Üsküdar University Graduate's AI Journey Extends to Karlsruhe

İpek Uçar, a graduate of Üsküdar University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Computer Engineering, has been admitted to the Computer Science master's program at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), one of Germany's leading technical universities. Uçar, who completed her undergraduate education with a 3.62 GPA, aims to deepen her studies in artificial intelligence and robotics at KIT. 

İpek Uçar, a graduate of Üsküdar University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Computer Engineering, has added another achievement to her academic successes. 

Uçar, who conducted studies in the field of artificial intelligence and robotics in her graduation thesis under the supervision of Asst. Prof. Gamze Uslu from Üsküdar University, Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Department of Computer Engineering, completed her undergraduate education with a 3.62 GPA.

Uçar, who was admitted to the Computer Science master's program at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), one of Germany's leading technical universities, actively participated in internships, hackathons, competitions, and academic studies, focusing on artificial intelligence throughout her undergraduate education. Uçar plans to continue her studies in machine learning, robotics, and embodied artificial intelligence during her master's education.

Interest in mathematics and problem-solving led her to computer engineering

İpek Uçar, born in Bursa in 2002, stated that her interest in mathematics and problem-solving during her science high school education led her to engineering. She expressed that the most significant factor in her choosing Computer Engineering was the idea of transforming an abstract problem into a concrete solution through code.

Uçar stated that gaining experience in various fields, not just limiting herself to courses during her academic journey, brought her to her current position. Uçar said; "The most important factors that brought me to this point in my academic journey were not being content with courses but actively participating in internships, hackathons, and national programs and exams, focusing on artificial intelligence from my third year, and my habit of always transforming every topic I learned into a project."

Her efforts throughout her undergraduate studies were recognized internationally…

Uçar stated that receiving admission from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology holds great significance for her and that the application process required meticulous preparation. Uçar explained that the application process, conducted through KIT's online portal, involved detailed documentation of transcripts, course contents, and academic and professional experiences, adding that the applicant's holistic profile was considered during the evaluation.

“I felt a door I had targeted for years had opened”

Uçar described the application process as follows:

“Karlsruhe Institute of Technology is among the top 100 universities in world rankings and the top 50 in Europe; it is a member of the TU9 alliance, which brings together Germany's most prestigious technical universities. It is one of Europe's leading institutes, particularly for its robotics and artificial intelligence research. Receiving admission from a university recognized at this global level showed that my efforts throughout my undergraduate studies were recognized internationally. This is very valuable to me.”

Uçar stated that the application was a document-oriented and comprehensive process, explaining that she submitted all experiences in her CV with supporting documents. Uçar said that she included various works in her application file, ranging from a nine-month artificial intelligence internship to a Google AI Academy scholarship, from a paper presented at a student congress to her achievement in the Siber Vatan semi-final competition. She added that the admission was a result of this holistic profile, which included all these works as well as her graduation thesis.

Uçar described the moment she received the admission news with these words: “It’s hard to describe the happiness and pride I felt the moment I saw the admission email; I felt a door I had targeted for years had opened.”

Graduation thesis at the intersection of artificial intelligence and robotics…

One of İpek Uçar's most important works during her undergraduate education was her graduation thesis. 

In her thesis, Uçar developed an artificial intelligence agent capable of understanding commands given in human language and converting them into physical actions.

Uçar stated that the core of her work lies in artificial intelligence models not only understanding language but also being able to perceive the physical world and correctly perform multi-step tasks. She described her project as follows:

“In my graduation thesis, I developed an artificial intelligence agent that can understand commands given in human language and convert them into physical actions. Today's AI models are very successful at generating text, but things change when you tell a robot 'wash the cup and place it in the coffee machine.' It's not enough for the robot to understand the sentence; it needs to see its surroundings, discover where the cup is, go to the sink, and perform the steps in the correct order without making mistakes. This bridge between language and the physical world, known in literature as 'embodied AI,' is one of the most challenging research problems in the field.”

Uçar stated that she designed a system that operates in a three-dimensional realistic home simulation called AI2-THOR, combining a transformer-based language module with semantic mapping, path planning, and reinforcement learning methods. Uçar said that her goal was for the agent to complete multi-step household tasks, and noted that the study focuses on a research area that could contribute to various real-world applications, from home robots to elderly care assistants.

Evaluating the role of her graduation thesis in her KIT application, Uçar stated that her work was an important piece demonstrating her research direction. Uçar said; “My thesis was an important part of my application file, showing my research direction. Moreover, it directly aligned with KIT's robotics and artificial intelligence research, especially with institutes working on learning robot systems. It served as a concrete preliminary step for the work I wanted to do in my master's degree. But honestly, it wasn't the sole determining factor in admission; it was part of the whole, along with my internship experience, the training I received, and my academic profile.”

 “I always had the chance to combine theory with practice”

Uçar also touched upon the contribution of her education at Üsküdar University to her international master's application, stating that the department's 100% English instruction provided a significant advantage. Uçar noted that project-oriented courses and laboratory work allowed her to combine theoretical knowledge with practice, and she emphasized that her academic advisors also played an important role in the research process.

Uçar evaluated her educational experience at Üsküdar University with these words:

“The fact that my department's language of instruction was one hundred percent English was one of my biggest advantages, both during the overseas application process and in following international literature. Thanks to project-oriented courses and laboratory work, I always had the chance to combine theory with practice. My professors' doors were always open; the academic advising I received during my graduation thesis and departmental research taught me to approach a topic with research discipline. This support directly contributed to my admission to a research-intensive institution like KIT; I sincerely thank all my professors.”

Goal is to work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, robotics, and cybersecurity

Uçar, who aims to focus on machine learning and robotics during her master's education at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, stated that she particularly wants to deepen her studies in embodied artificial intelligence, which connects language models with the physical world.

However, Uçar emphasized that she does not want to limit herself to a single field and that adapting to the constantly changing nature of computer science is important. Uçar stated that her undergraduate education at Üsküdar University and her experience in the Siber Vatan program provided her with a holistic perspective for evaluating systems, and she expressed her goal to specialize at the intersection of artificial intelligence and security.

Uçar stated that her long-term goal is to bring the academic knowledge she will gain in Germany to Turkey. She said, “After graduation, I plan to apply the expertise I have acquired to real-world systems. In the long term, one of my biggest goals is to transfer the knowledge I will gain here to Turkey's rapidly growing artificial intelligence and technology ecosystem.”

“Accumulate concrete work and document everything”

Uçar also offered advice to students wishing to pursue a master's degree in computer science abroad, stating that while GPA is important, it is not sufficient on its own. Uçar emphasized that students should also pay attention to the content of the courses they take, their project and internship experiences, and highlighted that documenting experiences is critical during the application process.

Uçar gave the following advice to students:

“Firstly, GPA is certainly important, but it's not enough on its own. Which courses you take is at least as important. Universities like KIT score your transcript based on theoretical computer science, practical computer science, and mathematics credits. Therefore, view core courses not as 'courses to pass,' but as part of your application file.”

“Secondly, accumulate concrete work that represents you: projects, internships, hackathons, competitions. These speak just as much as grades in the application. And always document and archive everything you do: internship letters, certificates, competition results, paper proofs. Proof is required for every experience you declare in applications; you wouldn't want to search for documents in messy folders when that day comes.”

Uçar also stated that English is an important part of the application process, and students should learn the language not only to succeed in exams but by making it a part of their daily lives. She expressed that communicating with international students on campus throughout her undergraduate education significantly contributed to improving her English.

“Don't hesitate to set this goal for yourself”

Finally, Uçar told students aiming to study abroad the following:

“This process is not as unattainable as it seems; timelines and requirements are clearly stated on university websites. Don't hesitate to ask your professors for support, and view a possible rejection not as an end, but as part of your roadmap. With a well-prepared application, the world's best technical universities are an achievable goal, don't hesitate to set this goal for yourself.”

Uçar concluded her words with a Goethe quote that will guide her as she embarks on her master's journey in Germany: “Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.”