This Year's Kadir Has Awards Spotlighted Achievements in Neuroscience

Turkchem 23 Mar 2021 72 6 dk okuma

TURKCHEM

Kadir Has University held the ceremony for the Kadir Has Awards, presented annually to honor the memory of the university's founder and philanthropist Kadir Has, through a live broadcast on a digital platform on 22 March. At the 16th Kadir Has Awards, Turkish scientists who have achieved major accomplishments in the field of Neuroscience and contributed to research in this area were presented with the "Outstanding Achievement Award" and the "Promising Scientist Award." The online commemoration program held on the 14th anniversary of the death of Kadir Has, founder of Kadir Has University and one of the country's distinguished philanthropists, saw the awarding of the 16th Kadir Has Awards. This year, Turkish scientists who have achieved major accomplishments in the field of Neuroscience—where breakthrough developments have been observed thanks to advancing gene technologies and dedicated scientists—and have contributed to research in this area were presented with the "Outstanding Achievement Award" and the "Promising Scientist Award."

Outstanding Achievement Award

At the 16th Kadir Has Awards, the "Outstanding Achievement Award" was presented to Prof. Murat Günel, Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine. Prof. Günel was recognized for this award due to his research aimed at uncovering the genetic basis of disorders in the nervous system and its associated vascular system, his discovery of the genetic mechanisms that cause benign brain tumors to transform into cancer by decoding genetic sequences, and his efforts to develop researchers from Turkey—particularly postdoctoral researchers, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students—in his laboratory working on these important topics.

Promising Scientist Award

The "Promising Scientist Award" at the 16th Kadir Has Awards went to Dr. Piray Atsak, who continues his research in Neuroscience at Columbia University. Dr. Atsak was recognized for his contributions to the field through experimental studies based on how adverse experiences in early childhood create a lasting risk for psychiatric disorders, electro-physiological recordings of animal models in live settings, and optogenetic manipulation of neural networks involved in stress and emotional behavior.

Prof. Günel Focuses on Brain Development and Disease

Prof. Murat Günel, recipient of numerous important academic awards including the Turkish Ministry of Health's Scientific Achievement Award and the Young Researcher Award from the American Epilepsy Society, was elected to membership in the U.S. National Academy of Medicine in 2015. In 2020, he was recognized with the International Academy Award in the "Health and Life Sciences" category by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) for his work on identifying and elucidating the mechanisms of hereditary genetic mutations that cause vascular diseases of the nervous system and cortical developmental disorders. Prof. Günel currently serves as Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine and holds the position of Professor of Neuroscience and Genetics. Holding the title of Nixdorff-German Professor at Yale University, Prof. Günel's research focuses particularly on brain development and disease. In his research in molecular biology and genetics, he conducts studies aimed at understanding the molecular structure of various diseases such as tumors, brain hemorrhage, and aneurysms, and at developing new treatment methods for these conditions.

Dr. Atsak Focuses on Neurophysiological Mechanisms of Early-Life Stress

Dr. Piray Atsak, who graduated from Ege University in 2005, completed his doctorate in Neuroscience at Groningen University in the Netherlands in 2012. During his doctoral work, he discovered a new mechanism showing how stress disrupts memory. In his postdoctoral research at Radboud University, he investigated the importance of the same neurobiological mechanism in other cognitive effects of stress. In 2015, he was recognized with the "Promising Researcher Award" by the Dutch Neuroscience Society. The same year, with support from the Dutch Institute of Science and the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, he began continuing his research at Columbia University in the United States. At Columbia University, Dr. Atsak has continued his research in Neuroscience since 2019 with support from the Sackler Foundation and the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health Research. Dr. Atsak focuses on the neurophysiological mechanisms of early-life stress that lead to depression. At the online ceremony where Prof. Murat Günel and Dr. Piray Atsak were presented with their awards, Can Has, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Kadir Has University, Nuri Has, President of Kadir Has Foundation, and Prof. Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz, Rector of Kadir Has University, each gave speeches.

"OUR ACHIEVEMENTS ENCOURAGE US TO TAKE FURTHER STEPS"

Can Has, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Kadir Has University, congratulated the two scientists who won awards in the field of Neuroscience, noting that the year behind us reminded us once again of the importance of unity, family, social solidarity, support, and life itself. Saying "Our hope is to return, as before, to our lively campus freed from restrictions," Can Has stated that despite pandemic conditions, the transition phases of the Kadir Has University New Education Model, which has been carefully worked on for some time, were being implemented as planned and that progress was being made with steady steps toward becoming a strong research university: "The Kadir Has University New Education Model, which aims to educate free individuals adorned with universal values—graduates of the quality who will be able to work anywhere in the world and shape and direct the future—offers us opportunities to set new targets appropriate to our era. At the same time, our determination to become a strong research university continues. Our academics conduct meticulous work requiring substantial resources and secure national and international research funding support. The total funding that comes with these projects to our university has reached approximately TRY 100 million. Despite the challenging conditions created by the global pandemic, such rapid progress could only be possible through the joint effort of all relevant units of the university. These achievements of ours encourage us to make greater efforts to spread research culture and develop the university's physical research infrastructure."

"WE ARE BUILDING BRIDGES AMONG SUCCESSFUL SCIENTISTS"

Nuri Has, President of Kadir Has Foundation, said that they take pride in supporting the worlds of science and art through the Kadir Has Awards, as the university has been the greatest supporter of Kadir Has University for approximately 25 years, proudly carrying the name and philosophy of Kadir Has in the fields of science and education. He noted that in times when the pandemic has fundamentally transformed the flow of daily life, scientists, research centers, and universities have made the light at the end of the dark tunnel accessible: "In the face of a major threat to human life, science became the only refuge we could turn to. Setting barriers against such a pandemic that could suddenly fundamentally alter the flow of daily life and cause global humanitarian, economic, and political problems is only possible through scientific research. Thanks to the cooperation of different disciplines and the coordination of expertise, we saw once again that we can reach real solutions to all problems affecting life only in the light of scientific thought and discovery. If we have any hope for the continuation of life and the well-being of humanity, it is thanks to science." Nuri Has, noting that the Kadir Has Awards reflect this understanding, stated: "To date, the Kadir Has Awards have been presented both to those who have made important discoveries and works and to those who are believed will undertake even more successful work if encouraged and supported. Our aim is to build a bridge among successful scientists through the research climate we have created and the opportunities we provide," he said.

"WE ARE SHAPING OUR FUTURE TODAY"

"Every time a commemoration ceremony approaches, I read the letter written by our beloved founder Kadir Has to the future board of trustees members and rectors of the university. In this letter, our founder writes 'Today is the only thing that can buy our future' and 'Yesterday is gone but tomorrow has not yet come,' and I have transformed his words into a guide for myself," said Kadir Has University Rector Prof. Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz, explaining how they are shaping tomorrow's university that adds value to education and science through their work today. Emphasizing the two important pillars of the Kadir Has University New Education Model—the Core Program and Project-Based Education—Prof. Durukanoğlu Feyiz stated, "To educate future generations, we have developed a completely different system that leaves traditional educational models behind, and we are implementing it successfully." Prof. Durukanoğlu Feyiz, noting that together with bold steps taken in the field of education, they have also worked hard to raise the research ecosystem at Kadir Has University to the desired level, stated: "In a very short time, we have become one of the few universities that have succeeded in bringing EU research funds to our country. In the last four years, we have become the third university receiving the most project support from TÜBİTAK in the Social and Human Sciences field." Noting that Kadir Has University is progressing toward becoming a world university, he once again drew attention to the importance of work carried out under the leadership of reason and science and congratulated the two distinguished scientists receiving awards this year.