IUE Faculty of Arts and Sciences Celebrates the Start of the 2026–2027 Academic Year and Its 25th Anniversary

The Izmir University of Economics (IUE) Faculty of Arts and Sciences welcomed the 2026–2027 academic year with its Fall Semester Opening Lecture on Friday, 9 October 2026. Held at the D Block Multi-Purpose Hall, the event brought together faculty members, administrative staff, and students. Prof. Dr. Uğur Tırnaklı, a faculty member in the Department of Physics and Director of the IUE Center for Research and Applications on Complex Systems (EKOKARSİM), delivered the opening lecture, titled “How the Universe Works: A Long Journey from Simplicity to Complexity.”

From Natural Philosophy to Complex Systems

The event began with opening remarks by Prof. Dr. Gözde Yazgı Tütüncü, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Reflecting on her time at IUE since joining the faculty in 2006, Tütüncü said she is proud to be part of a warm and supportive academic community where colleagues enjoy working together and are always willing to help one another.

Then, Prof. Dr. Uğur Tırnaklı took the stage and presented major turning points in the history of science, tracing the evolution of scientific thought from natural philosophy and the Age of Enlightenment to the 21st century. He discussed the shift from the deterministic framework of Newtonian mechanics to Einstein’s theories and the probabilistic nature of quantum physics. He also examined nonlinear dynamics, the butterfly effect, and why long-term predictions become difficult in chaotic systems.

Referring to Nobel Prize-winning physicist Philip W. Anderson’s influential phrase “More Is Different,” Tırnaklı highlighted how interactions between fundamental particles can give rise to properties that cannot be understood by examining individual components alone.

Looking Back on 25 Years at IUE

The event also celebrated the university’s 25th anniversary. Prof. Dr. İsmihan Bayramoğlu, the founding dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics, reflected on the faculty’s journey over the past quarter-century, accompanied by photographs from his personal archive.

A special slideshow featuring photographs and memories shared by faculty members followed his talk, taking the audience on a nostalgic journey through the university’s history.

Celebrating Academic Achievements

During the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Uğur Tırnaklı and Prof. Dr. İsmihan Bayramoğlu received certificates of appreciation in recognition of their contributions to the event.

The faculty also recognized recent academic promotions and successful completion of graduate degrees. The achievements of Prof. Dr. Sevin Gümgüm, recently appointed to a professorship, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aylin Koçak Şen, appointed to an associate professorship, were celebrated alongside those of Research Assistant Dr. Merve Kahraman Ariman, who completed her doctoral thesis; Research Assistants Doğa Taşlı, İlayda Korkut, and Özgür Nazlı, who completed their master's theses; and Duygu Kahraman, Secretary of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, who completed a non-thesis MBA master's degree. They were congratulated on their achievements and presented with gifts.

The celebrations concluded with a cake-cutting ceremony marking IUE’s 25th anniversary and a group photo.