From The President:Spring 2013
Dear Friends of TASSA,
I am sure everyone is looking forward to summer plans as the 2012-2013 academic year winds down. At TASSA we are looking forward to our inaugural symposium to be held during Fall 2013, which will showcase the power of Turkish women scholars and scientists. We have assembled an impressive group of people who volunteered to be on the program committee. You can find more information on TASSA-WISE (women in science and engineering) in this issue of The Bridge. I am sure this symposium will prove to be another successful gathering of TASSA friends.
In April, one important event for scientists and scholars was the Joint Science and Technology Committee meeting between Turkey and the United States. TASSA Vice Presidents Candan Tamerler and Nilay Papila represented TASSA in these meetings. We expect more TASSA members will be involved in projects that come out of these Joint Commission Meetings.
One other noteworthy event for TASSA was a meeting with US Science Envoy, Dr. Susan Hockfield. Dr. Hockfield was on her way to visit Turkey and TASSA was able to brief her about the on-going projects and ideas about how to strengthen the bridges between Turkish Science Diaspora and institutions and individuals in Turkey.
TASSA also contributed to the ATAA Conference by holding a panel on the scientific bridge between Turkey and the US.
These are all good and nice talk but you may ask where are the substantive actions? We are working hard toward that goal too. I hope to announce in our next issue the launch of TASSA-Connect project. This is an online platform that will bring together institutions from Turkey with open positions and students, faculty and non-faculty who seek employment in Turkey. Volunteers for TASSA have been putting in endless hours on this project since last September and we all owe them huge thanks once this project is completed.
Finally, I have a question for you. What do neutron stars, circulating cancer cells, and the New York city power grid have in common? The answer is simple. The Turkish Science Diaspora! Please read the stories on these success stories and share them with your family and friends.
In closing, I wish everyone a great summer break. See you all in Fall at the TASSA-WISE Symposium at Maryland.
Cheers,
Haluk Unal
TASSA President