Page 95 - Koç University Annual Report 19/20

THE COLLEGE OF ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCES AND ECONOMICS (CASE) THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING (CE)

ÖZGÜR BARIŞ AKAN, DEAN

Overview Pekkan, and Dr. Murat Sözer; and in Electrical and Electronics
The College of Engineering (CE) is in a unique position to be Engineering, Dr. Sinem Çöleri and Dr. Engin Erzin.
recognized as the leading engineering college in Turkey and as a
world-class institution with its excellent faculty and facilities. One Faculty members promoted to Associate Professor: Dr. Alptekin
of the main distinguishing features of CE is its insistence on high Küpçü, Computer Engineering; Dr. Mehmet Gönen, Industrial
impact, high tech and interdisciplinary research. Engineering; and Dr. Sedat Nizamoğlu, Electrical and Electronics
Engineering.
Review of the Current State of the College
Strengthening the design component of its courses has been Major Awards and Achievements
an agenda item for the past few years. In order to equip all Koç In 2019-2020, the Faculty of Engineering received several awards,
University undergraduates with fundamental programming the highlights of which are as follows:
skills, a new course, “UNIV 199 – Introduction to Programming • Ertuğrul Başar, Associate Professor of Electrical and Electronics
with Python” was introduced. In 2017, CE initiated the “COMP Engineering, received the 2020 Best Young Researcher Award
198–Teaching Computer Science” course, in which advanced of IEEE ComSoc;
undergraduate students serve as teaching assistants in the • Savaş Taşoğlu, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering,
introductory programming courses. In 2019, more than 20 received the Science Academy’s 2020 Young Scientist Award
undergraduate teaching assistants took part in this task force (BAGEP);
each semester. Even further, 198 teaching courses are now
offered by all engineering programs to support peer learning in • Sedat Nizamoğlu, Assistant Professor of Electrical and
the engineering courses as part of the university’s Core Program. Electronics Engineering, received the 2019 Young Scientist
Last, while the specialty track programs of the college continue Award of Bilim Kahramanları Association;
to fulfill their objectives, improvements are also planned for the • Alptekin Küpçü, Associate Professor of Computer Engineering,
College of Engineering. received the 2019 Research Encouragement Award of the
METU Prof. Mustafa N. Parlar Foundation;
Faculty • Alper Uzun, Associate Professor of Chemical and Biological
CE currently has 57 full-time faculty members. With five new Engineering, received TÜBİTAK’s 2019 Incentive Award;
faculty members started in Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, plans • Engin Erzin, Professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering,
include the addition of a further 10 faculty members in the received IEEE Turkey’s 2019 Outstanding Service Award;
coming years.
• Özgür Barış Akan, Professor of Electrical and Electronics
Engineering, became the AXA Chair in Internet of Everything
Students
In 2019, 391 undergraduate students were admitted through by AXA Research Fund. It’s the first time that such a chair has
the national university examination. Of these, 149 received full, been created in Turkey;
half, or quarter scholarship (excluding Anatolian Scholars), which • Umran S. İnan, Professor of Electrical and Electronics
corresponds to 38% of them, and another 27% of them received Engineering, received the 2019 Mustafa Prize, a top honor in
the equivalent of full scholarships, up from 20% in 2018. science and technology, granted by the Mustafa Foundation to
prominent researchers in Muslim world.
Research Output and Grants
The quantity and quality of CE scholarly research output has
been maintained. New facilities have been completed and the
research infrastructure is improving rapidly. These, along with a
new generation of talented young faculty members, should give
a boost to CE output in the coming years.

Promotions
Faculty members promoted to Professor: in Mechanical
Engineering, Dr. Erdem Alaca, Dr. Demircan Canadinç, Dr. Kerem

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