The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK), the 53rd High School Students Research Projects Erzurum Regional Competition Exhibition, hosted by Atatürk University,  started. The exhibition will be open for three days and the award ceremony will be held on March 17, 2022, at Atatürk University Nenehatun Cultural Center.

Erzurum Governor Okay Memiş, Atatürk University Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı, General Secretary of Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Zafer Aynalı, Dean of K.K. Education Faculty Prof. Dr. Ufuk Şimşek, TÜBİTAK Project Competitions Regional Coordinator Prof. Dr. Erdal Karaduman, directors of institutions and organizations, teachers, students and parents, and many citizens attended the opening of the ceremony held in Kazım Karabekir Education Faculty (KKEF) Conference Hall.

Projects Developed in 12 Branches Are Exhibited

The 53rd High School Students Research Projects Regional Competition Exhibition, which TUBITAK traditionally organized to identify and encourage students to research and develop projects and introduce them to the world of science, took place with an overwhelming turnout. Erzurum leg of the regional competition exhibition, which was determined by TÜBİTAK as 12 regions and started simultaneously in all of them; Students participating in this activity while forming ten provinces including Ardahan, Artvin, Bayburt, Erzincan, Gümüşhane, Iğdır, Kars, Rize, and Trabzon; presents projects in 12 branches: biology, geography, values education, physics, chemistry, mathematics, psychology, sociology, history, technological design, Turkish language and literature, and software.

Students had the chance to show their ideas and dream in practice

The ceremony started with reading the speech sent by TUBITAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal specially for the program. Prof. Dr. Erdal Karaduman, TÜBİTAK Project Competitions Regional Coordinator and also a faculty member of Atatürk University Faculty of Science, took the floor first. He started his speech by stating that 25,095 project applications were made for the 2022 project competition countrywide, while 2,985 project applications were received from the Erzurum Region, which is an important figure for the region. Stating that TÜBİTAK dynamically supports all scientists, especially young people, with many activities and scientific activities in accordance with its founding purpose, Karaduman said that thanks to this competition, thousands of students at the secondary education level had the opportunity first to put their ideas and dreams on paper and then show them in practice.

Aynalı: “We Are Creating New Study Areas For Our Children Who Are Interested In Science”

Expressing that Erzurum has become an important science center thanks to the investments made in recent years, Erzurum Metropolitan Municipality Secretary-General Zafer Aynalı said, "a country can make a scientific breakthrough with the education given at a young age." Pointing out that they have brought the fourth of the three science centers in Turkey to the city with Bilim Erzurum, Aynalı stated that they believe that this science center, which will allow many scientific activities to be carried out, will make significant contributions to the future of children aged 7-14 who are interested in science. Wishing that the High School Students Research Projects Competition, which constitutes the next age group, would benefit all students, Aynalı wished success.

Rector Çomaklı: “We Have Taken Exceptionally Considerable Steps in Establishing the Project Culture”

Starting his speech with the emphasis that the way to muddle through of being blown away by the wind of the changing and transforming the world is to have a strong culture and technological infrastructure, Atatürk University Rector Prof. Dr. Ömer Çomaklı stated that it is of great importance to combine the legacy of ancient culture with today's technological possibilities: “This necessity has reached an even more important point in the ring of fire that surrounds us. We need to understand that realizing our state's 2023, 2053, and 2071 targets is a matter of survival rather than a duty. We have taken and will continue to take significant steps towards establishing the project culture in our university. In this regard, we are signing crucial cooperation with TÜBİTAK, the most important institution of our country.”

Rector Çomaklı, who stated that they are pleased to be a part of the High School Students Research Projects Competition, which is organized to establish the project culture in the minds of the youth and produces more successful results every year, said: and I greet our teachers and administrators who guide them with my most sincere feelings. I would also like to thank our friends who carried out this process that requires all this effort and devotion, and I hope that the work done will be beneficial for our country and our nation.

Governor Memiş: “We Use Every Means Available To Prepare Our Youth For The Future”

Expressing that they are working with all their strength to include young people in business and social life as qualified individuals by using every means available of the state, Memiş said, “We are trying to bring all our students together with positive science and to minimize their future worries. It is not just the positive sciences, of course. We do not find this enough. Likewise, we want to bring you together with the values education in our culture and raise you together with a cultural identity. In addition, we make great efforts to raise the standards of our schools both in terms of quantity and quality. We have increased the coding classes, which are few in our city, to over 100. With the efforts of our national education directorate, our students, and the dedication of our parents, we succeeded in raising our rank, which was behind in the High School Transition System (LGS), to the top. Our goal is to stay in the top ten places. With these thoughts; We would like to express our gratitude to all our healthcare community on the occasion of March 14, Medicine Day, and I wish the event to be beneficial.”

The delegation, who visited the 53rd High School Students Research Projects Erzurum Regional Competition Exhibition, opened after the speech ceremony, received information about the studies carried out and the projects developed.

Out of the 102 projects that were eligible to participate in the exhibition as a result of the preliminary evaluation carried out by the Jury members among the 2,985 projects that applied, the projects that made it to the Finals will represent our region in the final exhibition to be held between 23-26 May 2022.

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIRECTORATE – 14.03.2022