The Turkish Technology Team Foundation continues to bring together Türkiye's children who are curious and open to discovery, who do not set limits to their dreams in the field of science and technology, with science. "Bilim Trabzon" is the latest addition to the "Bilim Türkiye Family", which aims to spread science and technology all over Türkiye with the goal of "a Türkiye that develops technology".  

The opening ceremony of the center, which took place on Tuesday, November 21, was attended by Republic of Türkiye Minister of Industry and Technology Mehmet Fatih Kacır, Trabzon Governor Aziz Yıldırım, Trabzon Mayor Murat Zorluoğlu, T3 Foundation Chairman of the Board of Trustees Selçuk Bayraktar, children, and many other guests.
 

In his speech at the opening of the "Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center" built in Ortahisar, Trabzon, Minister Kacır said that he was happy to be in Trabzon and continued his words by remembering Özdemir Bayraktar with mercy:

"As a pioneering engineer and industrialist, he assumed a great duty and responsibility for our country to reach the ideal of full independence in critical technologies. With his knowledge, experience, effort and struggle, our national UCAVs paved the way for a breakthrough that turned the paradigms in the defence industry upside down. He accomplished what was said to be 'impossible' and showed our youth and entrepreneurs not to give up, to pursue their dreams, and that an idea can change the destiny of a nation. Today, if we are talking about the vision of 'national technology initiative', we owe a lot to our esteemed elder, the late Özdemir Bayraktar Uncle. May God rest his soul in heaven. May our science center, which will raise many more Özdemir Bayraktar's, be auspicious and auspicious to our homeland and nation."

Minister Kacır emphasized that today Türkiye has become a country that can produce critical technologies, rather than a market for them, and said: "In the past 21 years, we have signed 100-year projects under the leadership of our President. We achieved this with our national technology move under the leadership of Mr. President, with an approach in which we considered our own opportunities and strengths and considered the challenges we face. There were those who tried to put a wedge in our path, so to speak, but we knew that we needed to uncover the hidden gems within us. We were aware that we needed to create a mentality revolution. We rose from the ashes in line with our national technology move targets. We stood by our young people so that Turkish youth would never again experience the disappointment experienced by Vecihi Hürkuş, Nuri Demirağ, Şakir Zümre and Nuri Killigil."

Stating that they offer young people the opportunity to pursue their dreams with TEKNOFEST, the world's largest aerospace and technology festival, Kacır reminded that this excitement enveloped the entire Black Sea region with TEKNOFEST Black Sea last year, and continued his words as follows:

"In the 100th anniversary of our Republic, we hosted more than 4.5 million visitors at TEKNOFESTs in Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir. 1 million young people participated in 337 thousand teams in 44 technology competitions. We were happy and proud of the intense interest and favouritism of our citizens of all ages from 7 to 70. While we are proudly staging our breakthroughs on the path of national technology initiative, we are also increasing our national self-confidence. Seeing Atak, Anka, Gökbey, Bayraktar TB-2, and Kızılelma, our young people say, 'I am also in the Turkish century'." 

Underlining that they also offer free education to students at new generation software schools, Kacır said, "With the Sector on Campus Program, we bring more than 10 thousand university students together with industry professionals in areas such as artificial intelligence, block chain, advanced manufacturing and digital transformation. We introduce our youth to the world of science and technology from the age of 11 in more than 100 Deneyap Technology Workshops in 81 cities, including our Şehit Eren Bülbül Youth Center. More than 17 thousand scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs of the future receive education here within the scope of our innovative and visionary curriculum."

Minister Kacır said that with the support for science centers, they aim to spread the culture of science in society and increase the interest and curiosity of society in science. Emphasizing that they have provided more than 1 billion 300 million liras of support for 8 science centers, Kacır made the following assessment: "Trabzon Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center became our 9th science center supported by TÜBİTAK. We are working to establish science centers in 7 more cities. Our science centers, which are open to visitors, have hosted 9.5 million guests so far. The interest and curiosity of our youth in the world of science and technology makes us extremely happy and hopeful for the future. Today, we are opening a new page in the Black Sea region's science journey with Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center in Trabzon, one of our distinguished cities. Established with the support of TÜBİTAK and the Eastern Black Sea Development Agency, Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality and T3 Foundation, Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center is the first science center in the Eastern Black Sea Region." Minister Kacır also shared the details of the center with the participants and said, "Our hope, our hope, our dream is that many Özdemir Bayraktars, many Aziz Sancars, and many Selçuk Bayraktars will grow up in these centers. This befits Trabzon, this befits the Black Sea region, this befits the Turkish youth."
 

In his speech at the opening of the Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center, Selçuk Bayraktar stated that he was delighted to be in Trabzon, his father's hometown, and that the opening of the Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center was carried out with great excitement, and that this center was realized with the contributions of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality, TÜBİTAK, T3 Foundation and Eastern Black Sea Development Agency.

Emphasizing that Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center has a very high sentimental value for them, Bayraktar also noted the following in his speech:

"In our national technology initiative adventure, TEKNOFEST, which we organized with great enthusiasm in 2022, is a permanent work that blossomed from the Black Sea. It is a work that flourished in our father's land, watered with the blood of martyrs, in the soil of those who stood upright and straight against injustice, injustice and oppression. It is a work that has sprouted in these lands that have raised raiders and levies in every corner of our geography, whenever needed to defend the homeland against oppression. Trabzon Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center will add value to humanity, our civilization and our nation with the inspiration it draws from the values of justice, goodness and mercy of our ancient civilization and with the enthusiastic brave spirit of the Black Sea." Bayraktar stated that this center will contribute to the upbringing of generations of scientists and technologists who will bring humanity from darkness to light, and said, "Trabzon Science Center will offer a wide range of workshops from technology to astronomy and aviation, from natural sciences to mathematics and design. In these workshops, our children will enjoy discovering the laws of nature by experimenting, questioning and loving."

To make science and technology understandable and accessible to the society, to bring individuals from different age groups together with science and to increase the importance of science and technology in the eyes of the society, Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality, Eastern Black Sea Development Agency (DOKA), TUBITAK and T3 Foundation collaborated to realize the "Trabzon Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center" project. Established on a total area of 2,200 m2, the Science Center includes workshops, a planetarium, and an exhibition area. 

Applied trainings will be given to primary and middle school students in workshops for 20 people who will provide education within Bilim Trabzon. The workshops in the Science Center will be under the following titles: Astronomy, Aviation and Space Workshop, Technology Workshop, Mathematics Workshop, Natural Sciences Workshop (Physics, Chemistry, Biology), Design Workshop, and Experiment Workshop.

While Trabzon Özdemir Bayraktar Science Center has 18 travelling exhibitions with Space/Aviation themes, the production of a total of 42 exhibitions has started in the exhibition area consisting of four interactive themes with the themes of Technology, Basic Sciences, Energy, Space and Aviation. The Planetarium, where Astronaut, Mystery of the Invisible World and Cosmic Adventure films will be screened, will host 80 people at the same time with a dome diameter of 12 meters. 

Bilim Trabzon also aims to contribute to the mental and social development of students with applied training programs prepared by expert trainers. Opening brand new horizons for students, Bilim Trabzon awaits its students with different and entertaining educational contents to create a generation that can learn on its own, work in cooperation, and develop creative and critical thinking skills.