Bilkent University held the first event of its Science Café series on Saturday, February 21, at the Doğan Taşdelen Contemporary Arts Center, in collaboration with Çankaya Municipality.
The talk, titled “Fostering a Culture of Creativity in Science,” was delivered by Prof. Tayfun Özçelik, Chair of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics. In his presentation, Prof. Özçelik reflected on more than 30 years of scientific collaboration with Nobel laureate Prof. Aziz Sancar, highlighting the story behind Professor Sancar’s Nobel medal, now part of the permanent collection of the Anıtkabir Atatürk and Independence War Museum. Addressing young audiences in particular, he emphasized the central role of disciplined hard work and self-confidence—believing in one’s own ability to learn, persist and succeed—as foundations for achievement in science and in life.
Prof. Özçelik also introduced a practical framework for scientific progress he calls the “7+1 D cycle”: Digest, Discuss, Dismiss, Design, Do, Discover, Disseminate, plus Develop—a governable model that translates creativity into systematic action and outcomes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eyBG2uaWYs).
Organized under the leadership of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK), Science Café events are being held across Türkiye to bring science into public spaces beyond university campuses. The initiative aims to make scientific knowledge more accessible and to create opportunities for direct interaction between researchers and the wider community.
The Science Café series will continue with upcoming talks featuring different speakers and topics.
