ITU Department of History of Science and Technology PhD student Gül Aydın will be conducting studies as a visiting researcher at the Chair of Science, Technology and Gender Studies at Friedrich Alexander University, one of the few departments in Europe focusing on a specialized field, with TUBITAK 2214-A PhD research fellowship.

Istanbul Technical University (ITU) reinforces its leading position in our country in the field of science and technology with new academic achievements. According to the results of the TUBITAK 2214-A PhD research fellowship announced on September 15, ITU Department of History of Science and Technology PhD student Gül Aydın is eligible for a one-year residency as a visiting researcher at the Chair of Science, Technology and Gender Studies at Friedrich Alexander University (FAU STGS). Gül Aydın will carry out her studies at the Chair under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Maria Rentetzi, one of a handful of scholars in her field.

The ground-breaking nature of our student's PhD thesis, titled "On the First Women Engineers of Türkiye in the Context of Science, Technology, and Gender," supervised by Prof. Dr. Tuncay Zorlu from the ITU Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, lies in its status as the inaugural academic study on women engineers in Türkiye. This marks the first comprehensive exploration of the initial women engineers of Türkiye as part of an academic project.

Gül Aydın's doctoral research, covering the period 1927-1955, delves into the experiences of the first female students at ITU, including those who did not graduate or dropped out, as well as the women engineers who successfully graduated. Recognizing the limited knowledge about the women engineers nurtured by our country, Aydın expresses the motivation behind the study, stating, "We initiated this research to address the existing gap in our understanding."

Beyond filling this knowledge void, our student's extensive study also aspires to contribute to the development of the "gender historical analysis" category within the history of science and technology studies in Türkiye.

Congratulations to Gül Aydın on her achievements, and we extend our best wishes for her continued success in her academic pursuits.

https://haberler.itu.edu.tr/en/newsdetail/2023/10/13/scholarship-from-tubitak-to-our-phd-student-researching-the-first-women-engineers-of-turkiye