OMU engineering students gain hands-on sector experience through university–industry cooperation

An education and practice event aimed at strengthening university–industry cooperation was held at the Faculty of Engineering of Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU). Within the scope of the two-day event, the research and development (R&D) activities of the Özdisan and Boardoza brands were introduced, and practical workshops were held for students following theoretical training sessions.

The event, moderated by Dr. Selim Aras, was attended by Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Çetin Kurnaz, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Prof. Dr. Yıldıray Topçu, Acting Director of the Technology Transfer Office (OMU-TTO) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fatih Çalışkan, OMU-TTO Coordinator Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gediz Uğuz, representatives of Özdisan, and students.

At the event, engineering students were offered the opportunity to interact directly with sector representatives and gain professional experience.

“Our fundamental philosophy here is university–industry cooperation”

Addressing students in his opening speech, Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Çetin Kurnaz drew attention to the importance of university–industry cooperation.

Kurnaz stated, “We are together with the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Our fundamental philosophy here is university–industry cooperation. Increasing such collaborations at universities and, accordingly, developing projects, patents, and publications are topics that are constantly discussed. However, these can only be achieved through such collaborations. You also have to be demanding. How much you improve yourselves is very important. As senior management, we can offer you various opportunities, but how much you make use of them depends on you. Be sure of this: after school ends, you will not have much time to learn. Because by then, you will be in the sector.”

“Our goal is to become a strong brand on a global scale”

The event continued with presentations delivered by representatives of Özdisan Elektronik. Within the scope of the workshops, professional experiences were shared with students, and information was provided on R&D processes and the current needs of the sector.

Semih Atakuru, one of the representatives of Özdisan Elektronik, drew attention to the uncertainties university students experience during career planning and said:

“I have visited nearly 100 universities in Türkiye, and I still continue to do so. One of the biggest problems at universities is that students, even when they reach their fourth year, still cannot decide in which field they will work. We also noticed the difficulties students experience in finding jobs in the sector, especially in the field of embedded systems, and started organizing training sessions and such workshop events at universities. We currently export to more than 100 countries. Last year, we became the world’s 32nd best electronic component distributor. Our goal is to move further ahead every year and make Özdisan a stronger brand on a global scale.”

The event concluded with a group photo session after students participated in the question-and-answer section.