{"id":10614,"date":"2026-04-07T14:40:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T11:40:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/?p=10614"},"modified":"2026-04-07T15:46:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:46:45","slug":"april-3rd-bilkent-day-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/?p=10614","title":{"rendered":"April 3rd,\u00a0Bilkent\u00a0Day 2026\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 3rd is the birthday of Bilkent University\u2019s founder, Prof. \u0130hsan Do\u011framac\u0131. Each year, the university community celebrates the occasion as Bilkent Day, with special events that include the annual Bilkent Day Conference and a commemorative concert.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bilkent Day Conference, held at the Mithat \u00c7oruh Auditorium, opened with remarks by Prof. G\u00fclsev Kale, chair of the Board of Trustees, on Prof. Do\u011framac\u0131\u2019s ideals and Bilkent University\u2019s vision: \u201cToday, as we mark the 111th anniversary of the birth of our esteemed founder, Prof. \u0130hsan Do\u011framac\u0131, we honor his memory with profound respect and heartfelt remembrance, while also celebrating Bilkent Day.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Kale continued, \u201cBuilt on strong and enduring foundations, this university stands as a profound reflection of our esteemed founder\u2019s deep devotion to his country as well as of his unwavering appreciation for music and the performing arts. His dedication to prioritizing scientific advancement while integrating the arts as an essential pillar of human development was a defining aspect of his vision. The effort he invested in harmonizing these elements is the most eloquent expression of Prof.  \u0130hsan Do\u011framac\u0131\u2019s inherent passion for music and the arts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, and on every April 3rd in the years ahead, I have no doubt that future generations of Bilkent will honor and uphold these values with unwavering dedication and commitment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following Prof. Kale\u2019s speech, the event continued with the presentation \u201cThe State of the University 2026,\u201d by Rector Prof. K\u00fcr\u015fat Aydo\u011fan. In the presentation, he provided a summary of the year, highlighting the university\u2019s most recent academic, educational and research accomplishments. The presentation included various statistics concerning students, faculty, research and awards as well as university budget items. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After delivering his presentation Rector Aydo\u011fan concluded his remarks with gratitude to Hocabey: \u201cWith immense gratitude to our founder, we work with a firm dedication to build on his vision and carry this great university to further heights in education and research. Thank you all for your contributions to this mission.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Rector Aydo\u011fan\u2019s speech, Prof. Tomris T\u00fcrmen, president of the ICC, took the floor to introduce Prof. Judith Melki: \u201cToday, we are gathered in this hall for a very special occasion to honour the recipient of the \u0130hsan Do\u011framac\u0131 Child and Family Health Award, which is presented to individuals who have contributed distinguished service to family health globally. Prof. J. Melki, an internationally known scientist, medical doctor and researcher whose work in identifying a defective gene responsible for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) has led to public awareness of this condition and thus contributed to the prevention of early infant deaths.\u201d Following her remarks, Prof. T\u00fcrmen presented the award to Prof. Melki, director of the Molecular Neurogenetics Unit at Inserm, Gen\u00f4pole of Evry, Paris Sud University and head of the Medical Genetics Department at Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien (Evry). Prof. Melki then delivered her keynote speech titled \u201cGenomics of Childhood-Onset Neuromuscular Diseases: New Disease Mechanisms and Therapeutic Approaches.\u201d During her talk, Prof. Melki focused on cracking the genetic code of childhood muscle diseases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final event of Bilkent Day was a concert by the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. The evening opened with G\u00fclsin Onay performing Chopin\u2019s Polonaise Op. 53. It continued under conductor G\u00fcrer Aykal, with pianist Tuna Bilgin as soloist, featuring Mozart\u2019s Piano Concerto No. 17 and Symphony No. 40. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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April 3rd is the birthday of Bilkent University\u2019s founder, Prof. \u0130hsan Do\u011framac\u0131. Each year, the university community celebrates the occasion as Bilkent Day, with special events that include the annual Bilkent Day Conference and a commemorative concert.   The Bilkent Day Conference, held at the Mithat \u00c7oruh Auditorium, opened with remarks by Prof. G\u00fclsev Kale, chair of the Board of Trustees, on Prof. Do\u011framac\u0131\u2019s ideals and Bilkent University\u2019s vision: \u201cToday, as we mark[Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4,80,218,193],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10614"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10614"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10614\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10678,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10614\/revisions\/10678"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bilkentnews.bilkent.edu.tr\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}