Middle East Technical University [Orta Doğu Teknik Universitesi (ODTÜ) in Turkish] is placed among the top 60 universities in the "World Reputation Rankings 2013", recently announced by the Times Higher Education (THE). ODTÜ moved up in this year’s list to rank in the 51-60 band of universities.

 

The "World Reputation Rankings 2013" includes universities that are identified as "excellent" in research and education by academics from various countries. The rankings are based on the "Thomson Reuters’ Academic Reputation Survey 2012" (March - April 2012) contributed by approximately 17,000 academics from 144 countries. The academics are selected and invited by THE and Thompson Reuters on the basis of their experience (average of 17 years) and number of publications. In this survey to "provide the definitive list of the top 100 most powerful global university brands", the respondents were asked to name no more than 15 universities they believe to be the best based on their own experience, and to answer questions such as "Which university would you send your most talented graduates to for the best postgraduate supervision?".

 

When ODTÜ entered THE "Top Universities by Reputation" list last year (2012), it was the first and only Turkish university to be included in the top 100 world universities. ODTÜ's rank moved up by approximately 40 places from the 91-100 band in last year’s rankings to the 51-60 band this year. ODTÜ remains the only Turkish university in the "World Reputation Rankings 2013" as well.

 

As in the previous years, developed countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia have the highest representation in the 2013 list. Universities from only 20 countries appear in the 2013 rankings, and countries such as Italy, Spain, India, Austria, Ireland, Greece, Denmark, Portugal, Norway and Mexico do not have universities in the list. ODTÜ’s inclusion and advancement in the "Top 100 Universities by Reputation 2013" list is seen as a major source of prestige for Turkey as well as for our University. 

This result parallels the significant increase in international demand for ODTÜ's degree programs, rapid rise in the research activity, scientific publications and citations of our faculty members, and our national and international collaborations.

I congratulate and express our sincere thanks to our faculty members, administrative staff, students and alumni for their contribution to this important outcome.

 

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Acar

President

 

Our University's Faculty of Architecture, Department of Industrial Design is listed in Domus Magazine's Guide entitled "Europe's Top 100 Architecture and Design Schools 2013" which is provided as a supplement to the December issue of the Magazine.

Among the 100 schools that were selected, covering study areas of Architecture, Product Design, Graphic Design, Architectural History, Theory and Criticism and Interaction Design, METU took its place from Turkey, among the top 31 Product Design programs in Europe. The schools in the Guide were evaluated for their performance in three areas: collaborative networks, strong professors and exceptional student work. The Guide aims to help students find an educational institution that fits well to their needs, either for studying abroad or participating in an exchange program. It lets the reader compare the selected schools with each other, to evaluate for example the curricular focus, pedagogical identity and the type of educational environment that is fostered. The Guide can be downloaded free from the below link (by using iPad):

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/domus/id556531557?mt=8

Dr. Hakan Gürsu of our university’s Architecture Faculty Industrial Design Department and his team won three different awards in the competition Green Dot Awards 2012, which is regarded as the "environmental oscars" in the field.

Dr. Gürsu and his team placed;

• Second with “Living Pots” which is designed to reduce tree consumption in plant growing and cultivation and are sustainable cultivation units that are comprised of %100 recyclable and reused materials. Made out of simple bent metal pieces and scrap pieces of log, product is flat-packed and can be easily assembled. Enabling energy and space efficiency, it is a living pot for both personal and industrial use.
• Second with Twist, a sustainable water kettle with zero water loss. It preserves water by inner circulation, therefore provides water, energy and time efficiency. Twist does not waste water and saves energy by reducing process time.
• Second in the category of Transportation with SurfSail42, a sailing vessel which is designed for both single and dual usage allowing both sailing and surfing. It can be used for training, entertainment and professional purposes. Either for learning, professional sports or fun, SurfSail42 transforms surf sailing concept by offering a social windsurf experience or a sailing time together.

 

In addition to getting 3 of the 14 awards given in the category of Products, Designnobis Team led by Dr. Hakan Gürsu received a mention in the Conceptual category with V-Tent Solar Powered Car Charging and Protecting Unit.

Also known as the “Environmental Oscars”, Green Dot Awards is one of the most prestigious awards in the world and started in 2008 with the intention to emphasize the sensitivity of the environmental consciousness on the products and introduce those elected environment-friendly products.