History

WARNING: Every moment of history is important, especially the history of science and research. However it is sometimes difficult, even in some occasions impossible, to collect information about the events, persons, projects, etc. It becomes even more difficult when we have conflicting information for the same thing.
So, please take this page as the first draft of an unfinished work on history of the department. In the mean time, please keep sending whatever you have got (including pictures) and whatever you know about the department. Thank you.

ACTING CHAIRPERSON

METU Department of Physics has been established as two different departments in 1960: Department of Physics and Department of Theoretical Physics. In 1970-1971 two departments joined together under the name of Department of Physics.

Department of
Theoretical Physics Department of
Physics
1960-1966 Erdal İnönü 1960-1969 Adnan Şaplakoğlu
1966-1968 Ferit Öktem
1968-1969 Feza Gürsey
1969-1970 Cengiz Yalçın 1969-1970 Perihan Tolun

Department of Physics

1970-1973 Hakkı Öğelman

1973-1978 Cengiz Yalçın

1978-1983 Mehmet Tomak

1983-1987 Cengiz Yalçın

1987-1988 Dilhan Eryurt (Ezer)

1988-1993 Şinasi Ellialtıoğlu

1993-1996 Mehmet Tomak

1996- Sinan Bilikmen

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE DEPARTMENT

During the first five years (1960-1965) the offices and classrooms were held in the barracks. Offices and classrooms of the Department of Theoretical Physics were located in the Mathematics building during 1965-1968. In 1968-1974 Department of Physics located in S-building; classes mostly held in U-3 complex and in the S-building.

The first of the twin Physics buildings was completed by the year 1965. The second one was completed in 1971. The last building which is the P-building was finished in 1978. Ford foundation and AID (Agency of International Development, USA) grants supported in great deal for the establishment of research and educational labs. During the establishment years Nobel prize winners like Gell-Mann, Mössbauer and Lee were among the visiting scientists. Completion of the twin buildings speeded up the construction of the research and educational labs.

INITIATION OF RESEARCH IN THE DEPARTMENT

Research Field	Date	Initiated by
Neutron Transport	1960	Erdal Inönü
High Energy Physics	1966	Feza Gürsey
Radio Carbon (C-14)	1966	Keban Project (Kemal Kurdas)
Atomic Beam	1968	Adnan Şaplakoğlu
Nuclear Theory	1968	Cengiz Yalçın
Solid State Physics	1968	Cavit Erginsoy
Semiconductor Technology	1968	Mehmet Rona
Astrophysics	1970	Hakki Ögelman
Mathematical Physics	1970	Ferit Öktem
Plasma Physics	1972	Ordal Demokan
Theoretical Astrophysics	1973	Dilhan Eryurt (Ezer)
Solar Energy	1974	Hakki Ögelman
Atmospheric Physics	19--	Yurdanur Tulunay
Laser Physics	1980	Ramazan Aydin

THE FIRST GRADUATES

B.Sc.	1963	Ahmet Halil Saleh
	1964	Yilmaz Derviş
	1964	Güngör Tokcan
M.Sc.	1966	Hüseyin Akçay
	1966	Erol Aygün
Ph.D.	1967	Ali İmre Usseli

ART and SCIENCE FACULTY DEANS FROM THE DEPARTMENT

1969-1971	Erdal İnönü
1989-1993	Dilhan Eryurt (Ezer)
1993-1996	Halil Kırbıyık
1996-2002	Mehmet Tomak

MILESTONES OF RESEARCH IN THE DEPARTMENT

1962	First astronomy courses were given by Bedri Süer in the Department of Mathematics
1966-1968	High Energy Lab. has been formed by Perihan Tolun
1968-1969	Dilhan Ezer (Eryurt) and Paris Pismis visited Department of Physics and started giving astrophysics courses.
1968-1969	Atomic Beam lab was developed by Adnan Şaplakoğlu, Howard Shugart, Tuncay İncesu, Ateş Tezer, Erol Aygün and Atilla Özmen. In 1969, The Atomic Beam Machine has been designed and constructed in the machine shop of the department. The chief technician Hasan Ataizi played a very major role. Howard Shugart from Berkeley also helped in the process.
1968	Mehmet Aydın developed Mössbauer system for research purposes.
1968	After Nuclear Physics has been initiated Nuray Büget, Ahmet Gökalp, Aydin Kolat and Ertan Akşahin were involved into the subject.
1969-	After High Energy Physics has been initiated Suha Gursey, Meral Serdaroğlu, Avadis Hacınliyan, Metin Durgut, Mehmet Koca, Cihan Saçlıoğlu and Hüseyin Akçay were involved into the subject.
1970	Yeter Göksu and Mustafa Özbakan started the work in C-14 Lab.
1971-	After Mathematical Physics group has been initiated Yavuz Nutku, Metin Gürses, Rahmi Güven, Ahmet Eriş, Tekin Dereli, Selçuk Bayın and Yurdahan Güler were involved into the subject.
1972	Plasma Physics Lab. was founded by Ordal Demokan.
1972-1980	After the completion of department's twin buildings, teaching labs; general physics, optics, electronics, nuclear physics, modern physics were settled down. Tuncay Incesu, Gülay Öke, Atilla Özmen, Esen Özsan, Ziya Sümengen, Yurdanur Tulunay, Ümit Kiziloglu, Erdogan Apaydin, Ahmet Ecevit and Sinan Bilikmen contributed great deal in the process.
1973	Theoretical astrophysics gained momentum from Jean Swank and Halil Kırbıyık. High Energy Astrophysics has been established by Hakkı Öğelman, Tümay Tümer, Ed Utiger, Ümit Kızıloğlu, İlhami Yeğingil and Mehmet Emin Özel.
1974-1984	After Neutron Transport group has been initiated Ali İmre Usseli and Cevdet Tezcan were involved into the subject.
1975	Solar Energy lab was founded by Hakki Ogelman and Ahmet Ecevit.
1975-1980	Semiconductor Technology lab gained momentum. Ziya Sümengen, Mehmet Rona, Hüsnü Özkan and Ersin Özsan played an important role in the begining.
1975	The first computer, `INTERDATA`, was ordered by Ed Utiger. The first computer room was established by Ed Utiger, Ümit Kiziloglu, Faruk Tokdemir. The computer was upgraded in 1978.
1975-	After Condensed Matter has been initiated Mehmet Tomak, Salim Çıracı Şakir Erkoç, Şinasi Ellialtıoğlu, Atilla Erçelebi and Cemal Yalabık were involved into the subject.
1979-	After Plasma Physics group has been initiated Serhat Çakır, Gülay Öke and Sinan Bilikmen were involved into the subject.
19--	After Atmospheric Physics has been initiated Gülay Öke, Erdogan Apaydin and Davut Kosker were involved into the subject.
1980-1985	Semiconductor Technology Lab, with the great contributions of Bayram Katırcıoğlu, İbrahim Günal and Çiğdem Erçelebi, gained momentum and reached its present recognition as one of the distinguished solid state research facility in the country.
1980	Thermoluminescence Lab. was developed by Naif Türetken.
1980	ESR Lab. was developed by Ay Melek Özer.
1986	The first PC was bought.
1991	A small observatory was built on campus with the support of Dilhan Eryurt-Ezer, Osman Demircan, Halil Kırbıyık and Umit Kiziloglu. Ali Alpar joined the astrophysics group.
1991-1992	Departmental and Faculty network and Banyan server was founded. The first UNIX cluster (`newton` and others) was established. The first student computing lab was established: 16 PCs with 286 CPU.
19--	Selective Surface Lab was founded by Ahmet Ecevit and Bulent Akinoglu.