Bilkent NANOTAM to Commercialize Critical Radar Technology
The research activities of Bilkent University's Nanotechnology Center (NANOTAM) in the area of high-power, high-speed transistors will soon enter a new phase. ASELSAN Electronic Industries S.A. and NANOTAM have signed a memorandum of understanding on "Advanced Technology Investment for Gallium Nitride Transistor and Integrated Circuit Production." The agreement will result in the university's first "spin-off" high technology company.
ASELSAN, established by the Turkish Armed Forces Foundation in 1975, makes electronic systems for military and civilian use. At the signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding, Undersecretary for Defense Industries Murad Bayar of Turkey's Ministry of National Defense explained that the new technology developed by Bilkent NANOTAM will be used in radar production. "We are acquiring the most critical technology for radar applications," he noted.
Another speaker at the ceremony, ASELSAN General Manager Cengiz Ergeneman, said that in order to achieve technological independence, Turkey must develop and produce such advanced systems. GaN transistors are commercially manufactured in only four countries worldwide, according to ASELSAN Radar, Electronic Warfare and Intelligence Systems Design Director Oğuz Şener, Moreover, he stated, sales of such transistors are restricted and subject to government-level authorization.
Bilkent University's rector, Prof. Abdullah Atalar, highlighted the translational nature of the project, noting that it will set a valuable precedent in terms of employing university research resources to develop "real-life" products.
continue reading
Times Higher Education Ranks Bilkent Among the World's Top 400 Universities
In the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings for 2012-13, Bilkent University has again been ranked among the top 400. The list places Bilkent in the group of universities ranked 226-250.
The California Institute of Technology ranked first and the University of Oxford and Stanford University jointly ranked second, with Harvard University ranking fourth. In addition to Bilkent, Turkish universities included in the list are ITU, METU, Boğaziçi University and Koç University.
According to THE’s website, the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (powered by Thomson Reuters) are "the only global university performance tables to judge world-class universities across all of their core missions -- teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook." The rankings use 13 performance indicators "to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons available, which are trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments."
For more information and the rankings:
www.timeshighereducation.co.uk
HIST 200 "History of Turkey" Award Ceremony
Group members receiving their "best project" award: Naz Temuçin (MATH), Nazlı Fulya Zengin (LAW), Aycan Başbozkurt (IE), Kıvılcım Cumbul (EE), Aykut Argun (PHYS)
"History of Turkey" (HIST 200), a compulsory course for all Bilkent University undergraduate students, was redesigned during the last academic year to encourage students to work in groups on research projects related to selected topics concerning the history of Turkey. Since the beginning of the 2011 spring semester, students from all departments at Bilkent University have been making presentations on their final HIST 200 projects. Each project has shed light on a specific field of Turkish history. These projects have been examined by a panel from the Department of History, with 10 projects chosen to receive awards.
continue reading
Faculty of Law Marks 10th Anniversary with Symposium
A symposium on "The Liability of Directors of Joint Stock Companies and Limited Liability Partnerships" was held on October 2 at Mithat Çoruh Auditorium, attracting more than 250 attendees including lawyers and academicians. The symposium was organized by the Bilkent University Faculty of Law in honor of the 10th anniversary of the faculty. Prof. Osman B. Gürzumar, Dean of the Faculty of Law, Prof. Abdullah Atalar, Bilkent's rector, and Prof. Ali Doğramacı, chairman of the Board of Trustees, delivered the opening speeches.
The subject of directors' liability according to the new provisions of Turkey's Commerical Code was discussed comprehensively during the symposium's five sessions by a number of Turkey's leading lawyers: Prof. Zühtü Aytaç, Prof. Ömer Teoman, Prof. Mehmet Helvacı, Prof. İsmail Kırca, Prof. Hasan Pulaşlı, Prof. Şükrü Yıldız, Prof. Aynur Yongalık, Prof. Kemal Şenocak, Assoc. Prof. Korkut Özkorkut, Assoc. Prof. Çağlar Manavgat, Assoc. Prof. Tuğrul Katoğlu, Assoc. Prof. Feyzan Şehirali Çelik, Assist. Prof. Hamdi Pınar, Assist. Prof. Aslı E. Gürbüz Usluel, Assist. Prof. Hülya Çoştan and Assist. Prof. Başak Şit.
From a Single Room to Today’s Campus: Prof. Atalar Describes Bilkent's Transformation
On Wednesday last week, Prof. Abdullah Atalar, rector of Bilkent University, delivered the first of this semester's Library Lunchtime Lectures, entitled "A Brief History of Bilkent." Speaking to a packed audience in the Art Gallery of Main Campus Library, Prof. Atalar presented a chronological outline of the development of Bilkent University, punctuated with personal memories and and some rarely seen old photographs.
continue reading