Bee Writer by ITU Writing Center November, 2014 | Page 4

A Closer Look at One Department

I

want to introduce you to the
Chemistry Department at Istanbul
Technical University for this issue. I
interviewed Ayfer Kalkan Burat to learn
the details about
the department.

First, I want to
thank
you
for
accepting to do the interview with us and
sparing your time. Could you please talk
about yourself?
I thank you, too. I’m. I have been working
as an Asst. Prof. in the ITU department of
chemistry for six years. My area of
expertise is Inorganic chemistry. I
graduated from ITU in 1999 and I
completed my master and doctorate at
ITU.

We should divide the undergraduate
education into two; the first year and the
remainder as a chemistry student takes
lessons of essential science in the first
year. There are physics, maths and general
chemistry. In the following years, students
take lessons about the majors of
chemistry. These lessons are largely about
lab studies. A chemistry student
sometimes studies six hours a day in the
lab. In the last year, students must
prepare a graduation project.

What kind of job opportunities can be
found after students graduate from
Chemistry undergraduate education?
They may work for private companies in
the sectors of food, medicine, textile and
so on or they may continue to an
academic career or if they pass the KPSS
exam set by the state with high grades,
they can work in government agencies as
a chemist.

What is Chemistry?
Chemistry is a branch of physical science
that studies the composition, structure,
properties and changes of matter. In fact,
chemistry is in everything from A to Z that
we are living around in our daily life. There
are four majors in Chemistry: Inorganic
Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physical
Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry.

What lessons does a chemistry student
take
during
their
undergraduate
education?

beewriter
ITU Writing Center Student Magazine

Do you think it is advantageous to obtain
a chemistry education at ITU?
Certainly, it is. First, successful universities
like ITU have strong connections with
universities in the EU and the USA.
Teachers at ITU are very experienced in
their area. In ITU, the lab facilities are
really developed. That opportunity is
beneficial for a student’s career
development.

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