The closing program of the “My DNA Summer School” project was held on 22 August 2022 with participation from TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal. The program, held at Bilkent University’s National Nanotechnology Research Center, ran from 15-22 August 2022 and was organized with support from the TÜBİTAK 4004 Nature Education and Science Schools Support Program’s 16th Nature Education and Science School.
“My DNA Summer School” was carried out with the aim to introduce 60 9th and 10th grade female students to science. The students who were selected had already been successful and possessed the potential to become scientists, but they were socio-economically disadvantaged. By contributing to their inner motivation and providing a steppingstone for their future careers, the goal was for them to realize their own potential and develop their professional visions.
The students were introduced to UNAM by the project coordinator, Dr. Ayça Arslan Ergül, and her team of UNAM graduate students. Students benefited from the program’s opportunity to observe UNAM’s infrastructure, receive scientific research training with activities such as staining bacteria with a gram staining technique and observing model organisms with a microscope, conduct experiments, give presentations, and participate in various scientific competitions.
TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal attended the closing program of the “My DNA Summer School.” Stating that the field of molecular biology and genetics is understood to be of critical importance, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic, Mandal announced that TÜBİTAK will always take part in these and related projects that reveal the importance of science.
Mandal said, “It is in your hands to continue what you have learned here. As TÜBİTAK, we have financial support, the university’s infrastructure capabilities, and the efforts of our teachers. Our expectation is that you will see yourself as a scientist in research-based processes in the upcoming years. For us, this will be a success.” Stating that it is important for students who are a part of this project to start questioning their future career plans, Mandal said, “The most important achievement of this summer school for you is that your science-based researcher competencies are further developed.”
Bilkent University Rector Prof. Dr. Kürşat Aydoğan, who also spoke at the event, emphasized that the name of their university comes from “city of science” and underlined that they attach great importance to taking part in projects in science and technology. Giving information about the studies that the university has carried out in these fields, Aydoğan stated that the “My DNA Summer School” project is a vital scientific study and said that “This project has an incentive for female students to become scientists.”
Expressing that science is of great importance in the development of countries and societies, UNAM Infrastructure Manager Özgür Yıldırım said, “I believe it is everyone’s dream for science to dominate in every aspect of our daily lives and to create a science-dominated Turkey.” He stated that this project is a step taken in this direction and that UNAM aims to repeat the summer school once or twice a year in the future. To describe a few of the benefits of the program, Yıldırım said, “Our students took part in activities such as scientific research training, staining bacteria with a gram staining technique, and observing model organisms with a microscope.”
After Dr. Ayça Arslan Ergül gave a presentation on the project, the program was closed out with a poster and presentation exhibition conducted by project participants.
