Bioplastic to Be Tested in Antarctica

Bioplastic to be Tested in Antarctica Speaking at an event organized by Kastamonu University, TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal said that bioplastic produced from oak acorns by 3 high school students in Antalya will be tested in Antarctica. Conferences organized by Kastamonu University for students titled "Realizing Our Science and Technology-Focused Ecosystem Together with Our Youth" and for academics titled "Status Assessment in Our R&D and Innovation Ecosystem, TÜBİTAK-Focused Developments" were held with the participation of TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal. At the conference, Mandal answered questions from both students and academics, and after the conference visited the Kastamonu Technopark building. After gathering information from companies there about their ongoing work, Mandal made statements.

"We value Kastamonu University's specialization in forestry and nature tourism"

TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, stating that Kastamonu University is engaged in important work, said: "Considering Kastamonu University, we have a university founded in 2006. There are 207 universities in Turkey. Each one has a subject in which it stands out in its own way. But the subject that this university is currently bringing to the fore is forestry and nature tourism. It is truly a valuable subject. The reason it is valuable is that it is on the agenda of the whole world, that is, on Turkey's agenda and the entire world's agenda—climate change, dealing with it, the relationship between climate change and biodiversity, and accordingly the policies of countries, the future of companies, the future of humanity. Therefore, the region where Kastamonu University operates with this mission, that is, its geography, is very valuable," he said.

"Every degree of change in the polar regions determines our future"

Drawing attention to the fact that warming in the polar regions determines humanity's future, Mandal said: "In the past, when we said polar regions, people said 'What does the poles have to do with us, how many kilometers away are the poles from us,' but that is not the case. Every degree of change in the polar regions determines our future, Kastamonu's future, Turkey's future, humanity's future. Research conducted in the polar regions is no longer a matter of awareness; it is a necessity. If that region is not properly understood, if solutions for that region are not realized for all people, we will have greatly lost our resistance to climate change and hastened unwanted scenarios. The more we can extend the timeline, the less the negative impact on humanity. Therefore, we value research conducted in the polar regions, and one of the competition groups we have established is polar research. We had a research project for high school students on polar research," he said.

"We will test the bioplastic produced by high school students in the polar regions"

Noting that the bioplastic produced from oak acorns by high school students in Antalya, which dissolves in 45 minutes, will be tested in Antarctica during the 7th National Antarctic Science Expedition, Mandal said: "These colleagues of ours produced a bioplastic that can dissolve in 45 minutes. While normal polymers can last for centuries, this material dissolves in 45 minutes and has durability twenty times higher—they will now test it in the pole. Our 3 high school students in Turkey, our female students in Antalya, developed this project that they will test in the pole. God willing, if they are successful, we will have realized a bioplastic material that we can use in the future, and we will have done so not only for our country but in the most difficult conditions in the polar regions. These colleagues of ours, as high school students, will participate in the polar expedition with the best scientists, scientists from Turkey and the world. They will conduct various research studies in the polar regions. I congratulate and commend them sincerely," he said. Following his remarks, Mandal was presented with a plaque by Kastamonu University Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi Topal.