2014 News
From the President: Fall 2014As we start the Fall semester, I wish the members of the TASSA community a healthy and a productive academic year. At TASSA we are coming out of a slow summer, which was basically a reorganization period. First, we have three new Board members; Professors Ayse Imrohoroglu and Selim Unlu and a long-time TASSA friend Dr. Bulent Basol. Their addition will bring new energy to the group. full story |
TUBITAK Academic Research Funding Program Directorate (ARDEB) announces the release of “ARDEB Success Stories” BookTUBITAK ARDEB's new book reviews recent successful research projects that are in alignment with Turkey’s general science and technology policies and principles, as well as country’s long-term goals. full story |
Aydogan Ozcan received HHMI ProfessorshipThe Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) recently announced 15 leading scientist-educators as HHMI Professor, including Aydogan Ozcan. Dr. Ozcan is the Chancellor’s Professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. full story |
A Turkish Physician Scientist’s Study Receives National AttentionShortly after departing the boxing ring, the king of boxing, Muhammed Ali, started having symptoms. First his hands started to shake, and then his movements started to slow down. His speech was also affected. The king, who in his own words, “would fly like a butterfly, but sting like a bee” was suffering from a neurologic disease called Parkinson’s disease. full story |
From The President: Summer 2014Summer of 2014 is here and we are all recovering from an intense year. At TASSA the Conference is over and we are very happy with the results. We had over 300 hundred academics and scientists attend the conference, the sessions were lively, and the young scientists had ample opportunity to showcase their work. We also had the chance to foster relations with Turkish Universities and gave them opportunities to do recruiting for positions in Turkey. Financially, thanks to our sponsors and contributors TASSA did not lose money despite that the Conference registration was free. full story |
Smart phones turn into powerful microscopes in the hands of a Turkish Scientist, Aydogan OzcanImagine that you are on vacation in a remote Anatolian Village. You start having an abdominal pain a few hours after eating a meal. You also remember that you drank your host’s well water. The closest clinic is six hours away and you want to know if the water you drank was contaminated. “No problem,” says Aydogan Ozcan. If you have a smart phone and one of his gadgets that Ozcan and his research team developed at his laboratories on UCLA campus, all you need to do is attach it to the back of your smart phone and now you have a powerful microscope in your hands. full story |
Düzce University - Turkish University Leadership Improvement Programme (TULIP)Duzce University developed the first and only education and mentorship program for woman leadership in higher education in Turkey. To this end; a framework program called Turkish Universities Leadership Improvement Program (TULIP) is established. Within this program, a specific program titled Education and Mentorship Program for Improvement and Empowerment of Woman Leadership in Higher Education is developed. full story |
TASSA Commentary on SOMA Mining AccidentAs the community of Turkish Scientists and Scholars living in the United States, we are deeply saddened about the mining tragedy in SOMA that cost the lives of more than three hundred miners. Our heart-felt condolences go out to the miners’ loved ones whose husbands, uncles, brothers, or sons paid the ultimate price. full story |
TASSA represented at Fletcher School Conference on TurkeyOn April 11 TASSA President Professor Haluk Unal and Fletcher School Associate Dean Bhaskar Chakravorti had a Fireside Chat on "The State of Human Capital: Turkey's Intellectual Contributions" at the Fletcher School Conference, Turkey’s Turn: Perennial Linchpin or emerging hub? Excerpts from that conversation is as follows full story |
Young Scholar Profile: Gul DolenMy desire to become a scientist was incited when I was about 8 years old, visiting family in Antalya, Turkey. Having grown up in the USA, and never having seen sea urchins before, I was very afraid of the black, spiny, bizarre creatures littering the sandy beaches, and refused to go into the sea. My grandmother, a high school biology teacher, was able to reassure me of the sea urchins harmlessness, by taking one in her hand, letting me touch its spines, dissecting out its stomach, and showing me its tiny teeth. I spent the rest of the summer swimming in the sea until my fingers were pruned, and the rest of my life fascinated by the wonders of nature. full story |
Crossing the Bridge - May 2014Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation program ever with over €75 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market. In comparison to all the previous framework programs, Horizon 2020 has the following new elements full story |
TASSA 2014 Conference was a great success!TASSA has completed another chapter with remarkable success by its Annual Conference at University of Maryland on March 22-23, 2014. More than 400 eminent scientists and scholars from both the United States and Turkey attended the meeting in growing numbers full story |