal, and electricity. If we look at that oil crisis, there was a very serious increase in inflation. Now we can see this again. The second thing is recession. I think we're slowly getting there now. But the oil crisis of the 70s didn't just cause recessions and inflation; new issues such as energy saving, energy security came to the forefront. It was a reaction and it suddenly changed the entire automotive industry. The second reaction developed by countries against oil shocks was the nuclear industry. 40 percent of the nuclear power plants currently used by the world are the power plants established in response to the energy crisis at that time. I say this because we have had very difficult days due to the crisis and I think we will have much more difficult days. I see that there will be a reaction like the reaction to the crises in the 70s. We are leading this. That's why I think this crisis could be a turning point in the energy world.”

“We prepared a 10-point action plan for Europe and shared it with the leaders”

“If we look at the markets, oil prices are over $100 and contribute a lot to inflation. One of my concerns is that the situation could become more serious as summer approaches. That's because demand for oil typically starts to rise as we approach the summer months. If the producing countries in the Middle East put the oil they currently have in their stocks on the market and increase production, this will create relief in prices. However, if there is no serious weakening in the economy and oil-producing countries do not take new steps, Europe may face a very serious problem.

“Currently, the stocks available to the countries in Europe are really at an extremely low level. That's why we prepared a 10-point action plan for Europe and shared it with European leaders. Many countries, including Germany, implement certain parts of this plan. What are these actions? Reducing the natural gas heating thermometer in the house by one or two degrees. According to our calculations, if we heat homes in Europe by two degrees less, the amount of gas we will save will be equal to gas coming to Europe via Russia's largest pipeline. In our letter to European governments a month ago, we explained the countries' gas distribution restriction plan to be carried out in an emergency. Programs to restrict gas shipments need to be drawn up on a regular basis. Meanwhile, while Europe is taking these steps to reduce natural gas imported from Russia, Russia may cut off all natural gas. Such a possibility, I think, is on the table.”

“Decisions to be taken in the energy crisis should not put a crimp on the fight against the climate crisis”

“The current situation of these markets is not very encouraging. Now there is another crisis, the climate crisis. 80% of the emissions that cause the climate crisis in the world come from the energy sector. In some countries, we see that fossil energy investments may come as a serious wave in some sectors as a reflex to the current situation. Therefore, the decisions we will take in the energy crisis should not put a crimp on our fight against the climate crisis. While we want to bring energy security under control, we should not make the climate crisis worse.”

“We see a growth of 12 percent in clean energy investments in 2022”

“For the first time in 2022, we see a significant growth of up to 12 percent in clean energy investments. In addition, there is good news about electric cars. In 2019, 2 out of every 100 cars sold in the world were electric cars. Our expectation this year is that 15 out of every hundred cars will be electric cars. In other words, an increase from 2 percent to 15 percent.”

“The world is already returning to nuclear energy”

Answering a question about the increase in demand for nuclear energy, Dr. Fatih Birol emphasized that there has been a comeback for nuclear energy in the recent period and said, “I observe that the interest in nuclear energy has increased very seriously everywhere after the invasion of Ukraine. We have suggested to the governments of Belgium, Germany, and Japan that they consider putting nuclear back on the agenda. Because circumstances demand it. First, energy security. Second, the increase in natural gas prices. It would be an extremely optimistic expectation to expect natural gas prices to decrease in a short period of time. Third, the share of renewable energy in the world will gradually increase. When renewable energy increases, you need an option such as nuclear to provide a certain security in systems and networks. The world is already returning to nuclear energy. Many European countries, especially the UK, USA and France, are countries that give the lion's share to nuclear in their new energy strategies. However, the development of a new technology called the small modular reactor, which speeds up the construction process in nuclear, continues. These are technologies that are much more flexible, built very quickly, and can be put into operation immediately. These are not yet commercialized, but many are working on it. I think in the next five or six years these will become commercial, by 2030.”

The latest developments in climate and energy were evaluated at the panel

The speeches were followed by a panel moderated by Dr. Mustafa Oğuz Afacan, Sabancı University Faculty Member. At the panel, TSKB General Manager Murat Bilgiç, Borusan Holding Group CEO Erkan Kafadar, ING Turkey Board Member Semra Kuran and SHELL Europe & Sub-Saharan Africa Vice President for Corporate Relations Rob Sherwin gave speeches on “Energy Security, Clean Energy & The Role of Finance”.

“We contribute to the reduction of approximately 16 million tons of CO2 emissions annually”

TSKB General Manager Murat Bilgiç: “Since 2002, we have continued to support projects realized in the field of renewable energy in Turkey. Energy projects such as hydroelectric power plants, solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal power plants, which we financed, represent 15 percent of Turkey's total installed renewable energy power. At TSKB, we contribute to the reduction of approximately 16 million tons of CO2 emissions annually with the financing we provide for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

“In order for Turkey to realize its significant renewable energy potential, we believe that the development of the sector should be supported with green bonds, public offerings, and new financing methods, as well as investment loans. Therefore, at TSKB, we will continue to support renewable energy investments, which will be realized through new facility investments and capacity increases, with all our business lines, as part of Turkey's energy policy. We strive to enrich our funding sources, financing models, and consultancy services with new ESG-focused initiatives. We have an SDG-related financing target of 8 billion USD by 2030. We aim to maintain the ratio of these loans at 90 percent between 2021-2025.”

“Global climate change and energy crisis have accelerated the transition to green energy”

Borusan Holding CEO Erkan Kafadar: “The climate change and the energy crisis we are experiencing have accelerated the transformation to green energy and green economy all over the world. Ensuring energy supply security and investing in renewable energy-oriented supply are the main axes of this transformation. Energy policies planned in coordination with economic development and a more predictable free market are of great importance for this transformation.

“Within the scope of the strategy to be clarified in this framework, the establishment of the infrastructures for the required connection capacity together with the increased system flexibility will ensure the integration of more renewable energy capacity into the grid. Developing regulations for facilitating license processes and access to favorable financing conditions will constitute important steps in improving the investment climate. I believe that the publication of the Climate Law within the 2053 Net Zero Emissions Target, the completion of the Green Deal Action Plan, and the establishment of the Emissions Trading System (ETS) will accelerate this transformation process. The development of our human resources that will carry out all these processes and the supplier ecosystem is an indispensable part of this transformation.”

“The finance sector has started to take the necessary steps for renewable energy”

ING Turkey Board Member Semra Kuran: “The energy sector is one of the most important tools for combating climate change and having a sustainable economy. As governments, companies, and institutions, it is critical that we all move towards a common goal. Everyone needs to invest in this journey. In this context, it will be very important for the financial services sector to encourage and support its customers' investments in the transition to the 'green' area by providing access to additional capital and financing under favorable conditions. For this reason, it is of great importance that the finance sector examines and reports all sectors on the basis of clean energy. At this point, not only financial support but also consultancy to companies in need is very important in terms of providing sustainability financing from international institutions.

“We see that institutions in the finance sector have started to take the necessary steps for renewable energy. As one of the early starters, we, at the ING Group, announced that we aim to increase our financing of renewable energy by 50% by the end of 2025. At ING Turkey, we will continue to transfer our international experience to our country, expand our product range and work towards a sustainable world.”

“The war in Ukraine showed the importance of diversifying energy supply”

SHELL Europe & Sub-Saharan Africa Vice President for Corporate Relations Rob Sherwin: “While the war in Ukraine is a human tragedy, it showed us all the importance of diversifying energy supplies. The world continues to need more and cleaner energy. For this reason, at Shell, we continue our 'Powering Progress' strategy, which we have put forward with the aim of helping our customers decarbonize.

“Beyond that, incentives such as the support of many governments for renewable energy to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuels will accelerate the steps we take in this direction. However, as we move towards a world with net-zero carbon emissions, the vital role of oil and gas continues in all scenarios, especially for the continuity of the sectors that are most difficult to decarbonize.”

Held for the 5th time on Friday, June 3, 2022, the Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition was hosted by Sabancı University. Developed by the Queensland University of Australia, the competition was organized by the Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Research Awards Committee.

Sabancı Group TEMSA Motor Vehicles General Manager Ilgaz Korkmaz, SUATT Director Talat Durgut, Sabancı Business School Dean Nihat Kasap, Sabancı University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Vice-Dean Eren İnci, and Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Faculty Member Yücel Saygın were the jury members of the Three Minute Thesis competition, in which Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Ph.D. students presented their thesis in 3 minutes with a single slide.

Winner Award

Manufacturing Engineering Program Ph.D. student Mohammad Amin Abdollahzadeh won first place among 7 competitors in the Three Minute Thesis competition.

Mohammad Amin Abdollahzadeh was presented with the "Winner" award by jury members Ilgaz Korkmaz, Nihat Kasap, and Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Dean Erkay Savaş.

Runner-up Award

Nilüfer Çakır, Ph.D. student of the Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering Program, came second among the competitors evaluated by the jury members. She was presented with the "Runner-up award" by jury members Talat Durgut, Yücel Saygın and Erkay Savaş.

People's Choice Award

In the "People's Choice" category, in which the winners are determined by the votes of the audience, Materials Science and Nanoengineering Program PhD student Farid Sayar Irani was awarded the prize. He was presented with the award by jury members Eren İnci and Erkay Savaş.

Other students participating in the competition, Materials Science and Nanoengineering Program Ph.D. students Ameen Uddin Ammar, Melike Nur Önder and Gülayşe Şahin Dündar, and Computer Science and Engineering Program Ph.D. student Gizem Gezici were given Participation Certificates.

The journal critical review article of  Seyedali Sarraf, M.S. student in Mechatronics Engineering at Sabancı University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences (FENS), Seyedali Sarraf, Farzad Rokhsar Talabazar and Mohammadamin Maleki, Ph.D. students in Mechatronics Engineering at FENS, and Ilayda Namlı, M.S. student in Molecular Biology, Genetics and Bioengineering at FENS, entitled “Fundamentals, biomedical applications and future potential of micro-scale cavitation-a review" was recently published in the journal RSC Lab on a Chip with an impact factor of 7.517, one of the most prestigious journals in the field of Micro and Nano Systems. The article that aroused widespread interest was also featured as the journal's cover article.

Co-authored by EFSUN (Sabancı University Center of Excellence for Functional Surfaces and Interfaces for Nano Diagnostics) and SUNUM (Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center) researchers Ghazaleh Gharib, Morteza Ghorbani and Araz Sheibani Aghdam, and FENS Faculty Member, SUNUM Distinguished Researcher and EFSUN Co-Director Ali Koşar, the journal article can be accessed via this link. This study is a nice example of the interdisciplinary research being conducted in the EFSUN center of excellence.