Academic Support from MEÜ TBMYO Food Processing Department for the TÜBİTAK 4009 Project "From Local to Universal: The Village's Scientific Journey"

Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayşin Güzel Değer, Head of the Food Processing Department at Mersin University’s Vocational School of Technical Sciences, served as an expert academic staff member in the TÜBİTAK 4009 project titled "From Local to Universal: The Village’s Scientific Journey."

Carried out under the coordination of the Mersin Provincial Directorate of National Education within the scope of the TÜBİTAK 4009 Support Program for Village Schools, the project took place on October 5–6, 2026, at Akdeniz Civanyaylağı Primary School. It was organized through the collaboration of Mersin University, Toros University, the Alata Horticultural Research Institute, and the Mercan Science Center. Mersin Provincial Director of National Education Muhammed Özdemirci and local officials attended the project's opening ceremony and met with students and village residents.

A Scientific Journey Through 12 STEM Workshops

In the 12 interdisciplinary STEM workshops designed for primary school students, traditional knowledge and practices passed down through generations in village life were integrated with scientific methods. In the project—coordinated by Nazan Boğa from the R&D Unit of the Mersin Provincial Directorate of National Education—Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayşin Güzel Değer leveraged her academic expertise in food processing to help students connect everyday life phenomena with scientific thinking processes.

Aiming to introduce village children to science at an early age and develop their STEM skills, the project established an exemplary model of university-public sector collaboration in the field.