Celebrating Dedication to Diversity in Science and Engineering
Award Winner:Nurcin Koyuncu, Ph.D. Student (Systems and Industrial Engineering)
If you think, it can be done. Who I am-- My name is Nurcin Koyuncu and I am a female who is originally from Turkey. I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering at the University of Arizona beginning at Fall 2006. I carry out research, as a Graduate Research Assistant, focusing mainly on Dynamic Data Driven Application Systems Simulation. As a result of this research and my academic success, I am honored with Graduate College Fellowship, the University of Arizona, 2007. I attained my Bachelor’s degree, with Honors, in Industrial Engineering from Bogazici University (BU) in Istanbul, Turkey in June 2006. Bogazici University is one of the highly ranked universities in Turkey which accepts students through a competitive nationwide University Entrance Examination. Students who enter this prestigious institution have to be ranked top 0.1% at this examination. When I initially got admitted to BU, I was ranked 25th among more than 1,700,000 applicants. I believe there is more than one reason for me to be a nominee for WISE Leadership Council's Celebrating Diversity in Science and Engineering Award. As a female, an engineer, an international and a leader in my academic career, I have done my best all through my education to make at least a little contribution to the efforts performed to demonstrate the value of diversity and encourage different perspectives in science and engineering within and outside of the UA community. What I did for diversity challenge-- In the spring of 2005, I took part in a student exchange program between the University of Arizona and Bogazici University (BU). While attending at the University of Arizona, I got the opportunity to live in Manzanita-Mohave residence halls and was privileged to gain the comprehension and experience of diverse languages, cultures, ethnic groups, histories, religions and life styles. The tremendous experience of dormitory life has influenced my interest in diversity within and outside the UA community. Therefore, I joined the "International Friends" program at the University of Arizona to get to know people from different ethnicities, cultures and origins. I was one of the students who got Mayor’s Award Certificate from the Mayor of Tucson for having a significant contribution in the well being of Tucson community. When I was a senior undergraduate student, I also participated in "Exchange Student Hosting Program" for two semesters and my family and I hosted and guided the students coming from different places to Turkey. As far as the experience goes, I am trying to live with people from different nations every time I have an opportunity. I have lived with American, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian and Mexican people which I believe, helped me to apprehend diverse lifestyles and beliefs. In addition, I have a personal interest on learning different languages. So far, other than my mother language, Turkish, I am able to speak English fluently, German at intermediate level, Spanish, Japanese, Korean at elementary level. What I did for leadership challenge (both for academic success and diversity) In my field, one may sometimes need to study or work on his/her own, however, personally I work best in a group setting. I have taken lead in almost every project and social event that I have involved with during my undergraduate studies, including my senior design project (thesis). Thus, I have the experience of being a team player and leader comprised of students with different cultures, personalities and working disciplines. I was fortunate to work as an intern during the summers of 2002, 2003, and 2004. During my internships, I worked as the Project Enhancement Team Leader for BORUSAN Automotive, the sole BMW distributor in Turkey. The leadership position allowed me to take a chief role in maintaining the coherence of ideas, encouraging member interactions through the exchange of knowledge as well as sustaining a well-built team spirit. At the first semester of my graduate studies (Fall 2006), I was given the opportunity to take lead in a large-scale research project which was involving seven graduate students having different traditional backgrounds and areas of focus. We submitted a professional conference paper as a product of our efforts and currently we are progressing on a journal paper and an additional conference paper based on the same study. Other than the leadership experience that I have in my academic career, I served as the captain of the volleyball team in Istanbul for two consecutive years. I believe the success of a leadership practice primarily depends on the desire to interact with people and lead them in building unity among each other. That is what I always try to implement when I am given an opportunity to be the leader of a group. What I did/am doing for society as a whole-- My understanding towards social integration motivated me to volunteer as a tutor for elementary school children as well as assist students with disabilities in improving their reading and comprehension. I have been tutoring voluntarily in both Turkey and USA for more than six years now since I feel that it is crucial to share what I have learned from the society and provide this knowledge to others who are less fortunate than I am. In addition, I was a volunteer for PRIMAVERA to serve homeless people during Spring 2005. Plans at the College of Engineering (UA) I am currently a member of some professional institutions such as IIE (Institute of Industrial Engineers), SWE (Society for Woman Engineers), SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers), ENSO (Engineering Society at BU), TS (Turkish Society at UA). I am going to be a candidate for the leadership of IIE/INCOSE University of Arizona Chapter in April 2007 elections and if I am given the privilege of being the president, I would try to develop and implement two main types of programs, one of which is aimed to help the enhancement of diversity in science and engineering in order to create a welcoming and supportive climate for both current and new-coming students, whereas the other one is aimed to improve the academic well-being of the science and engineering students. Particularly, within these programs, I would arrange varieties of seminar involvements and case studies as well as social events such as dialog dinners, recreational activities and games to help them mingle with each other and share the different kinds of joys and traditions they all possess. These programs will be made in such a way that they are inclusive and respective of all residents. As an international female student at Engineering College, I feel myself responsible for revealing the value of diversity in science and engineering within and outside of the UA community and this responsibility takes first place in every and each action I take. What kind of personality I have-- Besides my career, "Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift," perfectly illustrates my whole life and understanding. I consider myself as a very friendly and outgoing individual as I try to use empathy in my interactions with others and avoid biases towards them. That is why I prefer simple and humanitarian solutions in solving complicated communal problems.