Associate Professor Ekmel Özbay of the Physics Department has won the 1998 Sedat Simavi Foundation Science Award for his work on development of new technologies leading to the creation of photonic crystals with electromagnetic bandgaps at the infrared frequency bands. Photonic crystals are artificial smart materials through which one can control the interaction of light with matter. 
The utilization of these materials is expected to result in new semiconductor light sources for fiber optic communications, along with novel antennas that can be used within future generations of cellular hand phones.
I am really honored to receive this award, Dr. Özbay said. This award provides even more evidence of the quality of the scientific research at Bilkent University. Bilkent has already established its name as an excellent research center among the world's leading research universities. I will continue to work with my students to contribute to knowledge and society, he said. Dr. Özbay received his Ph.D. from Stanford University in 1992 and joined Bilkent University in 1995.
The Sedat Simavi Science Award was established in 1977 by the Turkish Journalists Society. The award is named after the founder of the society, and is given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the area of natural sciences. The awards ceremony was held in Ýstanbul on December 14.
