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Abstract: This study investigates robotics education to support science and technology courses for primary school education in Private Evrim College in Istanbul. This research is a kind of case study on a group of students who are having a robotics education. The robotics education is not only providing information to students about robot making also help them to improve their skills and abilities. First starting point is introducing equipments for designing electronic circuits and teaching fundamental principles for robot making. Robotics education performed with 16 students between 10 and 15 years old and they are distributed in 4 groups. In the research, it will be seen that students can learn and apply their skills on designing circuits while they are discussing with classmates by the means of collaborative learning and project based learning. Also, students have been attended to the race in their schools. Furthermore the winner group is competed in a robotics competition which is held every year in Istanbul Technical University. Consequently, the findings and evaluations help to understand that robotics education to support students’ life, moreover, affecting their science performance and relationships with friends in class positively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This publication is derived from a PhD thesis that aims to explore the possible reflections of the design domains on the students' design behavior by analyzing the similarities and differences between the computer-aided and conventional architectural design process. The focus of this study is on conceptual and overall design decisions in these two different cases. A comprehensive literature review was conducted before starting to design the research method. Theoretical concepts and empirical findings were revised with the focus on possible dimensions of measurement, analysis and evaluation methodologies. It was concluded that there is a lack consensus in the research area. Although there is a variety of unstructured observations and assumptions about computer-aided design process, only a limited number of empirical studies have been carried out in the related research area. In all of the empirical studies, computer aided architectural design (CAAD) process was evaluated in comparison to the conventional design process. Thus, different descriptions of the design activity by different researchers were reviewed and considered in all research phases, especially while determining the preliminary and final dimensions of measurement. A hybrid theoretical model is used to combine two major approaches to design research (rational problem solving by Herbert A. Simon and reflectionin- action by Donald A. Schön) for investigating the design process. After the general survey of former empirical research on CAAD, it was decided to conduct a controlled experiment with two conditions: first experimental condition (E01), the subjects were obliged to design with the software they prefer while participants in the control condition (E02) were only allowed to utilize only conventional tools. The sample population was determined as senior students of Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture. This decision was based on the homogeneity of design expertise and software use among the students, shared design terminology between the researcher and the students, high accessibility of subjects and possibility of contributing to the architectural design approaches in ITU. The duration of the experiment was defined as 120 minutes, considering time length of the previous studies and feasibility issues. The experiments were conducted in ITU Faculty of Architecture and a total of 1890 minutes of protocol recordings were obtained. In terms of the number of participants and length of the experiments, this research is one of the most comprehensive studies ever undertaken among the indexed publications. The design problem for the experiment was formulated considering the characteristics of the research question, sample population, the duration of the experiment and the problems that were used in similar surveys. The problem description is decided to be relatively short in order to motivate the participants to restructure and redefine requirements. Analysis of the experiments revealed that there is significant difference between the means of total number of design decisions in conventional design and CAAD conditions. Moreover, in certain experimental sessions, the design decisions were found to be differently organized in time. These observations may be related to the unique properties of CAAD media. The potential of the medium to create automated reproductions, complex representations and rich visual content may have led the subjects to focus more on the design process and the medium itself. The expertise level of the students that participated CAAD experiments may also have affected the findings, as their awareness in this area is lower than professional architect. Another possible reason of the difference in the mean number of decisions on design process can be the fact that sketching is a goal-directed automatic behavior. In contrast, CAAD processes require human computer interaction, conscious reasoning, thinking about the tools and process planning. The interactive nature of the medium may be shifting the focus of the subjects to the process itself, as they are obliged to use a certain format, which can be transformed, processed and stored by the computer. It is important to note that findings of this study are generalizable only to a limited domain as they are limited with the number and profiles of participating students and specific to the design problem and setup used in the experiments. All of the observations reflect the conceptual design phase; therefore, they cannot be generalized to the whole design process. Further research on the use of digital domains in the design process is needed for a clearer insight into architectural education and professional practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The western part of North Anatolian Fault (NAF) bifurcates around Mudurnu into two fault segments: northern and southern branch. The latter bifurcates again at west of Pamukova and creates middle strand. This study aimed to analyze crustal movement along the middle strand near Iznik which is considered as inactive fault. We focused on a microgeodetic network called General Command of Mapping-Istanbul Technical University (GCM-ITU) network around this segment. In order to obtain displacement values, five campaigns performed on the network which were used in the study. The displacements of the stations were estimated relative to the fixed stations located at the south of the network. The coordinates of the stations were calculated from the triangulation measurements realized in 1941 and 1963, trilateration measurements in 1981, and GPS campaigns in 2004 and 2007. Then, mean displacements of the network ranging between 7 mm/yr and 18 mm/yr were obtained for these years. In the second part of the study, the GPS data were reprocessed by adding three stations from Marmara Continuous GPS Network (MAGNET). Details of MAGNET can be found Ergintav et al. (2002). Estimated displacements were ranging between 3 mm/yr and 13 mm/yr for 2004 and 2007. TUBI station of IGS network was taken as stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) have an important impact on the development of new economy but SMEs have a need for venture capital (VC) and initial public offerings (IPOs) in order to grow. Therefore, It is very important to know how owners, managers and employees in the SMEs perceive the VC and IPOs in Turkey. A questionnaire is developed to understand these types of perceptions via focus groups. The questionnaire is distributed to the owners, managers and employees of SMEs that operate in Istanbul Technical University KOSGEB, Bogazici University KOSGEB and Yıldız Technical University KOSGEB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the precipitation chemistry and its variation in the urban and forest areas in Istanbul, Turkey using the back trajectory analysis. It notes that the emission sources in various countries worldwide that not just affect their contiguous environment in isolation as the pollutants are carried by air masses and are stuck as dry or wet compositions in the ecosystems. The researchers analyzed the rainwater samples gathered at the Maslak Campus of the Istanbul Technical University (ITUCM), and the Forest Research Area of Istanbul University Faculty of Forestry. The results show that the daily average values of the rainwater chemical composition indicated the volume-weighted mean (VHM) in 5.8 for the samples gathered in Istanbul, Turkey.

The historical town of Elmalı, situated on the Taurus Mountains near Antalya, attracts attention by its wellpreserved urban establishment. This paper considers the Urban Conservation Project of the Historical Site of Elmalı Town that was formulated in the Spring Term of 2005-2006 Academic Year at the Graduate Program in Restoration at Istanbul Technical University. An intensive research on the historical, cultural and architectural background of Elmalı was carried out in order to understand the relations of the physical environment of the site and the urban identity. The collaborative observations on the site and the analysis of the site based on certain categories were then developed into proposals to rehabilitate the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Istanbul Technical University student Nil Ünal picked up an award in the MA category at Mannheim''s Euro PM2008 for her thesis on the effect of boron carbide in tungsten matrix composites… [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This essay discusses the problem of archiving sound works. The case study on which it is based concerns the Sound Archive Project, designed and implemented by the digital arts foundation NOMAD and Istanbul Technical University Dr. Erol Üçer's Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM). The Sound Archive Project seeks to collect and present sound works by young composers, as well as to encourage interaction between artists and listeners. Thus, the archive functions not only as a research facility, but also as a place where performances, workshops, and panel discussions take place. The conceptual framework of the Sound Archive Project inevitably raises questions about the meaning of archive, sound work, and archiving sound works: What is an archive? Is it silent storage? If so, how can it be turned into a dynamic platform? What does archiving suggest as a technique? What does sound work imply? Is it possible to define or describe sound work as a category? And how can sound work be archived? Accordingly, in this essay I engage and elaborate upon these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space weather is a new subject which has not yet become widely understood or appreciated. The University offers the unique opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding about space weather that can then be applied as graduates enter the mainstream society. In this paper, an example of curriculum development at the İstanbul Technical University, Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics, for formal education related to the space environment is presented in outline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents parts of results of an experimental research project on the behavior of end-plate connections subjected to monotonic and cyclic loading conducted at Istanbul Technical University. Test program; Strength predictions; Evaluation of the experimental results and the strength predictions.

The article profiles Tayfun Akgül, professor of Electrical Engineering in the Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering at Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. He is also a professional cartoonist and has been an active member of the Cartoonists' Association of Turkey since 1986. His drawings appeared in various Turkish math and science books and on various online sites. Currently, he is a member-at-large of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) Publications Services and Products Board.