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Academic Projects of Faculty Members

by Hilal Koç | Jan 14, 2023
Assoc. Prof. Dr Mert Gür: Molecular-scale modelling of dynein microtubule bonding and powerstroke Assoc. Prof. Dr Mert Gür: Self-Coordination of Dyneins during Ciliary Beating Doç. Dr Erkan Günpınar: Embedding Lattice Structures into Yacht Hulls and Its Hydrodynamic and Structural Optimization Prof Dr Tahsin Engin: Control of Earthquake Vibrations with a New Semi-Active Magnetorheological Liquid Column Damper (MRP-LCD) Prof. Dr Levent Trabzon: Integrated Microfluidic System to Capture Circulating Tumor Cells by Ferromagnetic Nano-clusters in Si

Molecular-scale modelling of dynein microtubule bonding and powerstroke

  • Project Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Dr Mert Gür 
  • Supporting Organisation: TÜBİTAK 2247-A 
  • Summary: With this Project, Assoc. Prof. Gür seeks to provide unique atomic insight into functional mechanisms and motility of the nano-scaled biological engines, known as dynein motor proteins, that use fuel (ATP molecule) to generate mechanical movement to transport intracellular cargos. Abnormalities and defects in dynein motor protein function have been associated with numerous neurodegenerative diseases and disorders, including ALS, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson’s disease. Furthermore, the dynein motor protein’s unique structure and advanced machinery make it an interesting bio-nanomachine for nanotechnological applications. By understanding their mechanism of action at the atomic level, Assoc. Prof. Dr Mert Gür aims to provide crucial information about how these motors carry out their cellular roles and to open up new avenues for using these motors in nanotechnology applications.
Self-Coordination of Dyneins during Ciliary Beating
  • Project Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Dr Mert Gür 
  • Supporting Organisation: TUBITAK-NSF Joint Research Program Grant
  • Summary: The Project aims to elucidate the dynein mechanisms regulating ciliary beating via all-atom molecular dynamics simulations and hence the molecular mechanism of self-coordinated oscillations of motile cilia. Motile cilia are whip-like structures protruding like bristles from the cell surface and generating a periodic beating waveform. The core structural component of the cilium is the axoneme, which has a ring of nine outer microtubule doublets surrounding two central microtubules. Dyneins are located between the microtubule doublets and enable ciliary beating.  Ciliary beating powers the swimming of many small organisms. Ciliary beating generates fluid flow in the intestines and lungs and mediates cell signalling.

Embedding Lattice Structures into Yacht Hulls and Its Hydrodynamic and Structural Optimization

  • Project Coordinator: Assoc. Prof. Dr Erkan Günpınar
  • Supporting Organisation: TÜBİTAK (Turkey)-CNRST (Morocco)
  • Summary: This project aims at developing a yacht hull embedded with lattice structures and hydrodynamic /structural optimisation. Dr Günpinar’s research group is responsible for geometric modelling and will strive for yacht hulls and embedding lattice structures into them.  Dr Badr’s group will strive for the overall optimisation of the models.  The project develops a new yacht hull and optimisation framework called MYISDO, which is based on ModiYacht and ISDO. 

Control of Earthquake Vibrations with a New Semi-Active Magnetorheological Liquid Column Damper (MRP-LCD)

  • Project Coordinator: Prof Dr Tahsin Engin
  • Supporting Organisation: TÜBİTAK 1001
  • Summary: This project aims to develop a unique Tuned Liquid Column Damper (TLCD) system that can be semi-actively controlled with a magnetorheological (MR) liquid to reduce the risk of earthquakes in structures. For the first time in the literature, semi-active control of TLCD will be performed with a piston design using MR fluid. As a result, a unique earthquake vibration damping system will be developed that can be easily applied to existing or new structures at a low cost and can provide a 30% improvement in the shear force index.
Integrated Microfluidic System to Capture Circulating Tumor Cells by Ferromagnetic Nano-clusters in Si
  • Project Coordinator: Prof. Dr Levent Trabzon
  • Supporting Organisation: TÜBİTAK – MID UZBEKISTAN, Project number: 221N138
  • Duration: 2022-2023
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ITU Faculty of Mechanical Engineering

mkn-hakkimizda

ITU Faculty of Mechanical Engineering takes pride in having close to 100 years of Mechanical Engineering tradition, and has currently 33 Professors, 12 Associate Professors, 24 Assistant Professors and 15 Lecturers as Faculty members. At present, we have over 2000 undergraduate students, all of which were selected among the top ~0.5% of the ~2.3 million students taking the nationwide university entrance exam annually.

Founded in 1933, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering received its current name in 1944. With the university reform in 1933, the Institute of Electricity and Machines of the Istanbul University was replaced by the Electro-Mechanic Department; and by doing so our Mechanical Engineering education, which still continues, began 87 years ago. 11 years later in 1944, the name of the institution was changed to Istanbul Technical University and under it a separate school/college of Mechanical Engineering was founded with the current name: “Faculty of Mechanical Engineering“.

Our faculty is one of the oldest institutions in our country that carries out education and research activities in the field of mechanical engineering. The different engineering branches it hosts have developed and become a faculty. in 1969; Faculty of Naval Architecture and Marine Sciences, in 1983; The Faculty of Textile Technologies and Design and the Faculty of Aeronautics and Astronautics gained their independent status.In the first years, the Mining Engineering department, which was part of the basic sciences and general engineering courses instruct within the scope of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, became an independent faculty in 1953.

ITU Faculty of Mechanical Engineering performs research and education in the design, development and production planning of all types of mechanical and energy transformation systems. Our 75 Faculty members are performing research and development in a wide range of areas related to both immediate needs of the industry and also cutting edge science for future technologies and applications. Our research areas include, but not limited to, Automotive Industry, Petrochemical Industry, Robotics, Textile Industry, Defense Industry, Reverse Engineering, Clean Energy, Renewable Energy, Underground Gasification, MEMS, Nanotechnology, Pharmaceutics, and Biomolecular Engineering.

With its gorgeous Ottoman era building providing extensive lab space, massive laboratory and research investment performed in the past 87 years, and the recent addition of the 1500 m2 big Dr. Keskin Keser student lab building, the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering has one of the most extensive educational and research laboratories in Turkey and provides its students with top quality Mechanical Engineering education in a gorgeous historical building located at a prime location in the very heart of Istanbul.