Dear IKU Family,

First of all, we hope that you and all your relatives are well after the earthquake that occurred today, and that such an incident will not happen again.

In accordance with the decision announced by CoHE, due to the earthquake in Istanbul, education has been suspended at our university for 2 days - on April 24, 2025, and April 25, 2025.

With our best wishes,

General Secretariat

Istanbul Kültür University Department of Architecture organized an international symposium titled “Architectural Episodes 03: Innovation, Technology, Digital Transformation and the Future of the Construction Industry” on April 10-11, 2025, in the Önder Öztunalı Conference at in the Bakırköy campus Ataköy building. Prof. Dr. Salih Ofluoğlu, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture at Antalya Bilim University, Dr. Adil Orçun Kaya, ISTON Quality and Research Development Manager, Architect Melike Altınışık, Founder of MAA Architects, and Prof. Dr. Salman Azhar from Auburn University took part as invited speakers at the symposium, where papers were presented on many current issues such as the future of the construction industry, digital transformation, artificial intelligence and sustainable architecture.

Under the moderation of Prof. Dr. Salih Ofluoğlu, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and Architecture at Antalya Bilim University, a panel discussion was held on April 10 with the participation of Assist. Prof. İmdat As from ITU Faculty of Architecture Department of Architecture, Civil Engineer Beni Kohen, Business Development Manager of Fibrobeton Building Elements, and Müge Sümerol, Founding Partner of RAMA IS.

The "Brand 5.0 Summit," organized by Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Vocational School (MYO) in collaboration with Branding Türkiye on Friday, April 18, at the Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center, brought together the leading names of the sector and the concepts shaping the future of the brand world!

At the event, where topics such as digitalization, sustainability, and employer branding were discussed, experienced figures from the business world shared their knowledge and experiences with the participants.

The opening speeches of the summit were made by IKU Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Burcu Yavuz Tiftikçigil and IKU Vocational School Director Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özer.

Participating as a speaker at the event, Başarsoft Board Chairperson Alim Küçükpehlivan conveyed the strategic importance of digitalization for brands. Mercedes-Benz Automotive inc. Sales Business Management Unit Manager Serdar Köseoğlu spoke about the role of brands in sustainability. HAVAŞ General Manager Mete Erna explained employer-focused branding processes.

Filled with inspiring speeches, visionary perspectives, and strong networking opportunities, the Brand 5.0 Summit shed light on the new generation dynamics of branding.

Prof. Dr. Ayhan Usta and Prof. Dr. Gülay Usta, members of the Faculty of Architecture at Istanbul Kültür University, received the “Honorable Mention Award” in the Kadıköy Municipality Service Building Architectural Project Competition. We congratulate our professors and their teams and wish them continued success.

Three "TÜBİTAK 2209-A" project applications involving our Vocational School students and advisors were awarded support in the first semester of 2024. Vocational School Director Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özer welcomed and congratulated our students — whose projects were selected for support — in his office.

The projects eligible for support are as follows:

- "Comprehensive Analysis of Health Systems of OECD Countries: Machine Learning Perspective" & Assist. Prof. Canan Bulut (Consultant), Emine Kara (Executive), Esma Acıklı and Semanur Şahin (Researcher)

- "Increasing Burn Rating and Health Literacy with Deep Learning Algorithms" & Yağmur Sürücü (Executive), Özge Erol and Sudenaz Sağlam (Researcher)

The Directorate of Support Services provided fire training for cleaning and security personnel working on our campuses on April 19-20, 2025. After the training, a fire exercise was carried out at the outdoor parking lot.

Fire training topics are as follows:

1) Combustion and Fire Knowledge
2) Fire Safety
3) Fire – Fire Types
4) Fire Extinguishing Methods
5) Causes and Factor of Fire
6) Fire Prevention Measures
7) Extinguishing Agents Used in Firefighting
8) Materials and Devices Used in Fire Extinguishing
9) Emergency and Action Plan
10)  Formation of Response Teams
11)  Fire Intervention Techniques
12)  Firefighting Exercise

The Department of Public Relations and Advertising in cooperation with the Creative Club organized a “Creative Workshop” event on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Ufuk Özgül (Art Director), Ezgi Yağcı (Strategist) and Oğuzhan Şen (Copywriter) from Jüpiter Advertising Agency, who participated in the event as speakers, explained to the students how things progress in the advertising sector, what they do and shared their own experiences. In the workshop, which was organized to provide students with sectoral experience by giving them a brief, the students who prepared work in line with the brief will present their projects to the agency in the future. The three students whose presentations are selected will have the opportunity to intern at Jupiter Istanbul.

The "Leadership and Management Seminar" was held by the Logistics Club on Monday, April 14, 2025, at 13:00 in the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus. The event, moderated by the Head of the Program of Logistics, Assoc. Prof. Gökhan Kırbaç, was attended by Liderlik Okulu Eğitim A.Ş. General Manager Dr. Erkut Ergenç as a speaker.

In cooperation with the Gender Equality Club and SHUDER, the "Gender and Safe Relationships Workshop" was held on Monday, April 21, 2025, in the multipurpose hall on the second floor of the Ataköy building at the Bakırköy campus. During the event, participants were informed about gender concepts, violence, dating violence, and sexually transmitted infections.

Within the scope of the “Workshop II” course conducted by Prof. Dr. Esin Kasapoğlu and Assoc. Prof. Gamze Alptekin from the Department of Architecture, Silkar Mining’s Showroom in Bayrampaşa was visited on Tuesday, April 15. As part of the visit, students attended a seminar on laminated natural stone facade panel systems delivered by Fırat Laçin, Master of Mining Engineering and Retail Sales Manager.

Istanbul Kültür University Program of Flight Operations Management organized a visit to Istanbul Atatürk Airport Approach Tower on Monday, April 21 in order to contribute to the professional development of our students. Our students had the opportunity to observe the air traffic control processes on site and received detailed information about the management of air traffic, approach procedures, and communication between the tower and pilots from the experts in charge at the tower. This highly productive and instructive experience offered our students important insights on how to apply theoretical knowledge in the field.

Res. Assist. Dr. Umut Cem Oruçoğlu and Res. Assist. Mert Hayar, lecturers in the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, gave an informative presentation at Kültür 2000 College on Monday, April 16, 2025. At the event, which was attended by high school students, general information about the department was provided, and the students’ questions were answered following the presentation.

Within the scope of the “Workshop II” course conducted by the Department of Architecture academicians Prof. Dr. Esin Kasapoğlu and Assoc. Prof. Gamze Alptekin, a seminar on ceramic façade systems was given by Kaleseramik Çanakkale Kalebodur Ceramic Industry Joint Stock Company Key Customers and Architects Sales Manager, Civil Engineer Yağızhan Ertuğrul, on Tuesday, March 25.

In cooperation with the Department of Common Courses and the Design Factory, an event titled "Upcycling" will be organized to provide information about upcycling, raise environmental awareness, create artistic works from waste materials, and encourage reflection on environmental ethics and aesthetics. The event, where Assist. Prof. Murat Benan Yıldız from Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University will be the speaker, will be held at the Design Factory on Monday, April 28 at 12.00 pm.

The Geek Club will organize a movie screening event at the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building, Bakırköy Campus, between 12.00-15.00 on Monday, April 28, in order to provide motivation to students before midterm exams.

The Department of Special Education will organize a talk titled “New Horizons in Special Education: Career Opportunities Abroad” to provide students with information about postgraduate education opportunities abroad. Gamze Kaplan, PhD student in Special Education at the University of Manchester, will be the speaker at the event, which will be held on Monday, April 28 at 15.00 at Küçükçekmece Campus.

Within the scope of the 2024-2025 Spring Semester activities of the Department of Architecture, a conference titled “Correlation” will be organized with the participation of Master of Architecture Hakan Demirel as the guest speaker. The event will be held on Monday, April 28 at 15.00 at Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in Ataköy building, Bakırköy Campus.

In cooperation with the Kültür Point Dean of Students Office and the English Language Teaching Club, a “Speaking Club” event will be organized for students who want to improve their English-speaking skills to practice the language with instructors. The event will be held on Monday, April 28 between 17.00-19.00 in the multi-purpose conference hall in the Ataköy building of Bakırköy Campus.

The Department of Nursing will organize a training titled “Elderly Care and Sustainability of Care Training” within the scope of the “TÜBİTAK-BİDEB 2237 Scientific Training Activities Support Program". The event, where experts in the field will be speakers, will be held on April 29-30, 2025, between 09.00-17.15 at the Technology Transfer Office in the Ataköy building, Bakırköy Campus.

The Program of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Technologies will organize a seminar titled “Future of Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Personnel and Career Opportunities” to support students’ career planning processes. The event, where Omega Group Human Resources Coordinator Serdar Gürelli will be a speaker, will be held on Tuesday, April 29 at 10.30 in the 4A01 lecture hall in the İncirli building, Bakırköy Campus.

In cooperation with the Vocational School and the Civil Aviation Club, the “Aviation Summit-6" event will be organized to support the career planning processes of our students. The event, where central figures of the aviation industry will be guest speakers, will be held on Tuesday, April 29 at 11.00 at the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building, Bakırköy Campus.

The Department of Communication and Design will organize a talk titled “NFT 101” to inform students about blockchain technologies and Non-Fungible (NFT) technology on the basis of web 3.0. The event, where Lecturer Ali Nazım Beşikçi, one of our academicians from the Department of Communication and Design, will be the speaker, will be held on Tuesday, April 29 at 12.00 at the Erdal İnönü Seminar Hall in the Ataköy building, Bakırköy Campus.

The Department of Public Relations and Advertising will organize the "Marketing of the Future: Algorithms or Humans?" event to introduce students to practices in advertising agencies. The event, where Begüm Kavruk, President of Su6 Advertising Agency, will be the speaker, will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 12:00 in lecture hall B1-5 of the Ataköy building on the Bakırköy campus.

The Department of Basic Education will organize a panel titled "Opportunities and Challenges: Career Journey as an IKU Preschool Graduate" to explore the career paths of graduates from the Department of Preschool Teaching from various perspectives. The event, where our alumni Dr. Serenay Başalev Acar (Istanbul Aydın University) and Elif Kesebir (Yeni Mevsim Kindergarten) will be the speakers, will be held on Tuesday, April 29 at 13.00 at the Küçükçekmece Campus Conference Hall.

The "Project Cycle" training will be organized in cooperation with IKU Young Office and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to provide participants with basic knowledge and skills in project cycle management and enable them to take an active role in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of projects. The training, which will be given by IKU TTO Manager Cüneyt Genç, will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 13.00, at the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Bakırköy campus Ataköy building.

In cooperation with the Department of Public Relations and Advertising and the Creative Club, the "Creative Workshop-II" event will be organized to help students develop their creative thinking skills in the advertising and marketing sector and give them closer insight into agency culture. The event, where Recep Emre Koca, Can Salar and Ali Efe Özdemir from 9-16 Agency will be the speakers, will be held on Tuesday, April 29 at 13.00 in the classroom numbered 1A-0305.

The IKU Vocational School will organize a panel talk titled “Lifetime Songs, Singing Lifetimes-II” to convey the importance of art and music to students and help them understand its place in human life. The event, where Prof. Dr. Ömür Ceylan, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Letters and our academician in the Department of Turkish Language and Literature, will be the speaker, will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 15.00 in the lecture hall 1A-01 of the Incirli building on the Bakırköy campus.

An event will be organized by MOBIGEN to convey current scientific developments in space plant biology and genetic editing studies to students and academics through the CRISPR-GEM project carried out within the scope of the Turkish Astronaut and Science Mission. The event, where Tuğçe Celayir from Boğaziçi University will be the speaker, will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 15:00 in the Atilla Özalpan Seminar Hall.

The Cinema Club will organize the "Interview with Pelin Öztekin" event to inform students about the industry–cinema collaboration process. The event, in which actress Pelin Öztekin will be the speaker, will be held on Wednesday, April 30, at 13:00 in the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus.

An event titled "Healthy and Safe Living Culture" will be organized by the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences to inform our students about occupational health and safety. The event, where IKU Occupational Safety Expert Cumhur Gültekin will be the speaker, will be held on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, at 13:00 in the Küçükçekmece Campus Conference Hall.

The Justice Defense and Ombudsman Club will organize a conference titled "Interpretation of Media-Reflecting Events in the Context of Criminal Law" to enable students to look at current issues through the lens of criminal law. The event, in which Lecturer Efser Erden from the Faculty of Law will be the speaker, will take place on Wednesday, April 30, at 13:30 in the Bahçelievler campus.

The Program of Psychological Counseling and Guidance will organize the "Career Options in PCG: Experience Sharing Meeting" to introduce career options to students. The event, where Psychological Counselor Servet Şen will be the speaker, will be held on Wednesday, April 30, at 14:00 in the Küçükçekmece Campus Conference Hall.

In cooperation with the Program of E-Commerce and Marketing and the Program of Foreign Trade and Marketing Club, a talk titled "Protection of Personal Data and Cross-Border Data Transfer in International Information Technology Law" will be organized in order to raise awareness among students. The event, where Freelance Lawyer Nursaç Katırcı will be the speaker, will be held on Wednesday, April 30, at 14:00 in the 1A01 amphitheatre in the İncirli building of the Bakırköy campus.

The works of third-year students in the Department of Special Education, created as part of the "Teaching Mathematics in Special Education" course, will be exhibited on Wednesday, April 30, between 14:00–17:00 in the entrance hall of the Küçükçekmece campus.

On Wednesday, April 30 at 14.00, Orchestra IKU will give a “Fabrika Akustik” concert with the theme of “Foreign Pop” for visiting Italian students at the Design Factory in the Ataköy building, Bakırköy Campus.

IKU Faculty of Science and Letters continues to organize the “Coffee is Just an Excuse” meetings to share important studies in the fields of Basic Science and Social Sciences in terms of research and examination. The seminar titled “Stress Management,” in which Assist. Prof. Kadir Özden from the Department of Psychology will be the speaker, will be held on Wednesday, April 30, at 15:00 in the Erdal İnönü Seminar Hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus.