Athens, Ga. – The University of Georgia and Istanbul Technical University have signed a new international cooperative agreement that will allow faculty and students from theUGA department of geology and the ITU Faculty of Mines andEngineering to exchange faculty and students.
“The purpose of the agreement is topromote intercultural education of students and to encourage deeperunderstanding between faculty research programs,” says Paul Schroeder, a professor of geology at UGA and associate head of the department. He coordinates the new program with Istanbul University.
Professors Ö. Isik Ece and Mustafa Kumral of ITU and Paul Schroeder and Doug Croweof UGA recently have exchanged visits, which were supported by TheScientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey.
Collaborative projects being started include studies of economic claydeposits within the historically rich region of northwest Turkey. Thesedeposits mark important material resources for ceramic manufacturingthroughout the Mediterranean region. Several other projects are already underway that involve astrobiology and archaeometry, according to Schroeder.
Founded in 1773, Istanbul Technical University is considered the world’s second oldest institution of higher learning specifically dedicated to engineering education.
The department of geology, a unit of the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, currently has collaborations with colleagues in Russia, Tunisia, Tanzania, Venezuela, Egypt, England and Argentina, in addition to the new program in Turkey.