Organized in cooperation with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education, Üsküdar University's 7th Science and Idea Festival, which is Turkey's first and only festival in this field, presented its awards to the winners. In the festival, organized to strengthen the project culture and entrepreneurship practice of young people in high school, young people competed with their ideas and projects. Speaking at the festival's award ceremony, Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, emphasized the importance of being the subject, not the object, of change. Tarhan noted that one should not be afraid of change and new steps, stating,“The biggest obstacle to change is the fear of change. To be the subject of change, not its object, we need young people who dream of discovering things. I see Generation Z as very bright in this regard.” he said.
This year marked the 7th Üsküdar University Science and Idea Festival, Turkey's first and only festival in this field, organized in collaboration with the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education. Young people competed with their projects in the festival, which aims to strengthen the project culture and entrepreneurship practice of high school students, encouraging them to observe and “invent” to make life easier. Within the scope of the 7th Science and Idea Festival, high school students from 146 schools in Istanbul produced projects in three categories: Social Sciences, Health Sciences, and Science and Technology. In the festival, where 317 creative projects competed, the winners in each category were awarded.
The award ceremony of the Science and Idea Festival, which was postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was held with reduced attendance under pandemic measures. Awards were presented to the winning projects at the ceremony held in the Emir Nebi Conference Hall at Üsküdar University Çarşı Campus.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Unexpected awards are more fruitful”
Üsküdar University Founding Rector, Psychiatrist Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stated that Üsküdar University was the originator of science festivals, saying, “We should also thank those who implemented our idea and brought it to life as Teknofest. Unexpected awards are more fruitful than conventional ones. Invention is like that, discovery is like that. Since unexpected awards stimulate the brain's reward center more, an entertaining and disciplined environment provided by neuroscience is needed. According to this teaching of neuroscience, we thought we should combine science with a festival.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “One should not be afraid of change and new steps”
Stating that they researched all countries for similar festivals while working on the idea of the Science and Idea Festival, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan continued his words as follows:
“We learned that such a festival was held only in the state of Oklahoma, USA. There was none in Turkey. So we decided to hold a science festival. Later, the Ministry of National Education took ownership of the project as science galas. It is very important to grasp the truths of the time well, to continue them, and to be sustainable. One should not be afraid of change and new steps. However, when you break the mold, many try to trip you up. You have to take this into account. The biggest danger for a person doing good things is to be pointed at. There is no need to fear as long as you act with scientific soundness. One should proceed with scientific soundness by using information and data. After collecting scientific data, by acting on evidence, justifications against objections to the steps taken in this regard should also be prepared.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “To achieve mental transformation, comfort needs to be changed”
Tarhan stated that change is not only in the scientific field but also in the social and mental fields. “Without mental transformation, there can be no scientific transformation, no social transformation, no political transformation. First, there must be mental transformation. We need to change our mental comfort. To change mental comfort, a person becomes proactive, takes risks. They take calculable risks, calculate probabilities. They take initiatives according to those probabilities. They foresee potential future changes and position themselves accordingly. This happens with scientific probability calculations, with thought experiments. Wisdom is now done In silico. You load information with mathematical models, and the computer reports what will happen in the future. Therefore, wisdom has become easier in predicting the future with In silico experiments and mathematical models, and the leadership of this change emerges in this way,” he said. Prof. Dr. Tarhan noted that the biggest obstacle to change is the fear of change.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “Generation Z is needed to be the subject of change”
Addressing the concept of adapting to change, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “If you adapt to change, you become the object of change. However, one needs to be the subject of change.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan continued, “To be the subject of change, we need young people who dream of discovering things. I see Generation Z as very bright in this regard. I hope that young people who will own the future will emerge from them. If scientist Aziz Sancar had lived in Turkey, he might have continued his life as a professor at a university... But he found his environment there. In our culture, if you don't have friends and connections in important places, your voice can't really be heard. However, it is our duty to break the molds in scientific fields.”
Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk: “Patent support will be provided”
Festival Coordinator and Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk stated that the 7th festival was again met with great interest by students, adding that 545 students and 250 consulting teachers participated in the festival, which saw 317 projects from 146 schools across Istanbul compete. Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk said that features such as originality, feasibility, and widespread impact were taken into consideration during the evaluation of the projects.
Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk: “Patenting is very important”
Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk noted that Üsküdar University would provide “Patent Support” to the top 3 projects in each category. “Patenting is very important. We are now living in the age of information. The knowledge produced by countries, and the ability of this knowledge to be produced and transformed into industry, and this knowledge, once transformed into production and industry, must be patented. Unfortunately, Turkey has been weak in patenting for years. According to statistical data from 2014, the ratio of GDP allocated to R&D in South Korea and Turkey was the same in 1987. However, by 2014, the share allocated to R&D in South Korea had significantly increased. As a result, they made significant progress and development in R&D. So much so that a South Korean-originated technology brand received 10 times the number of patents in 2014 compared to Turkey's total patents over 85 years. This is why South Korea reached these stages in science and technology,” he said.
Abdurrahman Ensari: “Unfortunately, we are consumers of knowledge we cannot produce”
Abdurrahman Ensari, Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education Branch Manager, stated in his speech that although they are in a much better situation compared to the past, as a country, they are not yet at the desired level in science and technology. Abdurrahman Ensari said, “However, there is tremendous determination and desire in both our state leaders and our universities regarding this issue. We see an effort to reach better places. The Science and Idea Festival is also a product of this effort. We mostly consume knowledge. We wish we could produce and use knowledge ourselves. But unfortunately, we become consumers of knowledge we cannot produce. We are forced to obtain knowledge and technology that we do not produce ourselves from others and become its consumers.”
Abdurrahman Ensari: “Producing knowledge is not enough”
Reminding that Aselsan had developed a very good phone and received an award when mobile phones first emerged, Ensari said, “However, it did not receive sufficient support at that time and did not proceed to the production stage. Therefore, patenting efforts are very important. Producing knowledge is not enough; it needs to be made more systematic and presented for humanity's use. This is only possible through patenting. We believe that young people can achieve anything if they believe and work hard. We want them to trust their country. We saw what our young people could achieve at the recent Teknofest.”
6 thousand TL awarded to first-place projects
The ceremony continued with the presentation of certificates of appreciation to the evaluation committee. Awards were presented to the winning projects in three categories: Social Sciences, Health Sciences, and Science and Technology. The awards for the first-place projects in all three categories were presented by Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan and Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education Branch Manager Abdurrahman Ensari. While 6 thousand TL was awarded to the first-place projects; half of this award was also given to the consulting teacher.
“Istanbul Literary Stops” came in first
In the Social Sciences category, the “Istanbul Literary Stops” project from Kasımpaşa Anatolian High School came in first. Awards were presented to consulting teacher Orhan Aytuğ Tolu and his student Sebahattin Samed Alkaşi by Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan and Abdurrahman Ensari.
In the Health Sciences field, the project “Comparison of Antimicrobial Activities of Plant Hydrosols as Antiseptic Mouthwash Against Candida Albicans Developing in the Mouth” from İSTEK Private Belde Anatolian High School came in first. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan and Abdurrahman Ensari presented the awards to consulting teacher Bahar Mercan and her students Yağız Efe Erkut and Furkan Akar.
In the field of Science and Technology, the project “Mobile Applications and Machine Learning Based Sentiment Analysis Assisted System for Guidance Services in Middle Schools” from Istanbul Atatürk Science High School came in first. Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan and Abdurrahman Ensari presented the awards to consulting teacher Mehmet Durmuş and his students Ayşenaz Anbarpınar and Fatma Aybike Yavuzalp.
4 thousand TL awarded to second-place projects
At the ceremony, awards for the second-place projects in all three categories were presented by Üsküdar University Acting Rector Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zelka. While 4 thousand TL was awarded to the second-place projects; half of this award was also given to the consulting teacher.
“Recycling Literature” project came in second
In the Social Sciences field, the “Recycling Literature” project from Özel Küçükçekmece Halkalı Okyanus Anatolian High School came in second. Consulting Teacher Nazlı Tanhan and her student Azra Akasya Aşan received their awards from Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zelka.
The second-place project in Health Sciences was “Investigation of the Effects of Passion Flower (Passiflora Incarnata), Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium), Cherry Laurel (Prunus Laurocerasus) and Primrose (Primula Vulgaris) Plants on a Neurotoxicity Model Created in Earthworms” from Vefa High School. Oğuz Kaygalak and students İpek Kayrancıoğlu and Betül Sancaklı received the award on behalf of consulting teacher Özlem Türk Demirci.
Project detecting damaged buildings came in second
In the Science and Technology field, the “Detection of Damaged Buildings with the Internet of Things” project from Istanbul Atatürk Science High School came in second. Consulting Teacher Mehmet Durmuş and his students Muhammed Emir Hocalar and Aslınur Keskin received their awards from Prof. Dr. Mehmet Zelka.
2 thousand TL awarded to third-place projects
At the ceremony, awards for the third-place projects in three categories were presented by Üsküdar University Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak. While 2 thousand TL was awarded to the third-place projects; half of this award was also given to the consulting teacher.
The third-place award in the Social Sciences category went to the project titled “A Study on Climate Change in the Anthropocene Era” from Kasımpaşa Anatolian High School. Consulting teacher Orhan Aytuğ Tolu and his student Muhammet Emir Pekdemir received their awards from Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak.
In the Health Sciences field, the third-place award went to the “Health in Pocket” project from Istanbul Technical University Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. The awards were given by Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak to students Ömer Kara, Ayşe Duru Çelik, Nisa Nur Tak, and Kayra Koray Yılmaz, under the guidance of their consulting teacher Münevver Sağır.
In the Science and Technology field, the third-place award went to the project titled “Production of a Programming and Space Technologies Themed STEM Education Set” from Kartal Anatolian Imam Hatip High School. The award was given by Prof. Dr. Hikmet Koçak to Mehmet Sertaç Çeküç and his student Kübra Tiryaki, on behalf of consulting teacher Ersin Ertürk.
A total of 33 projects, 11 from each category of Social Sciences, Health Sciences, and Science and Technology, were also presented with a 500 TL honorable mention award as a “Successful Project Award.”
Patent support will be provided to the top 3 projects
Üsküdar University will provide “Patent Support” to the top 3 projects in each category, and scholarships for those who list Üsküdar University's paid, 25% and 50% discounted programs among their first five choices and are placed in one of these choices will be supplemented to 75%.
The program, where certificates of appreciation were also given to educators assigned by the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of National Education for project evaluation and Üsküdar University academics on the jury, was broadcast live on ÜÜ TV and Üsküdar University's YouTube account.
The program, which also included entertaining moments with a band performance, ended with a commemorative photo session.