Future projects discussed at the 10th Project Launch meeting

The tenth of the Project Launch Meetings organized by the R&D and Innovation Policies Directorate of Üsküdar University took place. The meeting addressed the university's academic performance indicators, TÜBİTAK and European Union projects, and university-industry collaborations. During the program, scientific research projects and social responsibility initiatives for the community were presented to the senate members with detailed data. 

The meeting, held at the Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall on the Main Campus of Üsküdar University, was attended by the President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, Rector of Üsküdar University Prof. Nazife Güngör, as well as faculty deans, senate members, and academicians.

Prof. Osman Çerezci: “We provide a social service”

Prof. Osman Çerezci, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Üsküdar University, discussed the activities of the Electromagnetic Research Group, established in 2019, its current research projects, and future goals. Çerezci said: “We also provide a social service. We perform measurements for electromagnetic field institutions upon request. The 2013/35/EU standard is a requirement in Europe for occupational health and safety in workplaces. According to this standard, we conduct measurements, perform inspections, and issue our reports. We also assist with electromagnetic compatibility issues and solutions when requested. Furthermore, we are currently preparing to publish a new book. We conduct measurements for base stations and high-voltage power lines, and we carry out awareness studies on electromagnetic radiation exposure in schools. Especially recently, during the installation phase of wind turbines, an EIA report is prepared. We submit our electromagnetic impact assessment reports to these EIA reports, and they become part of the report for approval. We also have a very new study on green buildings; green building certifications have various evaluation indices. On our part, we proposed an electromagnetic pollution index in addition to these evaluation indices, and a related article of ours has also been published. We presented this as an innovative idea to the environment.” 

Assoc. Prof. Müge Ensari Özay: “We plan to achieve significant positions in national and international rankings”

The first presentation within the scope of the meeting was given by Assoc. Prof. Müge Ensari Özay, Director of R&D and Innovation Policies.

Özay referred to the accelerated increase in the number of scientific publications and the success rankings across Turkey. Özay stated: “While we had 224 publications in 2023, we had 253 in 2024, and 438 in 2025. Currently, within the first 4 months of 2026, we have 181 Scopus publications. We aim to finish the year with 550 publications. Hopefully, it will be even more, but we project it to be 550 if it increases linearly. When we look at the fields, the highest rate is in medicine. Other fields follow suit. We had previously shared this with our professors. The increase in our publication count from 253 to 438 in 2025 made a very significant contribution to our university. Our publication count per faculty member increased to 0.82, and last year, our university became the third university in Turkey to show the highest jump in the average Scopus publications per faculty member. Of course, the stability of this increase is important. We plan to reach the 700 range in the coming year, after 438 and 550, and achieve significant positions in national and international rankings.” 

Then, the project presentations commenced. 

Assoc. Prof. Elçin Babaoğlu: ‘‘We emphasized three sustainable development goals’’

Assoc. Prof. Elçin Babaoğlu, Deputy Head of the Nursing Department at Üsküdar University, delivered the launch presentation for her TÜBİTAK 1002A project, for which she is the principal investigator as part of doctoral student Özlem Teke's thesis. The project is titled “The Effect of Triple P Training Applied to Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder on Children’s Repetitive Behaviors and Parents’ Mental State and Burnout Levels.” Babaoğlu stated: “First and foremost, I believe the literature gap is very important. Because when you do something that already exists, you get rejected. However, when you capture a difference, and if this is a national and international difference, and you substantiate it well with evidence-based documents from the literature, it becomes more acceptable. At the same time, in our study on autism, we specifically took into account the 2nd National Autism Action Plan at the Ministry of Family and Social Policies. There was a theme of empowering the family caregiver of the child with autism as much as the child with autism themselves. After detailing our evidence in the literature regarding this, we made references to this action plan. Again, setting sustainable development goals is very important here; we emphasized three sustainable development goals: reducing inequalities for children with autism and their families in an equal manner, ensuring quality education, and healthy living.”

Asst. Prof. Göksu Tarakçı: “Neonatal sucking screening can be performed entirely with a simple device”

Asst. Prof. Göksu Tarakçı from the Department of Speech and Language Therapy at Üsküdar University gave a detailed presentation on her project “Swallowing and Sucking Device Based on Wearable Strain Sensors.” Tarakçı stated: “We had applied to TÜSEB C for the device in 2024 because the device was in prototype form. We applied again the following year in 2025, and the acceptance process took about a year for the funds to be transferred to the university's budget. We did many things during that period. The title of the study is ‘Development of an Oropharyngeal Swallowing Assessment Device Based on Wearable Strain Sensors, a Current Approach in the Assessment of Mandibular Movement and Laryngeal Elevation.’ Our goals are to measure the amplitude of jaw movement with a stretching sensor, a chewing cycle of jaw movement, or a swallow. There is a test called 'Thomas.' It's a swallowing test that measures and evaluates chewing and swallowing, and this test observationally expresses how many seconds a person eats a cracker, how many times they chew, and how many times they swallow. Also, in nutritive suction, the child must coordinate sucking, swallowing, and breathing, but non-nutritive is essentially just pacifier sucking. If the baby cannot swallow correctly and feed properly, the risk of hypoxia and aspiration will increase, which will in turn increase readmission rates to the hospital. We actually aim to include that neonatal sucking screening can be performed entirely with a simple device.”  

Res. Asst. Ceren Söğüt: “Our aim was the development of attention skills”

Res. Asst. Ceren Söğüt from the Department of Speech and Language Therapy at Üsküdar University gave a presentation titled “Investigation of the Effectiveness of an Interaction-Based Early Childhood Intervention Program on Children with Cleft Lip and Palate and Their Families.” Söğüt stated: “Clearly defining the research question, effectively utilizing the literature, robustly planning the methodology, and adopting a multidisciplinary approach were important. Especially the last two points, namely adopting a multidisciplinary approach and emphasizing widespread impact, were very valuable for TÜBİTAK. We preferred complete cleft. Initially, we had not differentiated between unilateral and bilateral, but later decided to prefer bilateral. We had great difficulty finding cases; many families did not agree to be included in this 7-8-week process. Our main goal was not to make the child say the word 'car' correctly, but to ensure the development of joint attention skills and the ability to socialize. Therefore, we implemented ETEÇOM, thinking that the earlier age group we reach, the more we can impact children's lives and the less difficulty they will have while socializing.” 

After the completion of the project presentations, sapling certificates were presented.

 The event concluded with a group photo shoot.