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6000 Years of History: Dairy Products in Anatolian Cuisine
RESEARCH ACCOLADES
PROF. DR. AYLİN KÜNTAY from the Department of Psychology, has been honored with a prestigious membership at the Academia Europaea, a distinguished European academy of humanities, letters, and sciences, comprising esteemed members dedicated to advancing knowledge and education throughout Europe.
ASSOC. PROF. DR. ELİF NUR FIRAT KARALAR from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and the School of Medicine has been elected to the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). With 92 Nobel Prize-winning members, EMBO is renowned for its influential role in steering the direction of life sciences worldwide. With Fırat Karalar, the only member elected from Türkiye this year, Koç University became the first school to represent Türkiye in EMBO with more than one faculty member. This year, 100 new members and 20 associate members from around the world joined the organization.
ASST. PROF. DR. LEVENT BEKER from the Department of Mechanical Engineering has received an ERC Proof of Concept Grant for his pioneering project, “Wearable Ultrasound for Continuous Bladder Monitoring.” Dr. Beker is at the forefront of developing an innovative solution that enables patients to continuously monitor their own bladder volume outside the hospital. In this 18-month project, with a budget of EUR 150,000, Dr. Beker will collaborate with Prof. Dr. Tufan Tarcan and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ersin Köseoğlu from the School of Medicine.
PROF. DR. BERTİL EMRAH ODER, from Law School, has been selected as the “Fernand Braudel Senior Fellow” by the European University Institute (EUI) in Florence. The Braudel Fellowship is a globally recognized and prestigious award that provides a framework for established academics with an international reputation to pursue their research at the EUI. The EUI is a leading European research university dedicated to social sciences and humanities. Prof. Dr. Oder will contribute to the Department of Law of the EUI with her internationally recognized expertise in constitutional scholarship.
PROF. DR. AYİŞE KARADAĞ, from School of Nursing, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN) for her significant, sustained, and extraordinary impact on health and health services. Prof. Dr. Karadağ is the first nurse from Türkiye to receive this honor. Her election is attributed to her educational contributions to “Chronic Wound Management and Stoma Care Nursing,” a substantial health issue in aging societies, her research that influences health policies, and her impactful social service work.
PROF. DR. ZEYNEP GÜRHAN CANLI, Department of Business Administration, has been recognized as an “Established Thought Leader in Consumer Research” by a recent comprehensive scholarly benchmarking analysis. This analysis evaluates the productivity and citation impact of editorial scholars in the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Consumer Psychology. According to this analysis by Pham, Wu, and Wang (2024), published in the Journal of Consumer Research, Prof. Dr. Gürhan Canlı is ranked among scholars with “the most compelling profile: their many top marketing publications tend to generate relatively strong scholarly interest.”
PROF. DR. İHSAN SOLAROĞLU from the Department of Brain and Nerve Surgery in the School of Medicine has been elected as a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts. The Academy is a European non-governmental organization promoting scientific and social progress. It brings together over 2,000 distinguished scientists from all over Europe, including 32 Nobel Prize winners.
The 2024 BAGEP Awards (Science Academy Young Scientist Awards Program) have been awarded to the following assistant professors: DR. ERHUN ÖZKAN from the Department of Business Administration, DR. BUSE CEVATEMRE YILDIRIM from the School of Medicine, DR. IŞIL ARAL from the Law School, DR. SERKAN KIR from the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, DR. ERKAN ŞENSES from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, DR. UMUT VAROLGÜNEŞ from the Department of Mathematics, DR. SEVCAN YEŞILTAŞ from the Department of Economics, and DR. LIVIO NICOLA CARENZA from the Department of Physics.
PROF. DR. YÜKSEL PEKER from the Department of Pulmonary Medicine in the School of Medicine has been elected as a Fellow Member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), which stands as the sole professional society exclusively devoted to the medical subspecialty of sleep medicine. Prof. Dr. Peker is the first and only fellow member from Türkiye. His research concentrates on the metabolic and cardiovascular aspects of sleep apnea, investigating the impact of treatment in randomized controlled trials, and has gained significant international recognition.
PROF. DR. AYŞEGÜL ÖZSOMER, from the Department of Marketing, College of Administrative Sciences and Economics, has been appointed editor-in-chief of the next Journal of International Marketing for a three-year term. With over 30 years of expertise in research, teaching, and consulting in the United States and Türkiye, Prof. Dr. Özsomer has gained recognition with publications in leading marketing journals, including the Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, IJRM, and the Journal of International Marketing.
RESEARCH NEWS
Revolutionary Bioinspired Micro Actuation Breakthrough Unveiled in Nature Materials
President Prof. Dr. Metin Sitti's research article, “Artificial-goosebump-driven microactuation,” was featured in Nature Materials. The paper presents a novel microactuation method inspired by the bristling of human hair, utilizing light-responsive liquid crystal elastomers and two-photon polymerization. This method enhances manipulation precision in micro / nanoelectromechanical systems, benefiting fields such as miniature robots, biomedical devices, and microfluidics. The approach provides advanced control and versatility, addressing challenges in microactuator design.
Discovery of New Muscular Dystrophy Subtype Unveils Role of SNUPN Gene
A study published in Nature Communications has identified a new subtype of muscular dystrophy linked to the SNUPN gene. Led by Assistant Prof. Dr. Nathalie Escande Beillard, Prof. Dr. Hülya Kayserili, Prof. Dr. Piraye Oflazer, and a team of doctoral students and postdoc from the Koç University School of Medicine, the research identified SNUPN gene mutations as a cause of this disorder, which shows similarities to spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). By analyzing data from 18 international patients and zebrafish models, the study offers new insights that can enhance our understanding and treatment of muscular dystrophies and SMA.
May of Science
In May, we proudly celebrated Research Month, a vibrant showcase of academic excellence across Koç University. The College of Sciences hosted an inspiring Science Fair, the College of Engineering dazzled with its Senior Design Day, and the School of Medicine captivated attendees with its Research Days. In the university's picturesque courtyards, students passionately presented their groundbreaking research projects, reflecting their unwavering dedication to science, innovation, and discovery. Their impressive work not only highlights their academic rigor but also embodies the spirit of curiosity and perseverance that drives our scholarly community forward.
Public Health Volunteers at Work
In July, the School of Medicine's Department of Public Health, led by Assistant Prof. Dr. İlker Kayı, conducted a vital training session titled “Community Health Volunteers: Basic Health Training” in Adıyaman district in Türkiye. This initiative is part of a broader effort to provide essential health education to communities severely affected by the devastating earthquake in February. The training, organized in collaboration with students from Koç University School of Medicine, was held at Adıyaman Umutkent. Public health volunteers and medical students played a pivotal role in imparting fundamental health knowledge, aiming to bolster the community's resilience amid ongoing challenges.
CASE and GSB awarded BSIS label by EFMD
Koç University College of Administrative Sciences and Economics (CASE) and Graduate School of Business (GSB) have been awarded the Business School Impact System (BSIS) label by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). Koç University is the first institution to receive the BSIS label in Türkiye.
Tracking Inflation Expectations in Türkiye
Prof. Dr. Selva Demiralp, Dr. Cem Çakmaklı, and Dr. Sevcan Yeşiltaş from the Department of Economics have developed the Türkiye Household Inflation Expectations Survey (TEBA) in collaboration with the Konda Research and Consulting Company. Since April 2024, the survey has been accessible on a dedicated website. TEBA aims to regularly track and analyze inflation expectations through a scientifically representative survey.
Honoring Women in Science
On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, our Gender Equality Office highlights women’s crucial roles in science through candid exchanges between our female faculty and their students. By showcasing these mentorship bonds and diverse journeys, Koç University reaffirms its commitment to gender equality and women’s leadership in science.
KUISCID Representing Türkiye Worldwide
Researchers from the Koç University İşbank Center for Infectious Diseases (KUISCID) gave four oral presentations, two oral posters, and ten poster presentations at the European Society for Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) congress held in Barcelona this year.
DOCS AND POSTDOCS
HÜLYA TORUN, a PhD student at Koç University Research Center for Translational Medicine (KUTTAM), is currently conducting her doctoral research as a visiting researcher at Stanford University under Prof. Dr. İhsan Solaroğlu. Her project proposal on diagnosing pediatric brain tumors has been selected to represent Stanford University in the St. Baldrick’s International Scholar Awards Postdoctoral Fellowship application, advancing past the initial review stage. Additionally, Torun’s application to the OPTICA Siegman International School of Lasers, organized by OPTICA—a leading optics society—was accepted from among 287 submissions, earning her the OPTICA Zuegel Scholarship.
FATEMEH ZARE BIDAKI, a PhD student in the Department of Business Administration, served as the session chair for “Transportation Optimization and Analytics in Disaster Management” at the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) International 2024 Conference in Istanbul. She also presented her research on the efficient and equitable transportation of casualties during mass casualty incidents. Additionally, she attended the 40th Anniversary meeting of the EURO – The Association of European Operational Research Societies Working Group on Location Analysis, held at Sheffield University Management School from June 19-21. There, she shared her doctoral research on optimizing location-allocation and transportation for casualties in mass casualty incidents, in collaboration with her advisor, Prof. Dr. Sibel Salman, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Davood Shiri.
ELIF KARUL, a PhD student Operations Management and Information Systems, presented a joint work with Zeynep Akşin and Erhun Özkan, titled “Contagion-Aware Patient Choice: Managing Multichannel Healthcare Delivery During A Pandemic” at the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) International 2024 Conference in Istanbul and the European Conference on Operational Research (EURO) in Copenhagen. Additionally, she has an ongoing TÜBİTAK 1001 (the Scientific and Technological Research Projects Funding Program) fund for her project called “The Effects of Pricing and Nudge Interventions to Increase the Uptake of Telemedicine during a Pandemic.”
PODCAST
It’s Free to Talk Here Podcast Series: Sadberk Hanım Museum Library and Archives
The ANAMED Library Podcast Series “It’s Free to Talk Here” hosted Mevlüde Kurt and Gökay Işık from Sadberk Hanım Museum. In this episode, they discussed the establishment and development of the museum’s library and archives, the contribution of the archives to exhibitions, the cataloging processes, and how researchers can benefit from these resources. Get ready to enjoy an enlightening conversation exploring the library, rare works, and archival collections of Sadberk Hanım Museum.
BIG PICTURE
Glowy Whirls: A Journey through Rickardite’s Radiant Realms
Optical microscopy image of the surface of an as-synthesized Cu2.9Te2 ingot via solid-state synthesis method. The rings or halos are formed during the synthesis as a result of the solvation of the copper beads into the main phase.
By Müjde Yahyaoğlu PhD, Materials Science & Engineering
