The Akıngüç 2025 Awards, organized under the theme "Tools of the Future in Education: Artificial Intelligence and Beyond", were presented at a ceremony held in honor of the 100th birthday of Civil Engineer Fahamettin Akıngüç, Honorary President of Kültür College, Kültür College Foundation, and Istanbul Kültür Education Institutions.

The ceremony, held on Thursday, January 8, 2026, at the Akıngüç Auditorium and Art Center in the Ataköy building of the Bakırköy Campus, awarded the Akıngüç 2025 First Prize to Prof. Dr. K. Zülfikar Deniz for his project titled "Artificial Intelligence Supported Individualized Learning System." The award was presented to Prof. Dr. Deniz by Gül Akıngüç, Honorary Member of the Kültür College Foundation, on behalf of the Akıngüç Family. The Akıngüç 2025 Honorable Mention Award went to Prof. Dr. Turgay Tugay Bilgin for his project titled “A Turkish Python Code Editor (PyNar) Capable of Interactive Guidance with Dialogue-Based Intelligent Agents by Analyzing User Errors.”

The "Global Food Systems & SDGs Report 2025" published under the auspices of the United Nations and to which Prof. Dr. Burcu Yavuz Tiftikçigil, Coordinator of the Istanbul Kültür University (IKU) Sustainable Development Center (SÜRKAM) and Vice Rector, contributed as an author, has been presented to the international public.

This report addresses the relationship between global food systems and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through a holistic approach within the framework of priority areas such as combating hunger, food security, the climate crisis, and equitable production and consumption models. This contribution to the study is a concrete outcome of the academic and policy-oriented activities carried out within the Istanbul Kültür University Sustainable Development Center.

The inclusion of the Turkish perspective in this global assessment, conducted under the umbrella of the United Nations and the World Shiology Forum, is of great importance in terms of increasing the international visibility of universities' capacity to produce knowledge and contribute to policy processes.

Dear Academic and Administrative Staff,

KÜLTÜRK magazine, published within the Department of Turkish Language and Literature of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Istanbul Kültür University, started to be scanned by TR Index. The 2024 and 2025 issues of the journal were also included in the scope of the scan.

We congratulate the Department of Turkish Language and Literature of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for these important achievements.

Senior students of the Department of Radio, Television, and Cinema successfully presented their work prepared within the scope of the "Graduation Project I" and "Graduation Project II" courses on Tuesday, January 6, 2026. The presentations, which revealed the knowledge and skills acquired by the students throughout their education process, were also the first concrete steps they took in their professional careers.

The presentations were examined by; Head of Department Assoc. Prof. Dr. Perihan Taş Öz, Deputy Head of Department Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bilgehan Ece Şakrak, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Remziye Köse Özelçi and Assist. Prof. Ayşe Duygu Atasoy Aktaş. The projects produced by the students under the titles of thesis, feature film script, podcast and short film script were evaluated in line with academic and creative criteria.

We congratulate all our students and wish them success in their professional journeys in the field of art and media.

Within the scope of the courses “Game Development 1” and “Programming for Game Design” offered by the Department of Digital Game Design, a jury session was held for first- and second-year students as part of the end-of-semester final evaluations.

Throughout the event, students presented the games and prototype projects they had developed during the semester, showcasing core gameplay mechanics, technical implementations, and overall game design approaches.

The jury members carefully reviewed each project and provided constructive and detailed feedback in terms of both design and programming. Key points emphasized during the evaluations included gameplay clarity, code structure, performance, player experience, and the future development potential of the projects. Students were encouraged to question their design decisions and to consider how they could further improve their projects in line with the feedback received.

The guidance provided throughout the session focused on improving existing features, addressing technical shortcomings, and enhancing the overall quality of the games. At the end of the event, students completed the jury process as a significant learning experience that supported their development as game developers, gaining a clearer perspective on both their strengths and areas in need of improvement.

A seminar titled “Combatting Addiction” was organized by the Faculty of Health Sciences on Tuesday, December 23, at the Bahçelievler Campus. Police Officer Ozan Yelgel, a Narkorehber (Drug Awareness Guide), participated in the event as a speaker.