TAF Program Held

On Saturday, 22 June 2013, UYGAR (Transportation Application and Research Center) organized the TAF (Turkish Academic Fellowship) program at our university in cooperation with TÜNİDER (All University Graduates Association).

On Saturday, 22 June 2013, the Bahçeşehir University UYGAR Center held the TAF Program in partnership with TÜNİDER in the B conference hall of our university. The program discussed the difficulties and opportunities faced by our students pursuing undergraduate, master's and doctoral studies abroad, especially in the USA, as well as TAF's experience and insights on this subject.

The program, which attracted more than 150 undergraduate and master's students and prospective students, saw wide participation from politicians to academics.

Delivering the opening speech, TÜNİDER President Mehmet Fatih Karakaya explained that there are important things we can adopt from abroad in terms of mentality regarding education and work order, and that with the wealth and strength of our country and society, very different opportunities can be offered to our young people who are studying or will study abroad. He emphasized that our young people face serious difficulties during their education abroad, especially in the USA, and that in order to overcome them, this issue must be approached with an institutional understanding and free from a political point of view.

Karakaya noted that our students pursuing undergraduate, master's and doctoral studies abroad have to work in different lines of business with insufficient financial means alongside their studies, and that with solutions developed through an institutional approach, students who are studying or will study abroad could be provided with internship and job opportunities in their own fields during their education.

Speaking at the meeting, Republican People's Party (CHP) Istanbul Provincial Chair Oğuz Kağan Salıcı touched on current developments in his speech and, emphasizing the dynamic nature of youth, stated that this dynamism needs to be understood.

On behalf of the UYGAR Center and the Department of Transportation Engineering, faculty members of the Department of Transportation Engineering Prof. Dr. Tuncer Toprak, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Serkan Tapkın and Assist. Prof. Dr. Aybike Öngel, together with UYGAR administrative assistants, attended the meeting. Speaking on behalf of UYGAR and the Department of Transportation Engineering, Prof. Dr. Tuncer Toprak shared with the students his experience of studying abroad after his undergraduate education in Türkiye. Prof. Dr. Tuncer Toprak stated that in the past, educational conditions in the USA were much more difficult for students from Türkiye, but that with today's technological means, people in different countries can even carry out projects together. Toprak therefore said that, with the available technological means, our students abroad can establish much closer and more productive cooperation with one another and should be more active in this regard.

Speaking at the meeting, Microsoft Türkiye Deputy General Manager Cavit Yantaç shared his education and experiences abroad, noting that determination is important in career decisions and that individuals should begin to set a clear roadmap at an early stage.

The well-attended program turned into a platform bringing together academics, students, prospective students and politicians, where problems were discussed openly.