Our Rector Prof. Dr. Fadime Üney Yüksektepe hosted Bakırköy District Governor Recai Karal in his office. During the meeting, held on Tuesday, February 25, Bakırköy District Governor Karal was presented with a commemorative plate by our Rector.

In cooperation with Istanbul Kültür University and Y Innovation and Technology Company and under the leadership of UZEMER (Distance Education Application and Research Center), a protocol was signed to organize training programs on “Data Science and the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Data Science” in order to increase the qualifications of participating individuals and support their professional careers, where successful participants will be certified with e-government approval.

The signing ceremony was attended by our Rector Prof. Dr. Fadime Üney Yüksektepe, Y Innovation Co-Founders and Trainers Serkan Kav and Ali Nihat Uzunalioğlu, UZEMER Director Assist. Prof. Neslihan Fatma Er and Deputy Director of UZEMER Ahmet Gökhan Uluçay.

Prof. Dr. Okan Ormanlı, one of our academicians from the Department of New Media and Communication, attended the 75th Berlin Film Festival which was held between February 13-23, as accredited. Within the scope of the festival, Prof. Dr. Okan Ormanlı met with Berlin Film Academy Director Wolf Plesmann and exchanged ideas for academic-artistic collaborations.

The Industrial Engineering Club organized a conference titled “Future'25” to support students in their career planning. The event, where managers of successful companies in their fields shared their experiences as speakers, was organized on February 17-18, 2025, at the Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy campus.

The event, where our Rector Prof. Dr. Fadime Üney Yüksektepe gave the opening speech, was attended by The Purest Solutions Founder Alim Ozan Evliyaoğlu, Atasun Optik Store Operations Director Fatma Koçak Çakar, MR.DIY Board Member Dilara Neyişçi Çağlı, HP Channel Sales Director Ömer Çelebioğlu and Branding Türkiye Founder Mürsel Ferhat Sağlam as speakers.

Istanbul Kültür Universiity Dean of Students Office Kültür Point held a “Back to Campus Party” on Wednesday, February 26 at the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus. The event started with the performance of DJ Batuhan Muslu and continued with the live performance of IKU Dance Club. In the finale, Orchestra IKU concluded the day with a live concert. The Industrial Engineering Club also contributed to the event with their sponsorship. Our students, who shared their wishes for the new semester in the Wish Area and made their own Martenichka bracelets, created unforgettable memories and added colour to the event.

This gathering, full of music, dance and fun, offered Istanbul Kültür University students an energetic start to the semester.

What is the Martenichka ritual?

Martenichka is one of the traditions for celebrating the arrival of spring in the Balkans. The bracelets, prepared with red and white threads, are worn to herald the coming of spring. Good wishes for health, luck, abundance and prosperity are made while wearing it.

Our Head of the Department of Arts and Culture Management, Assoc. Prof. Reyhan Uludağ Eraslan, participated in the exhibition at Istanbul ArtisArt Gallery on Bağdat Street between February 15-27. The works of our professor, who was the “Artist of Honor” of the exhibition, were exhibited in the gallery's showcase.

Istanbul Kültür University Faculty of Architecture organized a conference titled “Fire Safety in Architectural Design and Practice: Problems and Solutions” on Wednesday, February 26, 2025. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Özgünler, who participated in the event as a speaker, provided valuable information on how fire safety strategies should be handled in the architectural design process, common problems encountered and solutions. The event, which was interactive with the interest and questions of the participants, provided important information on fire safety.

Organized in collaboration with Istanbul Kültür University’s Department of Communication Arts and the IKU Creative Club, "Creative Talks," held on Tuesday, February 25, brought together students interested in the creative industries and industry professionals. While Migros Hemen-the main sponsor of the event-shared innovations in digital marketing and the retail sector, Pin Drinks and Boost Coffee created a pleasant atmosphere for the participants in the foyer area.

A Deepening Perspective on Neuromarketing with Mehmet Kaya

In the first session of Creative Talks, neuromarketing expert Mehmet Kaya addressed the subconscious processes of consumer behaviour. Discussing the role of the brain in purchasing decisions, Kaya explained how brands use neuroscience techniques with impressive examples. Students gained valuable insights into the power of emotional triggers in advertisements, the psychology of colours, and the elements that shape consumer perception.

Digital Transformation and Power of Creativity with Migros One Brand Team

In the second session of the event, the Migros One Brand team made a comprehensive presentation on the development of digital marketing and how brands are positioned in this transformation process. Participants had the opportunity to closely examine Migros One's innovative strategies and how the brand offers consumers more personalized experiences.

The Migros One team showed the participants different campaigns by the brand and explained in detail the role of the creative process in the success of an advertisement. Topics such as strategic narrative techniques used in advertisements, the importance of emotional connection, and how consumer insights are evaluated were discussed.

This session, which focused on the future of digital marketing, AI-supported customer experiences, and how brands adapt to changing consumer behaviours, offered students important insights that will expand their industry perspectives.

“Club Presidents and Executive Boards Meeting” was organized by Istanbul Kültür University Dean of Students Office Student Life and Clubs Coordination Office on Thursday, February 27, 2025 at the ZA-1 lecture hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus.

At the meeting, which was held with the participation of more than one hundred and twenty club presidents and managers, discussion topics included the activity processes of student clubs, budget management, reporting criteria and cooperation opportunities. Mert Efe Anğın, Assistant Specialist of the Student Life and Clubs Coordination Office, completed the process by detailing the topics on the agenda. Dean of Students Assoc. Prof. Gamze Alptekin touched upon important points on the development of clubs and sustainable collaborations.

The meeting, where a strong roadmap for the spring semester was drawn, aims to reinforce the active role of clubs in campus life.

The Debate Club organized the “Kültür Open Debate Tournament” on February 15-16 at the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus with approximately 120 participants.

Board games provide an effective learning tool for digital game design students to explore basic game mechanics and dynamics, and understand the logic of game design. It also provides an ideal resource for interactive learning and group work, which form the basis of a student-centred education. For this reason, these board games, which include a wide variety of game mechanics and dynamics such as Catan, Ticket to Ride, Munchkin, Pandemic and Wymspan, will be important resources in the “Fundamentals of Game Design I – II” courses, which aim to teach students both the theoretical and practical aspects of game design by focusing on the basic principles of game design and game dynamics. We would like to thank to NeoTroy Games and Metin Ünüvar, General Manager of NeoTroy Games, for this gift, which will greatly contribute to the development of our students’ creative thinking processes and analytical skills in the field of game design.

IKU Vocational School hosted Captain Pilot Uğur Demiröz, Vice President of PILVAK, at our university on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. During the meeting where our Vocational School Director Prof. Dr. Mehmet Özer and our lecturers participated, information about the sector was shared.

Istanbul Kültür University Department of Radio, Television and Cinema lecturer Buğra Mert Alkayalar’s new book titled “The Witches of Folk Horror: A Review on Witchcraft in Modern Folk Horror Films” has been published by Izan Publishing.

“The Witches of Folk Horror”, which deals with the history of the witch myth and its place in cinema, examines the representations of witchcraft in depth, especially in modern folk horror cinema. The book examines the folkloric and mythological origins of witchcraft, and explored how this figure is reshaped in contemporary cinema and how it is positioned within the horror genre. “The Witches of Folk Horror” is an important contribution to academic and cultural studies on horror cinema and promises to be an important resource for cinephiles and researchers.

In cooperation with the Department of International Trade and Finance, and one of the external stakeholders of the department, AbilityPool social enterprise, “Social Responsibility Project Course” has been launched with the aim to raise the awareness of creating social benefit in our students. The course, which is offered in both Turkish and English, aims to raise students’ awareness on social entrepreneurship and sustainable impact.

Through this collaboration, our students are expected to add value to society by taking an active role in real projects. In this context, Özlem Ülker, Founder of AbilityPool, attended Assoc. Prof. Meri Taksi Deveciyan’s “Social Responsibility Project Course” as a guest on February 26, 2025. Özlem Ülker shared valuable information with our students by explaining the details of the cooperation that will continue throughout the semester, and the concepts of social responsibility and volunteering.

Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Design Factory hosted an inspiring event that brought together creative writing enthusiasts. The “Story Creation Workshop” held on Tuesday, February 25th with the participation of ABM Publishing House Editor-in-Chief and Founder of Kidmosfer Çağla Acar, offered participants the opportunity to step into the world of creative writing.

During the workshop, the power of stories was explored and ways to unleash the imagination were experienced. The participants had the chance to discover their inner voices by feeling the transformative effect of writing. The event attracted great interest and inspired everyone interested in literature and storytelling.

Within the scope of the “Architectural Design 6 (ARC0006)” course conducted by Assoc. Prof. Asiye Akgün Gültekin, Assist. Prof. Z. Ayşe Gökşin and Lecturer Dr. Suzan Sanlı, a technical trip was organized to Başakşehir Fire Department on Monday, February 24, 2025, for the project subject sample examination.

Within the scope of the “IE0305-Business Simulation” course given in the Departmenf o Industrial Engineering, Alptuğ Beteroğlu, one of our 2022 graduates of the Department of Industrial Engineering, participated as a speaker at the seminar held on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.

The Department of International Trade and Finance organized a meeting to inform our students about Erasmus+ KA131 and KA171 student exchange programs with the presentation of Miray Akaydın from the International Relations Unit, on Thursday, February 27 at the Conference Hall of Küçükçekmece Campus. In the event, which was open to all students of the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, our students were given detailed information about Erasmus+ program. In the question-and-answer part of the event, all technical details such as application steps and quotas were discussed and students were provided with required level of information. During the event, Burak Çağlar, one of our students who recently returned from Erasmus+ program, shared his experiences and answered the questions of other students. The event concluded after Assist. Prof. Didem Kayalıdereden, Erasmus+ Coordinator of the Department of International Trade and Finance, shared information about the course matching. We wish success to our students who will take their first step into Erasmus+ experience this year.

The Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design will organize a trip to Beykoz Kundura Paper Factory on Monday, March 3, in order to provide students with information about the structure by observing the project area within the scope of the “Graduation Project”.

The event, “Origami Workshop” will be organized by the Department of Common Courses in order to introduce our students to the Japanese paper folding art of Origami, develop their artistic, aesthetic and intellectual skill, and introduce them to the cultures of different countries. The workshop, featuring Origami Artist Chieko Adachi, will be hosted by the Design Factory in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus on Tuesday, March 4, at 10.30.

The Digital Culture Club will organize a seminar titled “DIGI-X” to support students’ career planning processes. The event, where experts in their fields will be speakers, will be held on Wednesday, March 5, between 09.00-15.00 at Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus.

The "White Coat Wearing Ceremony," which symbolizes the Faculty of Health Sciences students' journey toward becoming health professionals, will be held on Wednesday, March 5 at 13.00 at Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus.

The Program of Public Relations and Publicity will organize an interview titled “Utilizing the Power of Public Relations in Crisis Management” to educate students on reactive and proactive approaches, comparing crisis management and crisis communication in corporate companies and PR agencies. The event, where Çınar Ergin, President of Aristo Communication PR Agency, will be a speaker, will be held on Wednesday, March 5, at 14.00 in lecture hall 1A01 at the Bakırköy Campus, Ataköy building.

The Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design will organize a trip to the MSA Campus on Thursday, March 6 for students to get technical information about an existing culinary arts center and use it in their projects within the scope of the project on “Culinary Arts Academy” given in the “Graduation Project.”

The Department of Architecture will organize a conference titled “Two Jobs in the City Center” to support students in their career planning. The event, where Master Architect Can Çinici from Çinici Architecture will be the speaker, will be held on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at 13.00 in the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall at the Bakırköy Campus, Ataköy building.

Istanbul Kültür University Art Gallery (IKUSAG) will host the exhibition titled “Anatomy of an Apple” by Painter Pınar Partanaz. The exhibition, which will open on Thursday, March 6 at 15.00 as part of “March 8, International Women's Day”, deals with the bond that the female body establishes with space on the axis of freedom and boundaries.

The exhibition can be visited at IKU Art Gallery in the Bakırköy Campus Ataköy building until April 2, 2025.

The Department of Communication and Design will host a talk titled "Ecological Themes in Miyazaki's Cinema: Nature, Humanity, and the Heron," focusing on Hayao Miyazaki, one of the most prominent figures in Japanese anime cinema, known for exploring themes such as ecological destruction and nature's revenge in his films. The event, at which Assoc. Prof. Aygün Şen from Marmara University will be the speaker, will be held on Thursday, March 6, at 15:00 in the fourth-floor multi-purpose hall of the Ataköy building on the Bakırköy campus.

The theatre play “I Close My Eyes and Do My Duty,” prepared in cooperation with the Theatre Club and the Literature Club, will be performed for the audience on Thursday, March 6, at 20:00 at the Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in the Ataköy building on the Bakırköy campus.

In collaboration with the Atatürkist Thought Club and ATAMER, a conference titled "An Example of Women's Struggle from the Ottoman Era to the Republic: The Women of the Red Crescent" will be held as part of the March 8 International Women's Day events to raise awareness about women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. The event, where Lecturer Ceren Çilek will be the speaker, will be held on Friday, March 7, at 13:00 in the Önder Öztunalı Conference Hall in the Ataköy building on the Bakırköy campus.