“My DNA Summer School” was held at Bilkent University National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM) between 15 and 22 August 2022. The program was supported by TÜBİTAK 4004’s Nature Education and Science Schools Support Program’s 16th. Nature Education and Science School. The project aimed 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.
Under the leadership of the project coordinator, Dr. Ayça Arslan Ergül, and her team of UNAM graduate students, students benefited from the rich program content, including visiting UNAM’s infrastructure, receiving scientific research training, conducting scientific experiments such as staining bacteria with a gram staining technique and observing model organisms with a microscope, making presentations, and participating in various scientific competitions.
The “My DNA Summer School” project was carried out with a multidisciplinary approach in accordance with the National Education curriculum and aimed for participants to acquire knowledge about scientific literacy and the importance of women in science. Thus, the “My DNA Summer School” project was carried out accordingly and with a multidisciplinary approach in accordance with the National Education curriculum. It was aimed that the participants will also gain about the concepts of scientific literacy and the importance of women in science. Transportation for the program was provided by the Ankara Metropolitan Municipality.
