Nearly 100 students from 19 teams, including researchers from foreign countries, participated in the 3rd RaDiChal22 competition, led by Üsküdar Üniversitesi TRGENMER Coordinator Dr. Lecturer Cihan Taştan. The program, which was attended by TUBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal and Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, also included Turkey Cancer Institute President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burcu Yücel and Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk. While Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal invited RaDiChal to Teknofest, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan called for a 'You're Talented in Science' competition to be organized to encourage young people to produce more scientific projects.
Students conducting research that could offer solutions for the treatment of rare diseases with a genetic basis gathered at the RaDiChal22 competition.
Under the leadership of Üsküdar Üniversitesi TRGENMER and RaDiChal Coordinator Dr. Lecturer Cihan Taştan, 19 teams comprising 95 students participated this year in the competition, which consists of semi-final and final stages initiated by the RaDIChal (Rare Disease Challenge) team established with undergraduate students. This year's target for RaDiChal, which started in 2020, was determined as WU Syndrome, LGMD (Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy) types, and MS (Multiple Sclerosis), which are among frequently observed rare diseases. Projects created to treat these diseases competed fiercely to reach the final. Projects that qualify for the final will be supported and awarded for implementation once the evaluation process is complete.
The 3rd RaDiChal22 final program, organized this year by Dr. Lecturer Cihan Taştan and his team at the İbn-i Sina Auditorium of NP Diş ve Sağlık Yerleşkesi, was attended by Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, TUBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, Prof. Dr. Arif Mardinoğlu from King's College London, and Üsküdar Üniversitesi Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Muhsin Konuk as speakers. Turkey Cancer Institute President Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burcu Yücel and Prof. Dr. Nabbout Rima from the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium joined online to share their presentations, while Prof. Dr. Mazhar Adlı from Northwestern Üniversitesi also participated and gave a 'Guest Lecture'.
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “We must provide motivation to young people regarding science”
Stating that they launched the 'Science and Idea Festival' for high school students for the first time in Turkey in 2013, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan continued his words as follows:
“At that time, we researched whether such a competition existed in the world. There was no such competition organized by a university in Turkey. In the world, there was only a similar competition at a university in Oklahoma. When we look, there are tomato and cherry festivals, but no science festival. According to neuroscience, a person can learn only if it is in a fun and disciplined environment. We started to provide this, and the 'Science and Idea Festival' is still ongoing. High school students prepare serious projects for us. Seeing the excitement of young people and the sparkle in their eyes, we thought it was necessary to give them an ideal. We started the festival with the support of the İstanbul İl Milli Eğitim Müdürlüğü, stating that it is necessary to motivate young people about science, save them from the winds of current events, and enable them to produce in the medium to long term.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “If we don’t prioritize R&D, we become objects of science”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, stating that 'Science only becomes science if it is done with love, motivation, and enthusiasm,' said, “A scientist should see the laboratory as a garden of Eden. When they enter, they won't realize how the hours pass. The project idea for Teknofest actually belongs to us. TUBİTAK’s budget should be allocated more to R&D than to the festival. When I researched Amazon's success, I saw the importance they gave to R&D from the budget they allocated. If we don’t prioritize R&D, we become objects of science. If we want to be subjects of science, we need to prioritize R&D.”
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: “A 'You're Talented in Science' competition should be organized”
Stating that similar work to that done at the Science and Idea Festival is being carried out at RaDiChal, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, “If we can support the work being done, beautiful results can emerge. Talent management in science is very important. Dr. Lecturer Cihan Taştan, who is in charge of RaDiChal, works in harmony with young people. One of the most important aspects of management is knowing how to discover and manage talent. I wish we could expand these efforts a bit more and turn them into a larger-scale organization called 'You're Talented in Science'. Talented young people can be brought together between universities. TUBİTAK can also provide support in this regard. We can produce future Nobel candidates. To spread the love of science among young people, we must provide them with a climate of possibility. Indeed, today, scientific robustness is also required to prove the accuracy of information.”
Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal: “Turkey has incredible potential”
Stating that the Teknofest competition reached 5,000 visitors when it started in 2018, TUBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal said, “In 2019, it became the world's largest technology festival, with 1 million 721 thousand people participating. In 2022, 600 thousand of our students became competitors. This shows that Turkey has incredible potential in terms of our young friends. 600 thousand of our students say, 'I am a candidate to solve today's and future's problems by using science and technology as tools.' Teknofest means youth, it means our future. That's why we thank Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, as one of the people who refer to this situation the most.”
Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal: “We invite RaDiChal to Teknofest”
Emphasizing that the relative increase in numbers this year was directed towards young people, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal said, “I would also like to state the amount we spent. It's only 1% of our budget. Unfortunately, I describe it as small. This is especially not a scientist support program; it is something we contribute to within the scope of science popularization. Of course, within the scope of Teknofest, we organize 15 competitions with the participation of countless institutions. There is the 'Biotechnological Innovation Competition,' in which our instructor Cihan is also involved, but it is actually possible to participate in many other competitions. If there is a demand, we would be very pleased for RaDiChal to take part in Teknofest and to organize it together as the fourth 'Biotechnological Innovation' competition. We can easily manage the covering of its expenses.”
RaDiChall reached 400 students in 6 countries
Üsküdar Üniversitesi TRGENMER Coordinator Dr. Lecturer Cihan Taştan stated that naming the competition RaDiChal was related to their work on very rare diseases and continued his words as follows:
“It was very important for our master's, undergraduate, and doctoral students to take on rare diseases that very few people work on, and at the same time, to organize social awareness activities on social media and within the community, not just by working in the laboratory. We call diseases that occur in 1 out of 2,000 people or much more rarely, rare diseases. In the RaDiChal competition, since 2020, we have been encouraging students to create treatment-oriented projects by selecting 3 different rare diseases each year. So far, 89 university teams consisting of 400 students from 6 countries have participated in our competition. This year, among rare diseases, we selected WU Syndrome, LGMD (Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy) types, and MS (Multiple Sclerosis). 10 out of 19 teams reached the final. When the evaluation process is complete, the list of winners will be announced, their projects will be supported, and they will be awarded.”
RaDiChal Coordinator Dr. Lecturer Cihan Taştan presented plaques to TUBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal and Üsküdar Üniversitesi Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan for their participation and support in RaDiChal22.