The 2nd Polar Festival, organized under the auspices of the Presidency and hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Technology and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK) at TÜBİTAK Gebze Campus, attracted great interest. Activities such as the polar lights workshop, polar exploration with lego, wood cutting with lathe and award figurine design, painting and photography exhibitions, and talks organized within the scope of the festival made the participants feel themselves at the poles.

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal watched the Antarctica documentary with young people as part of the festival. Addressing the participants after the documentary screening, Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal said, "You will see how your perspective on many issues will change after what you see during the day."

Mandal said, "We held our first festival a year ago. We talk about the future when we try to explain what we will do, but the future may be today for some, 2050 for others, and 2100 for others. Due to the storms we experienced yesterday, we realized that the future is not so far away. The issues that we constantly refer to the future, such as climate change, are now our present." He pointed out the importance of polar research.

Noting his satisfaction with the intense participation of students in the Polar Festival, Mandal said, "This is a very meaningful meeting. The fact that you have come here shows that this issue is no longer an awareness but a necessity. We are ready to learn, work together and take responsibility in order to be more prepared for the future."

Prof. Dr. Mandal said, "When we look at the Arctic - North Pole region, we see that the effects of climate change and global warming problems we experience here are experienced twice as much there. This situation affects all geographies. In the summer of 2021, the flood disasters that occurred intensively in our country, the mucilage problem in the North Aegean and Marmara, and the fire disasters in the Mediterranean are a reflection of this problem."

Stating that all countries have targets on this issue, Mandal said, "As the Republic of Turkey, our target is to reduce the current emission values to zero in 2053. This target is set as 2050 in the European Commission and 2060 in China. Many countries also set the 2050s as a target for themselves. Each and every one of our friends and students here has a responsibility for the future. This responsibility is not only for ourselves, but also for our future, humanity and all living creatures."

"It is necessary to work together, learn together and achieve together"

Drawing attention to the importance of the work to be done in this direction, TÜBİTAK President Mandal said, "We are not limiting the issues we are addressing here to climate change alone. From the field to the fork, that is, every stage of the products produced in the fields and reaching our homes can be associated with climate change."

Stating that the issue of climate change is not an issue that can be solved by a single department or specialty, Mandal said, "Working alone is not enough in this process. Even cooperation may be limited. It is important to work together. It is necessary to work together, learn together and succeed together."

Pointing out that the research conducted at TÜBİTAK Polar Research Center covers a wide range of fields, Mandal said: "Research covers many different disciplines such as Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, and Earth Sciences. It is important how the subject will affect our social lifestyle and society in the future. Overcoming this challenge will not be possible by working alone, but by working together beyond cooperation."

"There is a great sensitivity towards climate change all over Turkey"

Prof. Dr. Mandal underlined that in addition to the project competitions for secondary and high school students, they have allocated a third category exclusively to the Polar area and said, "We held the first one last year. There was a great interest in the competition. From 60 of our 81 provinces, there is a great interest and sensitivity to this issue from all over Turkey. You are saying 'I am also in'. This is exciting and pleasing for us. We want to make it more valuable. If you see yourself as competent, excited and want to take responsibility in the fields of Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Social and Human Sciences, Earth Sciences, come and apply. Last year there were over a thousand applications. This year there will be much more."

Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal said, "We told you, 'Be ready for excitement and responsibility' and you gave us very good feedback. It is very valuable that you have come here today. I would like to thank you, your teachers and your schools."

"We have a lot of excitement but more responsibility"

TÜBİTAK President Mandal introduced the campus to the students attending the festival and told them that they had prepared a special trip for them: "This is Turkey's largest research base. We are at TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center, but in a broader sense we are at the Gebze Campus. We have 3500 researchers working here. This is where Turkey's defense industry, space industry and vaccine development studies are carried out, as well as research on energy, polar, climate and environmental issues. We have prepared a tour of the campus for you. Apart from the exhibitions you will see, you will also take a tour of the campus with our vehicles. You will also visit a few places. One of those few places is the Research Center. There is the tomb of Hannibal, the Carthaginian Commander, which many of you know. You will see not only the work on Polar Research, but also what can be done at TÜBİTAK. We believe that you will work here in the future and do better than us."

Mandal concluded his speech by saying, "We are very excited, but we have more responsibility."

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal then toured the festival area. Students from Ankara, Antalya, Burdur, Bursa, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, İstanbul, İzmir, Kocaeli, Mersin, Mersin, Sakarya, Uşak and Van participated in the festival at TÜBİTAK Gebze Campus.

Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, who visited the stand with Gebze District Governor Mustafa Güler, was informed by Van Fine Arts High School students about their oil painting works that draw attention to the effect of global warming on the poles. A student named Yakup Çaçur presented Prof. Dr. Mandal with his charcoal painting.

Mandal, who examined the works at the "2204-C High School Students Polar Research Projects Competition" exhibition, visited the exhibition consisting of photographs taken in Antarctica together with Gebze District Governor Mustafa Güler.

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal answered the questions of journalists during his visit to the field. Mandal said that they have been carrying out expeditions to Antarctica for 5 years, as well as organizing workshops in this field. Pointing out that they organized the festival online last year due to the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, Mandal expressed his satisfaction with the interest shown in the first physical festival held on December 1, Antarctica Day. Emphasizing that studies on climate change are now a necessity, Mandal said: "Our country is also affected by climate change in the closest way. The Poles are the place where scenarios and models where climate change is experienced most strongly can be made. In the past years, when we were talking about this issue, we were trying to raise awareness. Today it is a necessity. What we experienced in 2021 gives us a strong message. Floods in the Black Sea, mucilage in Marmara and North Aegean, fires in the South Aegean and Mediterranean. These are all coincidental and not for this year, unfortunately." Mandal underlined that the events due to climate change will continue and that the fight against climate change should be carried out with science-based research, otherwise the number of people affected by climate change will increase.

Explaining that they bring scientists and young people together with their work, Mandal said that they trust young people who are most excited about this process and at the same time want to take responsibility. Stating that more than 1000 projects were received from 61 provinces in the High School Students' Polar Research Project Competition in 2021, Mandal continued as follows: "In 61 of our 81 provinces in Turkey, we have young people who say 'I'm in' on this issue. We exhibited all of these at TEKNOFEST. Now we have launched our new call; we expect more applications in 2022. They will exhibit their projects in Samsun at TEKNOFEST 2022. The winners will receive their awards from Mr. President."

TÜBİTAK MAM Vice President and Director of the Polar Research Institute Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy and the team of the Polar Research Institute presented a gift symbolizing the North and South poles to Prof. Dr. Mandal, President of TÜBİTAK.

At the 2nd Polar Festival, popular polar science seminars were given by scientists conducting scientific research in the Poles, while Turkish documentaries filmed in the Poles were screened. Within the 2 thousand square meter main tent, various workshops, games, exhibitions and promotions took place.

Within the scope of the Popular Polar Sciences Seminars at the festival, Meteorological Engineer Bünyamin Sürmeli, Dr. Lect. Prof. Dr. M. Oğuz Selbesoğlu, Dr. Ebru Caymaz, Prof. Dr. Latife Çakır Bayram, TÜBİTAK Young Researcher of the Year Award winner Ayşe Pelin Dedeler, Prof. Dr. Raif Kandemir, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nazihan Ursavaş and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Raif Kandemir, Assoc. Işıl Nur Güraslan gave a seminar in their fields.

Activities were organized by Antalya Science Center, Bilim Üsküdar, Gökmen Space Aviation Training Center, Kayseri Science Center, Kocaeli Science Center, Konya Science Center and Deneyap Technology Workshops.

In addition, the participants had fun moments with virtual reality goggles on the Poles, photo memory corner, 3D Polar creatures interaction area, Antarctic adventures comic book reading area, photo shoot in the Poles with the green stage and live music.

More than 10 thousand guests from Ankara, Antalya, Burdur, Bursa, Erzurum, Eskişehir, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli, Mersin, Sakarya, Uşak and Van attended the festival.