Our Rector Prof. Dr. Esra Gençtürk Attends “Greenhack” Launch of the Yaklaş 2030 Program

Özyeğin University’s Yaklaş 2030 Program brings the effects of dense urbanization on the ecosystem to the forefront of discussion through the dry stream on campus. Student projects in the fields of communication, design, and art that draw attention to the stream on campus were presented to the public at the “Greenhack” launch organized as part of the World Environment Day activities.

Özyeğin University continues to encourage students to take an active role by offering them innovative ways to combine scientific knowledge with practice. The Yaklaş 2030 Program, which has been running since 2018 under the Sustainability Platform at ÖzU, focuses on research and learning by approaching global issues from the perspective of science and art. In this way, each student discovers how they can use their knowledge and skills to build a sustainable future. Aiming to develop students’ critical perspective, sensitivity, and responsibility towards global issues, the focus of the program this year is on the dry stream on campus. With the projects produced in different departments, courses, and workshops, the program takes a transdisciplinary approach to the current situation, future, and rewilding possibilities of freshwater resources.

As part of the studio course led by Yasemin Yıldırım, Instructor at the Faculty of Architecture and Design, students utilized the power of art and design to convey their message about the importance of freshwater resources to a broader audience. Following a route of the campus stream, the students listened to the unheard voice of the stream, explored the natural landscape, and developed creative communication solutions and art and design projects with inspiration from the research process and the synergy of collective work. The 12 students, who carried out a collective working process called “Codlective,” produced their projects in Özyeğin University laboratories. These creative works emerged from the studio course and were placed at designated points along the stream route. The exhibition “On the Edge of a Stream” (Bir Derenin Kenarında) based on the students’ projects, will be open at the Pavilion Building at Özyeğin University until October 14, 2024.

Özyeğin University Rector Prof. Dr. Esra Gençtürk said the following about the Greenhack project: “We proudly launched Yaklaş 2030 project in 2018 as an informal and horizontal learning approach, which reduces the distances between disciplines. In this way, our academics and students from different programs can find solutions together and take action in creative ways for the future of our campus. The Greenhack project is a valuable example of this approach. Our students learn about sustainability through data and theoretical knowledge and invite us to take action by taking action. I am happy that we can share this project with the public on a meaningful day such as World Environment Day, celebrated annually since 1973 by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).”