Outstanding Achievements Honored at OMU’s 2024 Academy Awards

20 May 2025, Tuesday - 13:52

Updated: 21 May 2025, Wednesday - 14:31

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Hasan Çelen, Berk Can Dereci, Arda Bilasa

Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) organized the 2024 Academy Awards Ceremony to honor academic staff members who achieved success in various fields throughout the year.

Held at the Atatürk Congress and Culture Center, the ceremony saw the presentation of the 2024 Academy Awards to faculty members who distinguished themselves in academic, scientific, and administrative fields.

The ceremony opened with a moment of silence and the national anthem, followed by a performance of Turkish Classical Music by artists from the OMU State Conservatory. Then, the “OMU 50th Anniversary Promotional Film” screening took the audience on a journey through the university’s half-century-long history.

Rector Aydın: "This gathering, where the pride earned through hard work shines in our eyes, will hopefully inspire hope for tomorrow"

In her speech at the 2024 Academy Awards Ceremony, OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın said, “It gives me great joy to come together with our esteemed academic and administrative colleagues whose scientific achievements are a source of pride for our university in its 50th year. I am also honored to host our generous benefactors who have supported us financially and morally. I sincerely congratulate all the recipients of this year’s ‘Academy Award,’ ‘Administrative Award,’ and ‘Honorary Contribution Award’ presented under the OMU Incentives and Awards Directive. This gathering, where the pride earned through hard work shines in our eyes, will hopefully inspire hope for tomorrow.”

“The momentum gained through our scientific excellence and accumulated experience has elevated our university to a prestigious and competent level”

Emphasizing that OMU is a half-century-old institution, Rector Aydın said, “The momentum gained through our scientific excellence and accumulated experience has elevated our university to a prestigious and competent level. It has not been easy to reach a level capable of producing four universities from within our own structure and educating numerous distinguished scholars recognized in academia. We have progressed thanks to the efforts of our academic and administrative staff who prioritize service to the country over personal ambition, and the invaluable support of our generous benefactors who believe in the importance of education and research. I extend my gratitude to all our predecessors who left us this legacy and respectfully commemorate those who have passed away.”

“The efforts of our dedicated academics and the sincere support of our benefactors are our greatest assets”

Rector Aydın noted that OMU has become one of the most respected educational and research institutions in Türkiye with its vision of becoming a research university and its mission of internationalization: “As we aim to earn the title of 'Research University' soon, the efforts of our dedicated academics and the sincere support of our benefactors are our greatest assets. The standards we’ve raised with your contributions can only be surpassed with continued effort. The world is changing rapidly. Technologies like artificial intelligence, big data analysis, and machine learning deeply influence our societal, cultural, and economic structures. In this dynamic environment, universities are not only responsible for knowledge transfer but also for becoming strategic actors driving societal transformation. The future of universities will be shaped by how quickly they adapt to this change, how responsibly they embrace social responsibilities, and how seriously they commit to sustainable development.”

“The academic reputation of universities lies in qualified faculty”

Rector Aydın emphasized that nations can overcome challenges and achieve civilization breakthroughs guided by science: “In today’s rapidly changing world, we must dash toward our goal of a ‘Leading Nation Türkiye.’ In this race, universities will be our primary institutions guiding the rhythm. The academic reputation of universities lies in qualified faculty. Scientists who can offer solutions to humanity’s problems from a universal perspective will also be the architects of a Greater Türkiye.”

Rector Aydın concluded, “With these thoughts and feelings, I sincerely congratulate the recipients of the Academy Awards and wish that our 50th anniversary brings health, peace, and success to the OMU family and our country. I extend my warmest regards and love to you all.”

The ceremony was attended by Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Alper Kesten, Prof. Dr. Çetin Kurnaz, Prof. Dr. Ayşe Pınar Sumer, Secretary General Erhan Burak Pancar, Samsun Atakum District Governor and Acting Deputy Governor Kemal Yıldız, academics, administrative staff, and students.

The event concluded with a group photo of award recipients and protocol members.

OMU 2024 Academy Awards

Honorary Contribution Awards

Kemal YILDIZ (on behalf of Samsun Governorship Special Provincial Administration)
Esq. Hüseyin DÜNDAR (on behalf of Çarşamba Municipality)
Akif ARSLAN
Ali Cüneyt ARPACIOĞLU (on behalf of ADEKA Pharmaceuticals Inc.)
Prof. Dr. Murat ELİÖZ (on behalf of OMU Foundation)
Hacı TOROMAN (on behalf of Çarşamba Commodity Exchange)
Dr. Alaattin ALTIN (on behalf of OMU Campus Mosque Construction and Sustenance Association)
Fikret YEŞİLYURT (on behalf of Yeşilyurt Iron & Steel and Port Operations Inc.)

Gold Achievement Awards

Prof. Dr. Süleyman KAPLAN – Faculty of Medicine
Prof. Dr. Levent TÜMKAYA – Faculty of Medicine
Dr. Hüseyin ASLAN – Faculty of Education

Silver Achievement Awards

Prof. Dr. Mustafa Kürşat ŞAHİN – Faculty of Medicine
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kerim ASLAN – Faculty of Medicine
Prof. Dr. Ayşenur BÜYÜKGÖZE KAVAS – Faculty of Education
Prof. Dr. İlkay KOCA – Faculty of Engineering

Bronze Achievement Awards

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hasan YAKAN – Faculty of Education
Prof. Dr. Mevlüt GÜRBÜZ – Faculty of Engineering
Prof. Dr. Musa KAVAS – Faculty of Agriculture (for articles and projects)
Prof. Dr. Hanife Nalan GENÇ – Faculty of Education
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burhan DOST – Faculty of Medicine
Prof. Dr. Sezgin GÜNEŞ – Faculty of Medicine
Prof. Dr. Ercümend ERSANLI – Faculty of Health Sciences
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa ERGUN – Faculty of Education
Prof. Dr. İlkay KOCA – Faculty of Engineering
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gülcan TAŞKIRAN ESKİCİ – Faculty of Health Sciences

Performance of the Year Awards

R.A. Seyda ÖZBEKTAŞ – Faculty of Engineering
R.A. Okan ŞİMŞEK – Faculty of Science

Article of the Year Awards

Dr. Fevzi ŞAHİN – Faculty of Engineering (SCI & SCIE)
R.A. Dr. Hüseyin Ertan İNAN – Faculty of Tourism (SCI & SCIE)
Prof. Dr. Ceylan YANGIN ERSANLI – Faculty of Education (SSCI)

International Collaboration of the Year Award

R.A. Dr. Hüseyin Ertan İNAN – Faculty of Tourism

Article Champion of the Year Award

Ghassan H. MATAR (student application) – Faculty of Science
Abdullah AYDIN (student application) – Faculty of Agriculture
Seher YERLİKAYA (student application) – Faculty of Agriculture

Project of the Year Award

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kubilay YILDIRIM – Faculty of Science
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Belgin BAL İNCEBACAK – Faculty of Education
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Emine ŞENDURUR – Faculty of Education
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Okay PEKŞEN – Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
Prof. Dr. Ünal KILIÇ – Faculty of Agriculture

Entrepreneurship of the Year Award

Prof. Dr. Ceylan YANGIN ERSANLI & Prof. Dr. Ercümend ERSANLI – Faculty of Education / Faculty of Health Sciences
Prof. Dr. Elif DİKMETAŞ YARDAN – Faculty of Health Sciences
Prof. Dr. Gökmen Zafer PEKMEZCİ – Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Cuma YILDIRIM – Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences
Dr. Ali Erman KENT – Faculty of Health Sciences
Dr. Serdar KILIÇ – Terme Vocational School

PhD Thesis Awards

Prof. Dr. Müberra ANDAÇ / Ayhan BERGAL – Faculty of Science
Prof. Dr. Sedat AKLEYLEK / R.A. Dr. Kübra SEYHAN – Faculty of Engineering

Master’s Thesis Awards

Prof. Dr. İlkay KOCA / Ayşegül ÖZKAN – Faculty of Engineering
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sercan DEMİRCİ / R.A. İsmail Hakkı TURAN – Faculty of Engineering

Undergraduate Thesis Award

Dr. Selim ARAS / Yusuf ÖZBALCI, Nurullah AKPINAR, Emrullah ÖZÜR – Faculty of Engineering

Quality Awards of the Year

Archaeology Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Vedat KELEŞ
Nutrition and Dietetics Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Health Sciences, Prof. Dr. Aliye ÖZENOĞLU
Biology Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Science, Prof. Dr. Ünal ZEYBEKOĞLU
Geography Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Ali UZUN
Philosophy Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Lokman Çilingir
Science Education Division (Science Education Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Education, Prof. Dr. Süleyman YAMAN
English Language Education Division (English Language Teaching Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Education, Prof. Dr. Nalan KIZILTAN
Cardiology Division (Specialist Training), Faculty of Medicine, Prof. Dr. Mahmut ŞAHİN
Mathematics Education Division (Primary Mathematics Education Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Education, Prof. Dr. Hamza ÇALIŞICI
Psychology Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Bozkurt KOÇ
Guidance and Psychological Counseling Division (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Education, Prof. Dr. Yücel ÖKSÜZ
Art History Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Sami BAYRAKTAR
Sociology Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Recep CENGİZ
History Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. İbrahim TELLİOĞLU
Tourism Management Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Tourism, Prof. Dr. Yetkin BULUT
Turkish Language and Literature Department (Undergraduate Program), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof. Dr. Selçuk ÇIKLA

Outstanding Student Club Awards

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Selma KARAAHMET BALCI – Visual Arts Club (Faculty of Education)
Dr. Aynur ARSLAN – Ethics and Social Work Club (Faculty of Health Sciences)
R.A. Esra KUDUZ – OMU Animal Support Club (Faculty of Education)