TÜBİTAK 1003 Project Success Stories:
Assist.Prof.Dr. Güney Güven Yapıcı and Assist.
Prof.Dr. Göksenin Yaralıoğlu describe their
1003 projects
should get more emphasis. To check whether all important pieces of
the proposal have gotten enough attention, the proposal needs to
be read by a colleague or by a friend. He or she may provide very
valuable feedback regarding the shortcomings of the proposal. I also
got very valuable contribution from Ozyegin’s TTO for every section of
the proposal. Preparation of the work calendar and the budget was
also very challenging. I could not have finished these parts on time
without the help of TTO.
Güven Güney Yapıcı: 1003 programs are designed for research
and development in priority areas. Still, we had to find a unique idea
and shape the application around it. That effort took a while. But after
several meetings with project stake-holders, we managed to figure
out a simple yet challenging concept.
• Do you think that TÜBİTAK projects have contributed to your
academic career and personal skills? If yes, in which ways?
• Can you briefly mention about your TÜBİTAK 1003 project?
What are the project objectives?
Göksenin Yaralıoğlu: The main purpose of my 1003 project is
to develop a very low cost medical ultrasound imaging system.
Ultrasound provides very valuable diagnostic information. Addition
of ultrasonic imaging to the clinical examination increases the
early diagnosis of diseases. However, high cost of these systems
prohibits their wide use. In a typical ultrasound system, the probe
is composed of more than 100 elements. Each element requires its
own electronics to provide electronic scanning. Our aim in this project
is to develop a novel scanning mechanism. Rather than electronic
scanning, the probe will be scanned by the operator manually. The
hand gestures of the operator will be turned into position signals.
Ultrasound signals, which are transmitted wirelessly, will be displayed
on a handheld computer or on a cell phone screen according to the
position information coming from the probe. This approach will help
reducing the complexity of the ultrasound electronics and the cost of
the system. The target product at the end of this research will reduce
the cost 100 to 1000 times. Doctors will be able to use this imager like
a stethoscope during clinical exam.
Güven Güney Yapıcı: The project is about the design and
manufacturing of a medical tool to be used for non-invasive
interventions. The medical tool, namely active catheter, takes
advantage of smart materials as actuators. The objective is to design
and build a prototype that will utilize complex non-linear control
algorithms. Success of the system will be tested and determined
against several performance metrics.
• During the project application, did you have any difficulties?
How did you overcome these difficulties?
Göksenin Yaralıoğlu: The whole proposal preparation is a lengthy
process. Among other duties, allocating enough time for the proposal
writing was the biggest challenge. During writing process, I had also
other challenges. I think the major challenge was the following: As a
researcher, I tend to focus on the scientific details and try to explain
the scientific approach as much as possible. However, although it is
important, this should not be the center piece of the proposal. The
proposal should, of course, describe how to reach the targets but the
economic and social value of the project and the impact of the product
Göksenin Yaralıoğlu: TÜBİTAK projects help me put my ideas
into practice. They provide the financial support to help building the
required infrastructure to perform my research. In my case, with the
help of these funds, I managed to start my laboratory and added
new measurement and characterization capabilities. But the most
important contribution of these funds is that I managed to provide
competitive salaries to graduate students. As a result of that I hired 3
graduate students. Both equipment and graduate students will help
me to publish more publications. In addition, these funds help us to
meet member of scientific community all over the world and fertilize
new ideas.
Güven Güney Yapıcı: I believe that