The 4th Polar Festival organized by TÜBİTAK took place with the participation of scientists and students. The event aims to increase Turkey's interest in polar research and raise awareness in the scientific world. During the festival, various aspects of polar sciences were discussed and the latest developments in this field were shared with the participants. The opening speeches of the 4th Polar Festival were delivered by Prof. Dr. Orhan Aydın, President of TÜBİTAK and Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, President of TÜBİTAK MAM and Director of the Polar Research Institute.
Following the opening session, the results of the Ocean Decade Painting Contest and the award ceremony were organized. Participants had the opportunity to see the winning works in the competition, which was created to draw attention to the environmental problems of the oceans and ocean sciences.
Later in the festival, in the Popular Polar Sciences session, current information and studies on polar research were discussed. Three invited speakers Prof. Dr. Ersan Başar, Prof. Dr. Raif Kandemir, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mahmut Oğuz Selbesoğlu, accompanied by moderator Dr. Sinan Yirmibeşoğlu, shared their research in different fields of polar science with the participants. At the end of the session, a question and answer session was held with the questions from the audience.
In the Documentary/Vlog Screenings session, organized with the support of TÜBİTAK, short documentaries on the research processes of the polar region were presented to the audience. Participants gained important insights into the challenges and exciting discoveries of polar research.
357 papers were submitted from 62 provinces in Turkey, 48 papers were accepted as oral presentations and 35 papers were accepted as poster presentations. For the rest of the day, K12 Polar Sciences Oral and Poster Presentations were held. Students presented their scientific papers on polar research to the participants with oral and poster presentations. In addition, with the 2204-C Polar and 2204-D Climate Change Research Projects Session, our young people, who are the scientists of the future, discussed climate change and its effects in the polar region with the presentations of the projects they received degrees for. In addition, scientific sharing opportunities were offered to students and researchers with different sessions such as BİLSEM Session, Polar Session and K12 Session. In addition, in the Poster session, important ideas were brought together with the audience in digital environment.
The events, broadcast live on TÜBİTAK's Bilim Genç channel, opened the doors of the scientific world to students from different regions of Turkey. In the first episode, over 2700 listeners followed the 4th Polar Festival with interest. The event aims to increase the interest of young generations in polar research and environmental issues by emphasizing the importance of scientific research.
The festival offers an important platform for raising the scientists and researchers of the future. The event will continue to encourage development in every field of science by increasing the number of participants every year.
"We aim to spread science and research more to the society"
TUBITAK President Prof. Dr. Orhan Aydın, who made the opening speech of the festival, emphasized the importance of scientific research and stated that such events are of great importance in finding solutions to global problems.
Stating that TÜBİTAK supports research on the technologies that our country needs in cooperation with universities, industry and public institutions, Aydın said that while seeking solutions to global problems, they also aim to strengthen Turkey's scientific capacity.
TÜBİTAK President said that they organize science centers, research project competitions for middle and high school students, workshops and many similar activities to increase the interest of children and young people in science, and that they are trying to make these activities more widespread. Stating that the contributions of educators and families are also important in this process, Aydın said that they aim to spread science and research to the society more through such activities.
Prof. Dr. Aydın wished success to all the students who took part in the festival, thanked the teachers and families and hoped that such activities would continue to increase.
Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, President of TÜBİTAK MAM and Director of the Polar Research Institute, gave information about polar studies. Prof. Dr. Özsoy, who made a presentation on the results of the National Polar Expeditions, current polar studies, past Polar Festivals, brought the scientists of the future together with polar sciences. In her presentation, she talked about the importance of the Institute's mission of education and awareness, and included the projects created by the young generation in polar sciences.
