Following the 1st work package where scientists and students from 130 schools came together at the European Researchers' Night event of the project titled 'Science from Nature to your Table', which was carried out by Atatürk University Project Development and Coordination Office and accepted within the scope of Horizon Europe Projects, the second work package was also carried out with the participation of the public and thestudents from all the schools visited.

Atatürk University hosted and implemented the main activity of the project, which started to work with the opinions and support of Erzurum Governorship, Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality and Provincial Directorate of National Education. In the 2nd work package, students participated in science and art activities, and they learned many subjects such as experiments, workshops, theaters and performances in a hands-on way.

In addition to Atatürk University Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı, Deputy Governor Ahmet Özdemir, Provincial Police Chief Levent Tuncer, Provincial Gendarmerie Commander J. Alb. İlker Şimşek, Provincial Director of Youth and Sports Birdal Öztürk, Deputy Secretary General of the Metropolitan Municipality Ahmet Kılıç, Project Development and Coordination Office Coordinator Assoc. Dr. Serkan Yıldırım and Director of 'the Nature to Table Science Project', Assoc. Dr. Selda Örs, vice-rectors, the general secretary of the university, deans, directors, unit managers, academicians and students attended the event.

The project is celebrated in Erzurum simultaneously with 25 European countries

Making the opening speech of the program, the project coordinator Assoc. Dr. Selda Örs stated that the Science Project from Nature to Table is the first coordinatorship of Atatürk University's framework programs and expressed that they are proud to host such an important organization. Emphasizing that this project was celebrated in Erzurum at the same time as 25 European countries, Örs thanked Rector Prof. Dr.Ömer Çomaklı and everyone who contributed.

“We will strive to take our targeted place in the national and international arena”

Rector Çomaklı stated that they are happy to come together for the European Researchers' Night of the project titled 'Science from Nature to Table', which is accepted within the scope of Horizon Europe Projects, which is one of the important steps of the acceleration that Atatürk University has achieved in scientific research and projects in recent years. He said that in order to enable the academicians to produce in the field, they apply incentive systems decisively as well as various infrastructure and support offices.

“Thanks to these determined policies, we have achieved a very serious increase in the number of research and projects at our university today compared to the past. As a matter of fact, the most important product of this is that we are among the research universities selected by considering many criteria. From now on, we will continue our work in line with the deep-rooted history of our 65-year-old university, and we will strive to take our targeted place in the national and international arena. The Science Festival that will be held here today is important not only for our university, but also for Erzurum and even our country. Because a total of 42 organizations in 10 projects from our country applied to the 2022 call of the projects of the European Union within the scope of science activities. Among these applications, only the project titled "Science from Nature to Table", to which Atatürk University applied as the coordinator and sole coordinator, was entitled to be funded." Çomaklı said.

“With our event, we will keep our people and children alive in a festival atmosphere”

The program, which will last for two days, will make our local people and our children experience science in a festive atmosphere with 58 activities organized by the academicians of our University. With these activities, researchers and the society will come together and awareness will be created about what research and innovation bring to our daily lives. The project team has been working for months in order to enable researchers to be recognized by the society, to show the impact of research on our daily lives, and to encourage young people to pursue a research career, and strive to make it educational and fun to bring science and society together.”

 From Nature to Table Science Festival, which was presented in a fair-festival format with scientific activities, was greeted with great enthusiasm and curiosity by the students. Primary, secondary and high school students who participated in scientific activities by making experiments and observations also showed interest in applied sciences.

The activities held at the New Reading Hall across from Atatürk University Girls' Dormitories will continue until the evening of October 1, 2022.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIRECTORATE – 30.09.2022