Patent application number 2023/006912, titled "An Imaging Device and Method," co-authored by our Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Gülce Öğrüç Martins Ribeiro da Silva Lourenço, has been registered.

We congratulate our Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Gülce Öğrüç Martins Ribeiro da Silva Lourenço and wish her continued success.

The Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Sustainable Development Center (SÜRKAM) has published its 2025 Social Contribution Report. The data in the report is a comprehensive social benefit assessment prepared by re-filtering the criteria defined by our university's Social Contribution Policy, Kültür Constitution, and Strategic Plan Objective 3. The report brings together 450 independent events, 307 SDG-related academic publications, 116 sustainability-focused courses, 13 Scientific Research Projects (BAP) with social benefit potential, the activities of ten application and research centers, four international network memberships, and THE Impact Rankings results in a single academic framework.

The article titled “Artificial Intimacy and Synthetic Dialogues: Generation Z’s Brand Interaction and Parasocial Relationships with ChatGPT-3.5 and ChatGPT-4o,” authored by Assoc. Prof. Ceren Bilgici and Assist. Prof. Özge Özkök Şişman, members of the academic staff of the Department of New Media and Communication at the Faculty of Arts and Design, has been published in the 70th issue of “Connectist: Istanbul University Journal of Communication Sciences,” published by Istanbul University.

The article examines the relationship Generation Z establishes with ChatGPT and what this experience means for users through the lens of parasocial relationship theory. As part of the study, in-depth interviews were conducted with ChatGPT-3.5 users in 2023 and ChatGPT-4o users in 2025. The findings indicate that while ChatGPT-3.5 was found to be useful for quick access to information and performing various tasks, it was perceived as mechanical and emotionally lacking during communication. ChatGPT-4o, on the other hand, stands out for its warmer, more fluid, and human-like communication style. One of the study’s notable findings is that, over time, users began to view ChatGPT as a communication partner with whom they could share their thoughts and, at times, receive emotional support. The article also examines how this closeness established with ChatGPT affects users’ trust in the OpenAI brand and their ethical assessments of the brand.

The article titled “Analyzing the Economic Impacts of the Expected Istanbul Earthquake: An Input-Output Model Integrated with a System Dynamics Model,” co-authored by our Head of the Department of Industrial Engineering, Assist. Prof. Duygun Fatih Demirel, has been accepted for publication in the journal System Dynamics Review.

We congratulate our faculty member and wish him continued success in his academic studies.

The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering will host an information session for applicants to the WeAccept Program, which is run by our university. The event, featuring Research Assistants Mert Hayar and Seren Çelik as speakers, will take place on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 13:30 in Electrical and Electronic Engineering Laboratory III, located on the mezzanine floor of the Ataköy building at the Bakırköy Campus.