The Science Festival held at the entrance of Building B of the Faculty of Education stood out as a strong example of collaboration between academia and local government. Organized through the joint efforts of Samsun Metropolitan Municipality and the Dean's Office of the Faculty of Education, the event brought together teacher candidates, academics, and visitors with science.
The opening of the science fair began with a speech by Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yaman, Head of the Department of Mathematics and Science Education. Prof. Dr. Süleyman Yaman emphasized the importance of scientific events in the professional development of teacher candidates. Prof. Dr. Hamza Çalışıcı, Dean of the Faculty of Education, then took the floor and stated that universities should not only be structures that produce knowledge but also structures that transfer the knowledge they produce to society. Yahya Torun, Director of the Education Branch of Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, gave the closing speech and stated that the Metropolitan Municipality would continue to support science and science-based education efforts.
Following the opening speeches, teams from the Atakum Discovery Campus, affiliated with Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, offered participants a science-filled experience with the rich and interactive activities they brought. At the same time, the original experiments and hands-on activities prepared by third-year Science Education students as part of their Science Teaching I course attracted great interest. These projects, prepared by the teacher candidates, provided concrete examples of how theoretical knowledge can be transferred to out-of-class learning environments.
Throughout the science fair, participants had the opportunity to get to know different disciplines of science up close through experimental setups, teaching materials, and hands-on activities. It was emphasized that the main purpose of the event was to increase students' curiosity about science and strengthen the link between theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
Following the science fair, folk dance performances from various regions were staged by teacher candidates studying in different programs at the Faculty of Education. At the end of the event, thanks were expressed to the faculty members, teacher candidates, and Discovery Campus staff who contributed to the event, and it was stated that scientific events would continue to increase through university and local government collaborations.
