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May 20, 2026 - GTU Office of Press and Public Relations — Poster presentations showcasing the social impact projects developed by students throughout the semester within the scope of the BES140 Voluntary Work course were exhibited. — The event, held at the GTU Congress and Cultural Center, welcomed visitors with the motto: “We multiply goodness through the butterfly effect.” — Vice-Rector Prof. Mahmut Durmuş stated that, as a university, they place social impact at the center of their vision and regard volunteering activities as important as engineering courses. — Students shared the solution proposals they implemented in the fields of environment, sustainability, equal opportunity in education, health, and social awareness.
The social responsibility projects meticulously prepared and implemented in the field throughout the semester by students of within the scope of the BES140 Voluntary Work course were exhibited at an event organized on Tuesday, May 20, 2026. Held at Hall 3 (Red Hall) of the GTU Congress and Cultural Center under the theme “We multiply goodness through the butterfly effect,” the exhibition revealed students’ visionary solution proposals addressing social issues.
“We Place Social Impact at the Core of Our University Culture” Delivering the opening speech of the event, GTU Vice-Rector Prof. Mahmut Durmuş emphasized that, beyond being a technical university, the institution also aims to provide its students with the highest level of impact in the field of social responsibility. Stressing that every activity carried out within the university must touch society in some way, Prof. Durmuş stated:
“This semester, especially in all the work we carried out, we aimed to place social impact at the core of the university's culture. Through the scientific studies we produce, we provide patents for companies, develop new models and products, and contribute to the development of our country. At the same time, we do not want knowledge to remain within a closed circuit; we want every piece of work carried out at our university to reach society in some way. In this regard, we see the volunteering course as truly valuable and consider it at least as important as an engineering or fundamental science course. Alongside their academic education, we also support the social development of our students through engagement in social activities, music, or sports.”
“The Awareness of Volunteering Nourishes Our Students” Assoc. Prof. Fatma Karaoğlu-Ceyhan, one of the department academics teaching the course together with Assoc. Prof. Gülşen Ulucak, also congratulated the students on their successful work throughout the semester in her opening speech. Expressing that the initial concerns at the beginning of the semester were replaced by great motivation, Prof. Ceyhan stated: “In our first classes, there was a natural concern of ‘What are we going to do?’ However, as you implemented the projects, the feedback and visuals you shared demonstrated how much these studies nourished you as well. Continue sharing your projects so that this positive feeling can spread and serve as an example for your fellow students.” Ceyhan also extended her gratitude to all academics conducting the course, everyone who contributed, and the students.
The Transformative Power of Goodness in the Foyer Area Following the opening speeches, the poster exhibition and project presentations were held in the foyer area on the entrance floor of the Congress and Cultural Center. Visitors had the opportunity to examine nearly 100 projects produced in various fields including social responsibility, environment and sustainability, equal opportunity in education, health, and social awareness. Participants also had the chance to communicate directly with students and hear firsthand about the development processes of the projects, their implementation stages, and the positive impact they created in the field. It was noted that the event provided an important outcome in increasing awareness of volunteering across the university and in multiplying the transformative effect of goodness by making students’ socially impactful initiatives more visible. |
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