The first Bilkent–METU Chemistry Discussions, a one-day graduate conference organized by the Department of Chemistry, took place on April 1. Along with oral and poster presentations by graduate students doing chemistry research, the event also featured plenary lectures by Prof. Engin Umut Akkaya (Bilkent), Prof. Nesrin Hasırcı (METU) and Prof. Amilra Prassana de Silva (Queen’s University Belfast).
The day-long conference attracted an audience of close to 140 graduate students, undergraduate students and faculty members from Bilkent, METU, Hacettepe and Gazi universities.
The program included 10 oral presentations and 21 poster presentations. A committee comprising Bilkent and METU faculty members, joined by Prof. de Silva, selected the best presentation in each of those two categories, with the presenters receiving cash awards.
This year’s Chemistry Discussions are intended to be the first of many such events. The next is planned for the following year, to be hosted by METU, with the hope of establishing a tradition of discussions among graduate students doing chemistry research.