Graduation Ceremony Scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 
Graduation ceremonies for Bilkent University undergraduate and graduate students have been scheduled for Wednesday, June 14 at the Bilkent ODEON.

Ceremony and rehearsal times for each faculty and school will be announced soon. The rehearsal date will be Tuesday, June 13.

Also, the Registrar’s Office would like to remind students that they must pay off their library, traffic and dormitory balances before graduation. Students who do not do so will not receive their diploma at the ceremony.
 

James D. Watson Exhibit Now on Display in the Faculty of Science

"James D. Watson: A Journey into the World of DNA," an exhibit on the life and work of the co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, opened on April 12 and will be on view in the Faculty of Science B-Block Atrium until October 14. The exhibit, which is being shown with the support of Bilkent University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratories,
is composed of six sections.

-The first section, "A Career in Science," focuses on Watson's scientific papers and includes his landmark 1953 Nature article with Francis Crick describing the double helical structure of DNA. (Continued)
 

Nominations for Distinguished Teaching Awards in Progress

Nominations for the 2006 Distinguished Teaching Awards are still in progress and will remain open until April 24. All students and alumni are urged to nominate a faculty member whose teaching abilities they feel are worthy of praise and recognition.

Please feel free to submit your nomination and supporting comments early. You can make a nomination online at the following Internet address:
http://www.bilkent.edu.tr
/teachaward.html
 

NNRC Now Under Construction: New Parking Arrangements on Main Campus
Construction of the NNCR (National Nanotechnology Research Center) started recently near the Faculty of Science Building, and is expected to be completed by November 2006. The goals of the Center are not limited to research and development, but include the education and training of students in nanoscience and nanotechnology as well. The facilities of the Center will be available to all scientists in Turkey through research and development projects. The NNCR will be fully operational in 2007. (Continued)

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Spring Fest is on the Way

May 3, 4 and 5 are days for Bilkenters to mark on their calendars.

Feeling the sun on your face, listening to great music, having fun and relaxing with good friends while the aroma of delicious food wafts past your nose--yes, indeed, the most wonderful time of the year, Spring Fest, will soon be upon us.

Spring Fest 2006 will take place from Wednesday, May 3 to Friday, May
5. During the three-day period, activities will be held for students on the grass field between the FMPA and the FEASS buildings, as well as on East Campus.

Süleyman Demirel to Address Bilkent Engineering Students at “Yönet 2006”

The Bilkent University Mühendislik Topluluğu has organized a three-day education program for Bilkent engineering students, to be held April 21-23. Entitled "Yönet 2006," the program is intended to improve the students' management and leadership abilities. During Yönet 2006, these future engineers and managers will have a chance to meet with leaders in the engineering field.

The program's first guest speaker will be Süleyman Demirel, the ninth president of Turkey, who will meet with Bilkent students on Friday, April 21 at 1:30 p.m. in Mithat Çoruh Auditorium. President Demirel, an engineer, will share his ideas on management and engineering.

The complete schedule for Yönet 2006 can be reached at
http://www.yonet2006.com
 

MA TEFL Program Hosts International Conference

On April 14, an international conference organized by the Graduate School of Education's MA TEFL program took place on campus. Consisting of a full day of presentations and seminars, it focused on the topic of "Interfaces between Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Research and Foreign Language Pedagogy." The conference opened with a welcome from Rector Ali Doğramacı and remarks from Assoc. Prof. Charlotte Basham, head of the MA TEFL program. (Continued)