In Turkey, biology education began to in the Tabiiye Branch of Darülfünun, which was established in 1900 before the Republic period, consisting of courses on plants and animals. The Biology department under the roof of our university has a deep-rooted history. Today's Istanbul University Biology Department continued its education in the 3-story building in Sülaymaniye, which was completed in 1933 and was one of the most modern buildings of its time. In the Faculty of Science, which was established with the university reforms in 1933, General Zoology, Second Zoology, General Botany, Pharmaco-Botany and Genetics Institutes were established with the contributions of foreign scientists, Prof. Dr. Andre Naville and Distinguished Professor. Dr. Curt Kosswig in the field of Zoology and Distinguished Professor. Dr. Alfred Heilbronn in the field of Botany, and these institutes later became chairs. Distinguished Professor Dr. Leo Brauner is among the foreign scientists who contributed to the organization. Prof. Dr. Andre Naville, who was appointed to the chair during the reform, is a scientist who generally studied the biology of microorganisms and the chromosomes of various animals. Under the chairmanship of Prof. Naville, Fazila Şevket Giz, Suat Nigar, Melahat Çağlar, who had studied abroad, and Fahire Battalgazi, who had entered Dar-ül Fünun before the 1933 reform, joined the Zoology Chair. After Prof. Naville died of typhoid at a young age, Distinguished Prof. Dr. Curt Cosswig was appointed as his replacement. During Prof. Cosswig's chairmanship, young scientists such as Atıf Şengün, Saadet Ergene, Bedia Bozkurt and Recai Ermin, who completed their doctoral studies in Germany, joined the zoology staff.
The Botany and Zoology Chairs, which were together in the building in Süleymaniye until 1957, were separated due to the demolition of the upper two floors of the building and after this date, the Chairs of Zoology were moved to the Faculty of Science building. The Radiobiology Chair and other Chairs of Zoology, which were established in Kuyucu Murat Pasha Madrasa in 1968 under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Atıf Şengün, continued their education in various areas of the Faculty of Science until 1973. The chairs providing education at the Faculty of Science were moved to the Biology Department building opposite the Faculty of Science in Vezneciler in 1973.
With the Higher Education Law No. 2547 enacted in 1981, the Department of Biology was established at the Faculty of Science and the existing chairs continued to function as Divisions. After the Department of Biology was established, Prof. Dr. Metin Bara, Prof. Dr. Neriman Ozban, Prof. Dr. Dinçer Gülen, Prof. Dr. Atilla Özalpan, Prof. Dr. Nurettin Meriç, Prof. Dr. Güler Temizkan, Prof. Dr. Osman Murathanoğlu, Prof. Dr. Ayşın Çotuk, Prof. Dr. Muammer Ünal, Prof. Dr Neslihan Özdelice and Prof Dr Mahmut Çalışkan served as Heads of the Department, in order. The Biology Department building in Vezneciler, which was used by divisions other than the Department of Botany, was demolished in 2015 because it was not resistant to earthquakes and a new building was started to be built in its place. Meanwhile, the only division to remain in the original building in Süleymaniye, Botany Division, vacated the building and the Botanical Garden that it had been using since 1933, by the order of the rectorate in 2018 and settled in a building in the Beyazıt campus of the university. While construction was undergoing, All resources and personel of The Department of Biology has settled in the temporary areas allocated to them. In 2021, the construction was finalized and all Divisions of the Biology Department were moved into this building, in order to work together with all divisions, as it did until 1957. Department of Biology; It continues its education and training activities with 8 Divisions: Biotechnology, Botany, Environmental Biology and Ecology, General Biology, Hydrobiology, Molecular Biology, Fundamental and Industrial Microbiology and Zoology.
As of 2017, our department switched into 30% English education. Our 4-year undergraduate education consists of many compulsory and elective courses and 70% of the courses have laboratories. In the last year of undergraduate education, students specialize in a certain field of biology by choosing one of the curriculums; Biotechnology, Cell and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Environmental Biology, Marine Biology, Plant Biotechnology, Radiobiology. During their education, students can take an active role as members of the student club of our department, called Biological Sciences Club (BSC), which was founded in 2018 to carry on the activities of the previous student club, Biological Research Laboratory (BRL).
Postgraduate programs run by our Divisions are open in the programs of the Division of Biology, affiliated with the Institute of Science and Technology. Those who complete their postgraduate theses in these programs can continue their academic life in our department and become faculty members; Those who complete their postgraduate theses in these programs can continue their academic life in our department, become faculty members, obtain doctorate and master's degrees in some branches of basic medicine and pharmacy (medical physiology, biochemistry, histology, microbiology, medical biology, medical genetics, etc.) under the Health Sciences Institute, and become experts in the fields of microbiology and biochemistry by participating in medical specialization exams. They also have the opportunity to pursue postgraduate education at educational institutions abroad. Graduates of Istanbul University Department of Biology can work as biologists in research centers affiliated with some ministries, environmental directorates of municipalities, food and pharmaceutical industry and research laboratories of hospitals, ministries of food, agriculture and livestock, tourism, health and national education, and some institutions affiliated with the ministry of justice. The department has many research laboratories equipped with modern devices, and Zoology and Hydrobiology museums for scientific and demonstration purposes.
Message from the Head of Department
The foundation of the Istanbul University Faculty of Science Biology Department, which is the first and most established Biology Department in our country, dates back to the establishment of Darülfünun in 1900, before the Republic period. The Faculty of Science was established with the university reforms in 1933, with the contributions of foreign scientists such as Prof. Dr. Andre Naville and Ord. Prof. Dr. Curt Kosswig in the field of Zoology, and Ord. Prof. Dr. Leo Brauner and Ord. Prof. Dr. Alfred Heilbronn in the field of Botany, General Zoology, II. Zoology, General Plant, Pharmaco-Botany and Genetics Institutes. These institutes were later turned into daises. In our department, which has continued to develop since its establishment, there are a total of 82 faculty members and assistants, including 28 professors, 24 associate professors, 14 Dr. Lecturers, 3 lecturers, two of whom have completed their doctorates, 13 research assistants, three of whom have completed their doctorates, and 3 biologists who contribute to education and training.
Biology, which is the teaching of life, drags us into the microscopic world of cells, which are the basic units of life, and the submicroscopic environment of the molecules that constitute the cells. Biology is a very important and exciting branch of science that helps us understand the living world, which dates back almost 4 billion years, and how all living and non-living entities interact with each other. We have experienced once again how important biological science is with many environmental and vital problems that have occurred in the world in recent years, such as the climate crises and the COVID-19 pandemic. We have all seen together how great things we can achieve if we adopt research and questioning as a principle and improve ourselves to have a say in world standards. With the awareness that biological science is a universally rising value, we are working to raise our department, which pioneered the establishment of many biology departments in our country to further levels. Our department is bale to provide education at high standards in terms of both academic and research and education infrastructure. Many projects carried out by researchers in our department with national and international collaborations are ongoing. We have received the reward of these efforts, as in previous years, with Istanbul University ranking first among Turkish Universities in the field of Biological Sciences in the URAP 2021-2022 success ranking.
Our educational program is constantly updated and modernized according to today's needs, with the contribution of our expert academicians working in our Departments of Biotechnology, Botany, Environmental Biology and Ecology, General Biology, Hydrobiology, Molecular Biology, Basic and Industrial Microbiology and Zoology, which are the richness of our department, both undergraduate and graduate programs are offered. We provide the best education and research opportunities to our students. 30% of English education has been introduced in 2017.Our 4-year undergraduate education consists of many compulsory and elective courses and 70% of the courses have laboratories. In the last year of undergraduate education, our students specialize in a certain field of biology: Cell and Molecular Biology, Microbiology, Environmental Biology, Marine Biology, Biotechnology, Plant Biotechnology, and Radiobiology. Our students also have the chance to improve themselves by benefiting from Erasmus and Mevlana Exchange programs. European Journal of Biology (Eur J Biol), the official publication of the Istanbul University Faculty of Science, was previously published under the name IUFS Journal of Biology. Our journal, which has been published since 1940, and is scanned by various international indexes. Also, our department has FEDEK accreditation in education and training.
As Mustafa Kemal Atatürk once mentioned, “Educate the youth. Give them the positive ideas of knowledge and wisdom. You will reach the light of the future with them." You, the young people, have great responsibilities for the Republic of Turkey to progress at the level of contemporary civilizations. The successes you achieve by working with this awareness will be the successes of our country and will honor us. Dear students, I wholeheartedly believe that you will shape your future in the right way as individuals who develop new ideas, apply them, and share them without leaving the path of science, adhering to ethical principles, and I invite young people who want to grow up as fully equipped biologists in every aspect, to our department.
Prof. Dr. Ömür BULAN
I.U. Faculty of Science
Head of Biology Department
PHOTOGRAPH
NAME SURNAME
PERIOD OF SERVICE
PROF. DR. NERİMAN OZBAN
1983-1986
PROF. DR. METİN BARA
1986-1988
PROF. DR. DİNÇER GÜLEN
1988-1993
PROF. DR. ATİLLA ÖZALPAN
1993-1996
PROF. DR. NURİDDİN MERİÇ
1996-2000
PROF. DR. GÜLER TEMİZKAN
2000-2003
PROF. DR. OSMAN MURATHANOĞLU
2003-2007
PROF. DR. AYŞIN ÇOTUK
2007-2009
PROF. DR. MUAMMER ÜNAL
2009-2012
PROF. DR. NESLİHAN (BALKIS) ÖZDELİCE
2012-2015
PROF. DR. MAHMUT ÇALIŞKAN
2015- 2021
PROF. DR. MÜFİT ÖZULUĞ
2021-2023
PROF. DR. Ömür BULAN
2023- Devam ediyor...
Library of Biology Department
The Biology Department Library was closed in 2015 during the demolition of the Biology Department Building and the books were stored in containers. Our library still cannot be opened because there is not enough space for our library, yet, in the new building where the Biology Department moved at the end of 2021. In the text below you will find information about the Biology Department Libraries.
One of the libraries was located in the Botanical and Zoology Chairs Building in the garden associated with the Istanbul Mufti's Office in Süleymaniye and it was established in 1933 as the common library of the General Botany, Botany and Genetics chairs. With the abolition of the Department of Botany and Genetics, geneticists moved to the Biology Building in Vezneciler and books on genetics were transferred to the General Zoology Department Library in 1982.
The second library, the General Zoology Chair Library, was established in 1939. Part of the collection was burned in the fire of the Zeynep Hanım Mansion. The library later served in a narrow room opposite the conference hall in the Faculty of Science building, and was then moved to a large space reserved for the library in the new biology building in Vezneciler, which was completed in 1973.
The third library, II. Zoology Library, joined the General Zoology Department Library in 1988, after the Department of Zoology was closed. The Library was established in 1955, which served in the Faculty of Science building until 1973, was later moved to the Biology Department building in Vezneciler, together with the chair, in 1973.
On 08.04.2002, with a decision taken by the Rectorate of I.U., all libraries belonging to the departments were brought together in the Central Library of the Faculty of Science, and in 2006, the Biology Department Library was moved back to its buildings in Süleymaniye and Vezneciler.
There are approximately 5000 books, 225 out of circulation and 50 periodicals in circulation in the Zoology Building Library. The library contains books mainly on zoology, genetics, cytology and molecular biology, as well as books on evolution, hydrobiology, microbiology, radiobiology, medicine, etc. Subjects and a very few subjects from other sciences (physics, chemistry, etc.) are also included. The 210 m2 area meets the needs of researchers, provides photocopying services and has one meeting room.
In the Botanical Building Library, there are approximately 2700 books, 405 out of circulation and 10 periodicals in circulation. Topics mainly related to botany, plant physiology and cytology are included. The resource needs of researchers are met and photocopying services are provided in the 87 m2 area where the library is located.
