Scientific method and scientific though may be learned only with experience and changed to a life style. The MEF Educational Institutions setting off adapts to orientate and encourage youth to any scientific studies and undertake any responsibilities in this field.
The “INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS” Competition implemented by MEF Educational Institutions for purpose of supporting scientific education, orientating any skilful students in this area to scientific researches and growing them as “Scientists of the Futures” in branches of Physics, Chemistry and Biology is attracted a great attention increasingly every year by high school youth.
The “MEF National and International Research Projects” Competition to be arranged 25 times by the MEF University and MEF Educational Institutions in this year is a competition, which encourages young brains to think of by scientific methods and is open to participation of high school students. The facts that competition applications increase highly in comparison with the previous year and such participation extends to abroad prove that significance of the competition is perceived by our young peoples. Furthermore, this competition bears a great importance for addressing significance of basic sciences in our age.
Any projects both considered as worth to represent and represented are evaluated in terms of the following items:
1-Whether the project subject is update or not, and any problems arisen from this project sub-ject, and solutions;
2- Even if the project subject is update, the fact that it is not repeated frequently;
3- An extent to access the relevant resources; and whether a sufficient number of sources are scanned, or whether one makes use of the relevant people and institutions;
4- Success in establishment and test of a scientific assumption, that is, whether a “obserrvation – assumption – result” relationship is established; and
5- Whether a sufficient number of experiments and when necessary controlled experiments are conducted.
In the “MEF National and International Research Projects” Competition arranged between high school students, the biggest award is implementation of some projects in industry. Part of 1665 domestic projects and 590 international projects presented up to now in the competition caught this change.
• A project “production of earthquake-proof bricks generated by using “wastes of the Seydisehir Aluminum” is utilized today by the Arıkanli Holding.
• Two relevant projects caught a chance to use in Gaziantep:
– The project “for ensuring that pistachio trees yield a couple of fruits early at the Gaziantep State Pistachio Production Farm”; and
– The project “Production from inexpensive dyes from vegetable roots grown around” is used by a textile company.
• “Sagra”, one of the biggest nut facilities, makes use of the project “Nut breaking with zero defect by air pressure” presented in a competition in last years.
• The project “Recovery of scrap tires” is used by a private facility.
Success of the competitors is not limited only to these projects. The “Scanned Tunneling Microscope” project of 1995 Can ALTINELLER, who was in first rank in branch of Physics in 1995, was in first rank in the worldwide competition “First Stem To Nobel,” and then won a scholarship from FIT, Florida Technical University.
Bilge Zeren Aksu, who got the second prize with her biological project “Investigation of Bacterial and Fungal Decontamination Effects of Cold Oxygen Plasma On Surfaces” in the 18th “Research Projects” Competition, won a special prize of the Coalition of Plasma Science (CPS) at the “Intel – İSEF International Science and Engineering Fair” and a scholarship from MIT, one of most elite worldwide universities.
Yigit Can ILERI and Muhammet Emin AYAR, who won the special Biology jury prize with their project “Production of Bacteriophage Fabrics By Using “Oleuropein”, A Hidden Power in Olive Leaf” in the 18th “Research Projects” Competition, ranked in final of the “Research Projects” competition arranged by ANKARA – TUBITAK competition between secondary school students and won first prizes in branch of Biology.
Idil OZDAMAR, who participated in the 19th “Research Projects” Competition with her physical project “Synthesis of three- and four-component semi-conductive nano-crystals and investigation of Pottantial to use them as solar cells,” has deserved to take the first prize. The same project of Idil OZDAMAR’ won third prize in the Great Prize category in ISEF, first prize in energy branch in I-SWEEEP and gold medal in INEPO Euroasi arranged in Azerbaijan.
Eray ARSLAN, who won second prize with his Physical Project “Virtual Action Detector” in the 19th “Research Projects” Competition, was in second rank in the world with his same project in software development field in the international competition arranged by E-Biko.
Adem NOKTACI and Sevcan ALTUNDAL, who won a special jury prize with their physical project “Identification of Transparent Thin Layers By Using Double Split Method In Digital Medium” in the 21st “Research Projects” Competition, have deserved to take the Most Original Project Prize of the European Union Patent Office with their same project in the 24th European Union Competition of Youth Scientists (EUCYS).
1,665 of 8,963 specific projects applied 19,121 in Turkey in 24 years are found as worthy to represent.
The “Research Projects” Competition is attacked an attention in most countries as well as in Turkey. The competition shall be extended more through projects from different worldwide countries in this year as well as in last years.
Along with high schools in Turkey, schools from the United States of America, England, Germany, Austria, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Georgia, Belarus, Ucraine, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Macedonia, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Lithuania, Poland, Kosova, Albania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tatarstan, Abkhazia, Russia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Serbia, Israel, Tunisia, Belgium, Thailand, Holland, Czech Republic, China, Dubai, Canada, Turkmenistan, Spain and Croatia have attended these exhibitions during the past twenty-four years.
The 25th “MEF National and International Research Projects” Competition, which is conducted since 1992 and has a nature to be oldest and most comprehensive cultural and scientific event that contribute to any scientific researches in Turkey, shall be realized between 10th and 13th May, 2016 as every year.