Informal undergraduate polymer research program at Koç University Chemistry Department

Abstract

Koc University (KU) is a private, non-profit university established in 1993 and is located on the European side of Istanbul, Turkey. the Chemistry Department accepts 12 freshmen every year, 8 with full, 4 with half merit-scholarships. Students accepted rank in the top 2% of Turkish high school graduates. Students participate in research activities starting their freshman years. Polymer research group accepts 3-5 new students every year. Fundamentals of Polymer science (synthesis, characterization, morphology) are discussed on Friday Group Meetings, followed by research presentations. Newcomers start working with experienced undergraduate and graduate students. as they gain experience, they work independently on their own projects. Juniors and seniors have independent research projects, which involve polymer synthesis, characterization, structure-property behavior, surface modification, and theoretical modeling. So far about 50 students were involved in the program, 30 graduated, and 26 were accepted to Ph.D. programs of Va Tech (6), UMass-amherst (4), U. akron (2), USM (2), Carnegie-Mellon (3), VCU (2), and other american institutions. Research carried out by undergraduates resulted in 9 journal papers in Polymer and Macromolecules, 2 chapters in aCS Symposium Series, and 14 aCS (Polymer or PMSE) preprints.