Bilkent Hukuk Kulübü Hosted Panel on 2007 Presidential Election


On February 28, Bilkent Hukuk Kulübü held its fourth Wednesday discussion of the semester, which was on the approaching presidential election. The moderator of the panel was Prof. Hikmet Sami Türk, who is the former Minister of State, Justice, and National Security, and also a professor in the Faculty of Law at Bilkent University. The panelists were: Mr. Atilla Kart, The Republican People's Party (CHP) Konya MP and former attorney; Mr. Vural Savaş, former Chief Public Prosecutor of the Republic of the High Court of Appeals; Mr. Saffet Arıkan Bedük, True Path Party (DYP) deputy leader, former MP, and governor and the General Director of Security; and Mr. Süleyman Sarıbaş, Motherland Party (ANAVATAN) Malatya MP and deputy chair of the parliament group and former attorney.

In his opening words, Prof. Türk presented the constitutional and legal procedures of the presidential election, as it is performed by the Turkish Grand National Assembly. Prof. Türk also analyzed past presidential elections starting from 1938 though 2000.

He made remarks on the style and tradition of presidential elections in Turkey, the parliament meeting and decision thresholds, and also spoke about the legal and political background of presidential elections. After his introductory remarks, every speaker was given fifteen minutes for their speeches and in the second round, five minutes for their additional comments. (continues)

Mind Over Matter: Interview with a Physics PhD Student


This week Bilkent News interviewed İrfan Bulu, who graduated from Bilkent University and is currently a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics here at Bilkent. İrfan Bulu will begin his post-doctoral studies at Harvard University in the near future.

Bilkent News: Mr. Bulu, would you talk briefly about yourself?
İrfan Bulu: I was born and received my primary education in Malatya. Afterwards, I went to Adana Science High School, and I chose Bilkent University for my undergraduate education. I studied Physics at Bilkent and also earned my M.Sc. here. I am about to finish my Ph.D.

B. N.: Which field have you concentrated on within Physics?
İ. Bulu: In recent years especially, I am working on rapidly advancing fields such as photonic crystals, metamaterials and surface plasmons. (continues)

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Early Saturday, March 3, around 1 a.m., there was a fatal traffic accident on the Eskişehir Highway that took the lives of Kağan Gürşen (THS/ BUSEL) and Açelya Yumak, a former student at BUSEL during the 2005-2006 academic year. Also in the vehicle were Burak Tüfekçi, who studied at Bilkent from 2005 to 2006 and Emre Elma, who studied at Bilkent from 2005 to 2007. Both were seriously injured in the accident and were taken to the Atatürk Eğitim Araştırma Hospital.

The car is reported to have been racing along the Eskişehir Highway at 140 km/hour when it crashed. Witnesses on the scene reported that the car was racing with another car just before it crashed. In the wreckage, the speedometer of the crashed car was found reading 140 km/hour. Bilkent University’s Head of the Traffic Committee, Nermin Fenmen, remarked: "We are all deeply saddened by the loss of our students in the tragic accident on March 3rd. They were so young, with a whole life ahead of them.

To lose everything in a few fatal seconds... Not your hopes and ambitions; not your job; not your money or anything material; but to lose your life: The only thing that is irreplaceable. And now we are in the position of thinking not only of these young people themselves, but also of the senselessness of it all. How a few seconds have been enough to kill two young people with their futures ahead of them, and change the lives of their families and loved ones forever.

These friends and students have reminded us how easy it is to lose the most valuable thing, our lives, in no more than a few seconds by driving dangerously. The cost for speeding can be higher than having our campus auto sticker or driver’s license suspended. It can mean the loss of our life or those of our friends."

A Chance to Determine Your Future Career: Career Fair Hosting 40 Firms on March 8

The Career Fair, which will take place this week on Thursday, March 8, is a great opportunity for you to meet with representatives from different companies, and learn about those companies and their recruitment policies.

After the educational seminars on campus, we welcome a new event, The Annual Career Fair, which will take place between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on March 8, in the Main Sports Hall. If you want to evaluate your ambitions about your future career and talk with the executives and employees of various big companies, or if you are looking for an internship, the Career Fair is a great place to explore your possibilities.

For profiles of companies participating in this year's Career Fair, please see insert.