US -Turkey Collaborative Effort in Advancing Assistive Technology based Education via State of the Art Research, Istanbul, Turkey, March 2011

University Of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell MA

Investigators

Abstract

Margala This project supports a US-Turkey Workshop for Advancing Assistive Technology based Education via State of the Art Research, March 14-16, 2011. The US organizer is Dr. Martin Margala, Department of electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. The Turkish organizers are: Dr. Duygun E. Barkana of Yeditepe University and Dr. Gullu Kiziltas at Sabanci University, both in Istanbul, Turkey. The purpose of the workshop is to engage the scientific community in Turkey with US scientists in the new field of assistive technology (AT), the application of engineering principles and technologies to benefit physically or mentally disabled individuals. The Turkish collaborators also include scientists from three other universities, Middle East Technical University, Bilkent University, and Hacettepe University (all in Ankara.) Intellectual Merit: The proposed workshop has the potential to speed up introduction of Assistive Technology (AT) to the Turkish higher education community, to establish a framework for implementing AT programs in Turkey, and to engage Turkish scientists in joint research with the US community in this area. The workshop program would allow the two sides to establish new and working relationships in AT research areas and education. There is a very good representation from leading universities in Turkey. It is planned that engineering curricula in Turkey will introduce using AT where the senior design project can serve as a means for providing real world design experience by developing assistive devices to aid individuals with disabilities. The PI?s department has a successful record in conducting undergraduate senior design projects to aid individuals with disabilities, and this will allow them to share their experience with the Turkish universities in a very productive way during this workshop. UML's also has experience in India in this field. Students from both countries will benefit from such an exchange. The Turkish participants have significant experience in the field of AT. Broader impacts: Cultural exchanges are critical for understanding views and attitudes regarding disability and people with disability in different countries. The application of AT can vary depending on the culture. The conduct of this workshop will have an impact on the Turkish individuals with disabilities, and will help in increasing awareness of the role of engineering in society. The workshop can contribute to transforming the undergraduate education at the Turkish universities by introducing AT as an approach to service learning, and will also help in establishing contacts and peer-to-peer relationships among US and Turkish academics. The workshop will include students and faculty from engineering, management and health sciences. It will provide a unique, personal experience for many of the U.S. attendees with an increasingly important region. Most importantly, it will establish a set of new, peer-to-peer relationships among US and Turkey academics. This workshop aims to transform the undergraduate and graduate engineering education at US and Turkish universities by introducing Assistive Technology as an approach to service learning. A team from UML has already visited the Turkish universities and discussed the potential for AT collaboration. The proposed collaboration is highly interdisciplinary. It includes students and faculty from engineering, management, and health sciences. The progress of the collaborative projects will be tracked on a regular basis with several visits from involved parties. Moreover, a database of all the possible research areas for collaboration will be created during and immediately after the workshop. PhD and Masters level projects will be determined. This database will be continuously updated and information on the projects will be updated on the dedicated webpage.This project is co-funded by the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems (CBET) and the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE).