The 5th Suna Kıraç Workshop, "From Genetic Models of Neurodegenerative Disease to Therapies," was held at Koç University between February 20-23, 2024. The meeting with Brown University was scheduled as part of the NDAL structured collaboration with Brown University's Departments of Neuroscience and Molecular and Cell Biology/Biochemistry.
The first three days of the four-day scientific program were held at KUH-AIMES. Academics from Brown University gave didactic presentations on "Model Organisms, New Technologies" and "Diseases and Developed Therapies". On the last day, they shared their research in detail with the students at Rumeli Feneri Campus.
Hasan Demirci from Koç University Structural Biology Laboratory and A. Nazlı Başak from NDAL also presented their research in the last session. In addition, on the second day of the meeting, Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation / Brown University PhD students Doruk Savaş and Ezgi Memiş discussed how to do a PhD at Brown University, USA, in an interactive session with the students. 120 people attended the workshop, and certificates were presented to those who attended regularly.
At the 9th Major Community Gathering, the Suna’nın Kızları communities came together to review the past year’s outcomes and align on project plans for 2026. Participants explored new ideas and collaboration opportunities on how the model and programs co-developed with 33 civil society organizations over the past four years can further support and reinforce one another.
The Istanbul Research Institute continues to offer free guided tours of the exhibition The Photography Studio of an Adventurous Architect: Arif Hikmet Koyunoğlu 1893–1982, which sheds light on the life of one of the most unconventional architects of his time, spanning the late Ottoman and early Republican periods.
The catalogue Extraordinary Minas: The Story of Inspiration and Innovation in Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics examines the efforts of Kütahya masters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to revive the disappearing craftsmanship of tile-making by focusing on a master and a group of his work, by presenting objects from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection.