As part of the pilot phase of the Erasmus+ BIOSHIELD project, coordinated by the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University (ÇOMÜ), innovative projects developed by students were exhibited at the ÇOMÜ Science and Technology Application and Research Centre (ÇOBİLTUM). The event, which brought together academics, students, and representatives from public institutions and industrial organisations, provided an opportunity to evaluate nature-based biotechnological solutions to climate change and environmental issues through posters and presentations. The exhibition, which supported young researchers’ scientific communication and entrepreneurial skills, demonstrated a strong example of university-public sector collaboration.
The opening speeches were delivered by Prof. Dr Kemal Melih Taşkın, Head of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics; Abdullah Borca, Provincial Director of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change in Çanakkale; and Prof. Dr Evren Karayel Gökkaya, Vice-Rector of ÇOMÜ. During the subsequent panel sessions, experts from the Çanakkale Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry and the Çanakkale Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanisation and Climate Change gave presentations on the disposal of agricultural packaging waste, the collection of ghost nets in the seas, wastewater treatment plants and waste management. During these sessions, BIOSHIELD students also shared their own projects with the jury members and participants.
The international BIOSHIELD Project, carried out at ÇOMÜ under the coordination of Prof. Dr Kemal Melih Taşkın by a team comprising Prof. Dr Çiğdem Şahin Taşkın, Dr Fatih Sezer and Research Assistant Dr Aslıhan Özbilen, aims to enhance students’ capacity to generate innovative solutions. Thanks were extended to all public institutions, academics and students who supported the organisation of this meaningful event, which contributes to the transformation of scientific knowledge into social benefit. ÇOMÜ aims to continue its multidisciplinary work in the fields of environmental sustainability and the green transition with determination in the coming period.