Grace Akdeniz University: Research and Academic Contributions
This article explores the diverse research and academic contributions associated with individuals connected to Akdeniz University, highlighting their work across various disciplines. From interior design and historical studies to public health and reproductive biology, these scholars are making significant impacts in their respective fields.
Interior Design and Extended Reality
Sonya Grace Türkman PhD., an Assistant Professor of Interior Design in the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, exemplifies interdisciplinary scholarship. With a background spanning art, design, and architectural history, holding a PhD in Art from the University of Georgia and an MA in Interior Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design, Türkman's research focuses on the social and spatial dynamics of designed environments, particularly historic urban markets and the cultures of labor that sustain them. Her work contributes to the evolving discourse of interior architecture as a site of cultural, ethical, material, and preservation-oriented inquiry.
Prior to her role at Nebraska, Türkman taught at Istanbul Technical University, concentrating on historic preservation and adaptive reuse in Istanbul. She continues to be involved in various organizations, including the City of Lincoln’s Historic Preservation Commission, the Nebraska Main Street Network, and the Society of Architectural Historians-Historic Interiors Group (HIG).
Dr. Turkman's current research investigates how extended reality platforms redefine and extend the interior in innovative ways. She is exploring the use of virtual reality as a creativity training and assessment tool for interior design students, developing a framework to integrate Extended Reality platforms into the studio as both a teaching methodology and a pedagogical practice. Her work considers the changing theoretical conceptions of the interior and the influence of technology in interior design.
Türkman's publications include:
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- Turkman, S.G. (2020). Sharing pedagogy: The Autoethnographic mapping of movement. In Changing Educational Paradigms: New Methods, Directions, and Policies. Peter Lang.
- Turkman, S.G. (2019). Studio Pedagogy in the age of apps: Smartphone apps and the influence on student creativity. IDEC Exchange: A Forum for Interior Design Education, 2019 (1), pp. 18-19.
She has also presented on "Creativity in the Classroom: Enhancing Creativity through Interior Architecture" at The 6th Annual Turkish Conference on Gifted Education hosted by Istanbul University in October 2019 and on "Sharing Pedagogy: The Autoethnographic Mapping of Movement" at The 5th Annual International Eurasian Educational Research Congress hosted by Akdeniz University in Antalya, Turkey.
Historical and Economic Perspectives on the Mediterranean
Elena Frangakis-Syrett, Professor of History at Queens College and the CUNY Graduate Center, brings a wealth of knowledge in social and economic history, particularly concerning the Mediterranean and the Ottoman Empire. Her research interests include the commercial, monetary, and financial aspects of the region from the 18th to the early 20th centuries, with a focus on the economic relations between İzmir/Smyrna and the West.
Frangakis-Syrett's academic journey includes Visiting Research Fellow positions at the London School of Economics and Newnham College, Cambridge University, Senior Fellow at Koç University, İstanbul, and Visiting Professor at the İzmir University of Economics. She served as Chair of the History Panel, PSC-CUNY-wide Research Awards Program from 2018-2023.
Her publications include:
- The Port-City in the Ottoman Middle East at the Age of Imperialism (2017)
- The Commerce of Smyrna, 1700-1820 (1992); with enlarged editions in Turkish, 18. Yűzyılda İzmir’de Ticaret (2006) and in Greek, Το εμπόριο της Σμύρνης το 18o αιώνα (2010)
- Οι Χιώτες έμποροι στις διεθνείς συναλλαγές, 1750-1850 Chiot Merchants in International Exchange
- Trade and Money: The Ottoman Economy in the 18th and early 19th centuries (2007)
She has also contributed to journals such as Drassena: Journal of the Maritime Museum, the Journal of Modern Hellenism, Rivista Di Studi Storici del Mediterraneao, and Meltem: İzmir Akademisi Dergisi. Frangakis-Syrett's research projects include the development of banking in the 19th- and early 20th-century Middle East, resulting in the publication of “The Ottoman Monetary System and Early Banking in the Ottoman Empire”, in History From Below: Tribute in Memory of Donald Quataert, eds., S. Karahasanoğlu et al (2016). Her other current research interest relates to business networks in the Mediterranean on which she published “Capital Accumulation and Family Business Networks in Late Ottoman Izmir”, International Journal of Turkish Studies (2015) and “Le rôle des réseaux dans l’organisation commerciale. Special emphasis in her work has been given on the port-cities of Izmir and Patras, and more recently on Alexandria, as well as on the Aegean islands of Chios and Crete. Her publications also include, “XVII. Yüzyıl Başlından XX. Yüzyıl Başlarına kadar Krala Gemiyle İzmirden Giden Sultaniye Kuru Üzüm İhracatı”, in Üzümün Akdeniz’deki Yolculuğu [Izmir, 2017]; “Production and Trade of Cotton in Ottoman Western Anatolia, c. 1700-1914” in Making a Living in Ottoman Anatolia [Leiden, 2021]; “Market Forces and Patterns of Trade in the Eastern Mediterranean, c.
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Public Health and Substance Use Prevention
A student from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) has been recognized for her dedication to public service, particularly in substance use prevention. She began volunteering with the Dover, New Hampshire-based drug prevention program Youth 2 Youth in 2011. Ten years later, she is one of 62 students nationwide, out of 845 candidates, to be selected as a Truman Scholar. The $30,000 graduate fellowship, established to honor former President Harry S. Truman, is awarded to undergraduates seeking a career in public service.
“I have been involved in substance use prevention efforts in New Hampshire since 2011 and have had the opportunity to travel across the country through my work,” says Roy, a health management and policy major. A Hamel Scholar, Roy is involved with the program’s Substance Misuse Awareness Task Force. She also serves as an Alcohol, Nicotine, & Other Drugs (ANOD) peer educator with UNH Health and Wellness. During the summer of 2020, she received a Governor John G. Winant Fellowship to work as an intern with Dover Youth 2 Youth and assisted with conducting youth advocacy program development trainings for community substance use prevention coalitions in multiple states.
Roy has been conducting public health research in the lab of associate professor Semra Aytur since February of 2020. “Through my academic and volunteer experiences, I have become very interested in and passionate about harm reduction and other approaches to substance use disorder and drug use that prioritize health, safety and dignity for people who use drugs,” the Dover resident says.
“The entire process of applying and interviewing for the Truman Scholarship has challenged me to reflect on my experiences and translate the things that I care about into a plan for the future,” Roy says. “Throughout my time at UNH, I have had numerous moments of doubt about my future and uncertainty about how I am going to be in a position to help my community and make an impact. It means so much to me to be selected as a Truman Scholar and be part of a network of people across different disciplines who are helping to change things for the better.
Reproductive Biology and Women's Health
The Reproductive Biology Hub, embedded in The Center for Healthy Aging in Women at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, collaborates with researchers to provide project design consultation, experimental support, data analysis, and training.
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Director Dr. Soygur Kaya earned her BS in biology from Eskisehir Osmangazi University (2009) and MSc in reproductive biology from Akdeniz University (2013), Turkey. Early in her career, she worked in the lab of Dr. Harry Moore at the University of Sheffield, Centre for Stem Cell Biology UK (2013) on human embryonic stem cells and endogenous retroviruses. She started her PhD in Histology and Embryology at Akdeniz University School of Medicine, before joining the lab of Dr. Diana Laird at University of California, San Francisco where she conducted her thesis project. Her graduate studies focused on the role of germ cell interconnectedness in fetal oocyte differentiation using state of the art mouse genetics and imaging technologies. After receiving her PhD in 2018, she continued as a postdoctoral researcher at UCSF, where she studied how the early events of oocyte development can ultimately affect oocyte fate during adulthood and aging.
Research Associate Mihika Sonalkar is a Master’s graduate in bioengineering from UC San Diego, with a background in electronics engineering. While her undergraduate training was in engineering, her interest for biological and medical research shaped her transition into the life sciences. During her Master’s, she trained in translational pediatric oncology under Dr. Peter Zage, investigating the clinical and biological impact of extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) as a potential drug target in neuroblastoma. She also explored diverse research areas including brain microfluidics, cancer bioinformatics, and preclinical drug studies, but was always passionate about understanding and decoding the intricacies of women’s health, particularly polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and ovarian aging. This led her to join Dr.
Cardiology and Risk Assessment
A study investigated the association of the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) with Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) risk score in patients with ST-segment elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI). The study analyzed 101 consecutive patients with STEMI, divided into 3 groups by GRACE risk score.
The results showed a proportional increase in NLR correlated with GRACE risk score (P < .001). The occurrence of in-hospital cardiac death, reinfarction, or new-onset heart failure was significantly related to NLR at admission (P < .001). NLR and GRACE risk score showed a significant positive correlation (r = .803, P < .001). In multivariate analysis, NLR was a predictor of worse in-hospital outcomes independent of GRACE risk score. The study suggests that NLR is significantly associated with adverse in-hospital outcomes, independent of GRACE risk score in patients with STEMI.
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