A group of undergraduate students from the Department of International Relations discussed Turkish-American relations with students from Harvard University in Boston via a videoconferencing session held on Wednesday, March 3.
The project was first proposed to Rector Prof. Dr. Ali Doğramacı last summer by Harvard alumnus, Mr. Aaron Lobel, who is the initiator of the Youth SPAN. Then, Dr. Kibaroğlu, Asst. Chair of the Department of International Relations, was appointed by the Rector as Project Coordinator; Dr. Kibaroğlu then brought together a team of students from the IR Department: Derin Kayalar, Nesrin Ersoy, Akay Doğusel, Pınar Alakoç, Didem Akan, Setenay Yağanoğlu, Özen Karaca, Kutluhan Çelik, Ceylan Yıldızhan, Şerife Başaran, Burcu Münyas, Filiz Akgül; as well as Nazlı Turan from the Department of American Culture and Literature.
The first in a series of videoconferencing sessions enabled the two groups of students, having diverse backgrounds and belief systems, to exchange their views freely, for approximately two hours, on the state of affairs in Turkish-American relations in the aftermath of the rejection of the US troop-basing resolution on March 1, 2003 by the Turkish Grand National Assembly.
The students of the IR Department provided their counterparts at Harvard with substantive information and shared their knowledge on world affairs. Similarly, Harvard students were welcome due to their sincere expression of their views on how the US public perceives the world and what are their fears and expectations from other people living in other countries.
As such, the videoconferencing session has achieved its primary objective, which could be stated as to deepen mutual understanding between young people in the United States and abroad. The next session will be held at 6 p.m. on April 14.

Culture and Arts Fest

Bilkent University Student Council is organizing a “Culture and Arts Fest” on March 18-19. This festival, the first to be held among universities in Ankara, is expected to bring together the Bilkent Community.
The festival will last two days with the participation of a great number of authors, artists and publishing houses. There will be a book fair, concerts, exhibitions and discussions. For more information call ext. 1319.

Interior Architects Awarded

Bilkent University’s Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, hosted an exhibition and juried a competition. The “Cafemiz Interior Architecture Project” Competition was supported by the Chamber of Interior Architects of Turkey. It was open to all interdisciplinary designers, provided that the head of the team was a member of the Chamber of Interior Architects.
First Award
Onur Karlıdağ (Bilkent University) Head of Team
Mert Kayasu (Middle East Technical University) Member
Second Award
Murat Saltıpınar (Bilkent University) Head of Team
Mehmet Akpınar (Bilkent University) Member
Third Award
Gani Cihangir Gültaşlı (Bilkent University) Head of Team
Umut Arda Öngören (Gazi University) Member
The Exhibition can be visited until March 31 at FADA Building Exhibition Hall, between 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Piano Students Perform in İstanbul

The Bilkent University Faculty of Music and Performing Arts piano students Kandemir Basmacıoğlu (Anna Garibian’s student) and O. Özgür Ünaldı (Gülnara Aziz’s student) appeared in Istanbul in the “A Weekend with Shining Stars” activity organized by İş Sanat. They performed at the İş Sanat Istanbul Hall on March 6 and 7, 2004.
Kandemir performed the Bach-Busoni “Chaccone”, two Chopin Nocturnes (C minor and D flat major), Chopin’s 3rd Scherzo, Liszt’s 13th Hungarian Rhapsody, and finally Liszt’s Etude “Mazeppa”. Özgür performed Beethoven’s “Waldstien” sonata, Chopin’s Etude no.11, his own composition called “Speculation of the Wind”, Chopin’s Polonaise: “Heroic”, Prokofiev’s “Toccata”, and his own composition, Speculation of the Wind”.

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