New projects introduced at the 11th Launch Meetings

The eleventh of the Project Launch Meetings organized by Üsküdar University R&D and Innovation Policies Directorate took place. Within the scope of the meeting, information on the current status of BAP, TÜBİTAK, and industry collaboration projects was shared. Additionally, a significant increase in Scopus publication statistics was presented to the senate members. 

The meeting held at Üsküdar University Central Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall was attended by President of Üsküdar University Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, Rector Prof. Nazife Güngör, along with faculty deans, senate members, and academicians.

Assoc. Prof. Müge Ensari Özay: “Our social responsibility projects are steadily increasing”

The first presentation of the meeting was given by Assoc. Prof. Müge Ensari Özay, Director of R&D and Innovation Policies. Summarizing the May activities of the R&D Executive Board, Özay said; “Our social responsibility projects are significantly strengthened, and their number is steadily increasing. We currently have a total of 26 social responsibility projects, 3 of which have been completed.” 

Assoc. Prof. Pınar Öz: “Feasibility comes to the forefront in writing such projects”

The first project presentation was given by Assoc. Prof. Pınar Öz, Vice Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics (English) at Üsküdar University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, who spoke about her project titled “Holistic Analysis of the Effects of Different Photoperiods on Neurotransmitter Profiles and Stereotypical Behaviors in Daphnia Magna,” accepted within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 1002-A program. Öz stated; “Projects under TÜBİTAK 1002-A are short-term and small-budget projects. Feasibility is very prominent in writing such projects. Providing preliminary studies if previously untested experiments or equipment are to be used in the literature definitely provides an advantage in evaluation. It is very important to make explanations as clear and detailed as possible according to the experimental plan and work packages when preparing the methodology. The main objective of our project is to introduce "Daphnia Magna" (Water Flea) as a new neurobiology model organism to the literature. We already have a culture that we have established in our laboratory for a year. This organism has a completely transparent structure. When you look under a microscope, you can clearly see all its internal organs. Our goal is to work on 8 hours light/16 hours dark, 16 hours light/8 hours dark, and 24 hours light cycles. Thus, we plan to create a holistic behavioral catalog by correlating both behavioral and neurochemical data. In our future plans, we aim to use this organism not only in ecology and pollution tests but also in pharmacology for drug trials and even in genetic studies, as its neurotransmitter systems are very similar to humans.” 

Asst. Prof. Burcu Türkgenç: “We presented pioneering data belonging to Turkey”

Asst. Prof. Burcu Türkgenç, Head of the Department of Medical Biology at Üsküdar University Faculty of Medicine, gave her presentation titled “Investigation of Differences in Cilia-Related Outer Dynein Arm Heavy Chain Genes in Pediatric Patients Operated on for Inguinoscrotal Region Pathologies.” Türkgenç, speaking about her experiences in project writing processes, the laboratory stages of the research, and future goals, said; “Our project focused on inguinoscrotal region pathologies, which are most frequently encountered in pediatric surgery. With this study, the expression of DNAH genes in these two pathologies was investigated for the first time in the literature, and we presented pioneering data specific to Turkey. The study created new research axes in the field of pediatric surgery, and we obtained preliminary evidence regarding the role of focal genes in urogenital development. Of course, it is necessary to continue working with larger samples. Among our short-term goals, we applied in September, and it will be presented at the Asia Pacific Association of Pediatric Urology Congress.” 

Research Asst. Büşra Aksu: “Participating in different project studies adds a different vision”

Research Asst. Büşra Aksu from Üsküdar University Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Audiology, also gave her presentation titled "Development of a Computer-Based Music-Integrated Phonological Awareness Program (MÜFAP) for Children with Language Impairment." She offered recommendations to individuals who will write new projects and spoke about the project's importance for children. Aksu said; “My recommendations for researchers who will write projects are, first and foremost, to love and believe in their ideas. I carried out the preliminary study for this work during my master’s degree. It wasn't in software form, but I had implemented it as a program for hearing-impaired students, and I believed the idea was good. Participating in different project studies truly adds a very different vision. If we look at our project summary and why this topic is important, the skill we call phonological awareness is actually known as the ability to perceive the sound structure of language. Music, in fact, is among the activities that enhance sound awareness skills. Combining these two activities strongly enables children to learn the sound structure. When we look at our sample group, we see that children with developmental language impairment already experience difficulties with phonological awareness. Our aim is to develop software to improve phonological awareness for children with language problems.” 

Asst. Prof. Uygar Aydemir: “Our focus is to conduct independent research in this field”

Finally, Asst. Prof. Uygar Aydemir from Üsküdar University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Department of History, gave a presentation on the History Research Working Group. 

He spoke about the group's main objective and projects. Aydemir stated; “As you can see, our research focus is primarily to support history-related studies within the department, and subsequently from other departments. Also, to develop original research in this field, to conduct interdisciplinary studies, and finally, perhaps one of the most important, to enhance the research competence of undergraduate students. I will talk about the work our group members did in 2024 and 2025. We have 3 projects, which is one of the strengths of our group. We have 6 publications within the scope of WOS, apart from these, we have 3 book chapters, 1 book, and 9 conference participations. Of course, we do not limit ourselves to academic studies only. We also have media participations, training programs, and program seminars.” 

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

The event concluded after a group photo session.