2017-2018 Academic Year Opening Ceremony Held

GTU Opening Ceremony for 2017-2018 Academic Year was held with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Işık. While the faculty members who have made academic progress wore their academic dresses at the ceremony, successful academicians were awarded.

The ceremony was held at the lecture hall of the Department of Electronics Engineering at GTU and was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Işık, Kocaeli Governor Hüseyin Aksoy, GTU Rector Prof. Haluk Görgün, Kocaeli Deputy Metropolitan Mayor Zekeriya Özak, Darıca Mayor Şükrü Karabacak, Kocaeli Chamber of Commerce - Chairman of the Executive Board Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, Gebze Chamber of Commerce - Chairman of the Executive Board Nail Çiler, the presidents of organized industrial zones, and academicians.

GTU IS STILL HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS

The ceremony started with one minute's silence and the national anthem, and GTU Rector Prof. Haluk Görgün made the greeting speech. Stating that GTU has just undertaken another mission following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's announcement for the 10 research universities of Turkey, among which GTU is listed, Prof. Görgün made mention of GTU's other recent successes and revealed the university's development and rapid progress providing statistical data.

"GTU HAS HIGH POTENTIAL"

Following Rector Görgün, Kocaeli Governor Hüseyin Aksoy, the new member of the Board of Trustees for Gebze Technical Education and Research Foundation, took the floor and remarked: "Kocaeli and Gebze are the heart and center of the industry. And GTU has the capacity to move our industry even further. GTU does not hide in its shell and has proven it can collaborate with the industry. I am glad to see that this collaboration is making rapid progress."

"EDUCATION IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR"

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Işık said: "Invesments made in education, science and technology determine where countries will be tomorrow. Education is particularly a significant factor for Turkey's place."

UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COLLABORATION

Mentioning Gebze Technical Education and Research Foundation, Fikri Işık said the foundation will be of great support for research activities and in producing more teaching faculty. In the final part of his speech, he highlighted that universities and industries must intensify their collaboration in line with the country's goals.

NEW ASSISTANT PROFESSORS

Following Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Işık, Rector Görgün helped the faculty members, who were academically promoted between January 2016 and August 2017, wear their academic dresses. The faculty members who have become assistant professors are as follows: Burcu Yılmaz, Bahar Yıldız Kutman, Ümit Barış Kutman, Alev Koçak Alan, Hande Barlın, Erhan Uluceviz, İpek Koçoğlu, Dilek Hocaoğlu, Reyhan Yıldız, Fitnat Cimşit Koş, Tayfun Salihoğlu, Seher Güzelçoban Mayuk, Abdullah Can Zülfikar, Ahmet Anıl Dindar, Aligül Büyükaksoy, Atilla Uygur, Barış Binay, Hüseyin Arda Ülkü, Mustafa Fazıl Serincan, Tuba Gözel, Uraz Cengiz Türker, Alp Arslan Bayrakçı, İsmail Çölkesen, Ali Akpek, Osman Selçuk Şentürk, Murat Eyvaz, Turgut Tut, Oğul Esen, Serkan Büyükköse, and İrem Kulu.

ACADEMIC DRESSES WORN BY NEWLY PROMOTED FACULTY MEMBERS

The faculty members who have been promoted as associate professors and who wore their academic dresses at the ceremony are as follows: Taner Turan, Hasari Çelebi, Mehmet Melikoğlu, Tayfun Altuğ Söylev, Cemal Özer Yiğit, Elif İnce, Fatih Dikmen, Koray Kayabol, Pınar Ergenekon, Ebru Menşur Alkoy, Banu Çetin, Didem Gözüpek Kocaman, and Leyla Çolakerol Arslan. And the faculty members who have been promoted as professors and who wore their academic dresses at the ceremony are: Hakan Kitapcı, M.Ayla Ayyıldız Potur, Ayhan Demiriz, Fevzi Bedir, Mehmet Halis Saka, Emil Novruz, Devrim Atilla, Gönül Yenilmez Çiftçi, Hanife İbişoğlu, Meltem Yeşilçimen Akbaş, Yelda Özden Çiftçi, and Mevlüt Karabulut. 

ACADEMIC AWARDS PRESENTED

Also at the ceremony, GTU Academic Awards were presented by the officials to the academicians and students. The first award was bestowed on GTU Computer Engineering undergraduate student Mustafa Uğur Ceylan, who got into GTU in the first place,  and The Most Successful Student Club of the Year Awards were given to IEEE Club, Aviation and Space Club, and the Rowing Club. Master's Thesis of the Year Award was presented to Fazilet Genç from the Department of Physics, while the PhD Dissertation of the Year Award went to Mehmet Burak Özakın from the Department of Electronics Engineering and to Salim Levent Aktuğ from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. As a result of the individual ranking for Academic Success Awards, Prof. Vefa Ahsen, Asst. Prof. Fabienne Dumoulin, and Prof. Mahmut Durmuş from the Department of Chemical Engineering were awarded for their studies. The most academically successful departments were Environmental Engineering, Physics, and Chemistry, and the heads of departments received the awards on behalf each.

FOUNDATION MEMBERS AWARDED PLAQUETS

At the end of the ceremony, Rector Görgün and the Deputy Prime Minister Fikri Işık presented plaquets to the institutions and organizations that have been providing grants for GTU. The individuals who received the plaquets on behalf of the institutions and organizations are as follows: Kocaeli Governor Hüseyin Aksoy, Kocaeli Metropolitan Mayor İbrahim Karaosmanoğlu, Gebze Mayor Adnan Köşker, Kocaeli Chamber of Commerce - Chairman of the Executive Board Ayhan Zeytinoğlu, Gebze Chamber of Commerce President Nail Çiler, Güzeller Organized Industrial Zone - Chairman of the Executive Board Adem Ceylan, İmes Organized Industrial Zone - Chairman of the Executive Board İrfan Küçükay, Gebze Organized Industrial Zone - Chairman of the Executive Board Vahit Yıldırım, TOSB Chairman of the Executive Board Ömer Burhanoğlu, Makine İhtisas Organized Industrial Zone Chairman of the Executive Board Sedat Silahtaroğlu, GEBKİM Chairman of the Executive Board Vefa İbrahim Aracı, Dilovası Organized Industrial Zone - Chairman of the Executive Board M.Rahmi Türker, Asım Kibar Organized Industrial Zone - Regional Director Sadiye Dişbudak, Arslanbey Organized Industrial Zone - Chairman of the Executive Board Bahattin Ertuğ, Gebze Plastikçiler Organized Industrial Zone - Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board Deniz Hüseyin İlgün, Kömürcüler Organized Industrial Zone and Yılport Holding Inc. Vice Director Mehmet Yıldırım, Alikahya Organized Industrial Zone - Chairman of the Executive Board Yalçın Sönmez, Koçkaya Holding Executive Board Member Celal Kaya, Vefa Holding Chairman of the Executive Board Orhan Güner, Alışan Logistics - Director of Administrative Affairs Ayhan Özekin, Tadım Chairman of the Executive Board İsmet Tekinalp, Netaş Innovation and R&D Strategies Director Rıza Durucasugil, PentaPal Construction Co-Founder Bünyamin Akgürbüz, Akım Metal Deputy General Manager Ali Fazıl Böyet, Anadolu Foundation General Director Türkan Özilhan, Çiftel Elektromekanik - Chairman of the Executive Board Yunus Çiftçi, and Ayhanlar Holding Chairman of the Executive Board Murat Ayhan.