Dear Colleagues,
For the past two years, EMU Research Newsletter has played a critical role in conveying an overview
of various research activities at The University. I am glad to be taking over as the new editor-in-chief
of the newsletter, a position successfully held by Derya Oktay since the inaugural issue back in 2005.
Excelling in advancement and transfer of knowledge is only possible through maintaining a strong
research culture. An academic institution can achieve a competitive status if and only if it has a
significant presence in the research community. The aim of EMU Research Newsletter will be to
keep its readers widely interested in basic and applied research, and to promote interaction and
collaboration among researchers from different fields. We are seeking to move away from formal and
structured presentation of research activities; instead, we would like to provide the researchers an opportunity
to actively contribute to the newsletter.
Starting with this issue, the newsletter is getting a new ‘look’ as well as a new ‘inside’. One change you will
notice is that each issue will feature three research articles written by researchers themselves. Two of these
articles will appear in sections titled Research Spotlight; one will be focused on engineering and sciences and
the other will be focused on arts, humanities and social sciences. I expect that these articles will give an in-
depth description of some of the exciting research projects that are currently underway and will provide an
insight into the potential impact of the projects described. The importance of student involvement in research
activities cannot be overstressed. The third featured article will appear in section titled Student Research
Profile and will focus on a graduate or an undergraduate student who is actively involved in research. The
main goal of this section is to reveal some of the research opportunities offered to university students.
The featured articles in this issue of the newsletter cover a host of topics: Elvan Yılmaz, O