Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University (BEUN) hosted the international AIRQUEST Symposium, organized as part of “BSB00168 – Know What You Breathe: Mobilizing Communities for Air Quality in the Black Sea Basin (AIRQUEST)” Project, supported by the EU within the scope of Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin Program and in which BEUN is one of the lead partners.
The opening program of the symposium held between April 27-29, 2026, was held at the BEUN Sezai Karakoç Cultural Center foyer area. Academics from various countries, experts, public institutions representatives, local governments and private sector stakeholders attended the ceremony.
BEUN Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Şenol Hakan Kutoğlu along with BEUN Vice Rector and the Dean of Faculty of Engineering Prof. Dr. Servet Karasu, also representatives from Zonguldak Municipality, Kozlu Municipality, Provincial Directorate of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change were present in the ceremony.
In his opening speech, the project coordinator, a member of BEUN Faculty of Engineering Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökhan Gürbüz stated that they aim to raise awareness in the air quality in the Black Sea Basin, include the public in the decision-making process, and create solutions on common data in the project. Gürbüz also stated that the initiatives taken as part of the project yielded significant outcomes contributing to regional environmental policies.
As part of the program, CleanAir Analysis Center and BSB AIRQUEST mobile applications were also introduced. The outcomes of the project including monitoring and analysis of the air quality as well as raising awareness were widely appreciated by the attendees.
The results of the short story and STEM competitions organized for the middle school students to promote environmental awareness among young generations were shared with the attendees. Thus, education-based activities to raise environmental awareness among children along with the scientific and technological initiatives were highlighted.
Rector Özölçer: “We carry out our initiatives in the field of environment and sustainability with determination”
Rector Özölçer: “We carry out our initiatives in the field of environment and sustainability with determination”
In his remarks on the AIRQUEST International Symposium, BEUN Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Hakkı Özölçer stated that the international projects in the field of environment increase the visibility of the university and continue to contribute to the society and added:
“As Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, we are proud to organize this meaningful symposium, which is an outcome of the project accepted by EU in 2024. We are glad to be a part of the projects that produce solutions to environmental problems, strengthen international collaborations, and prioritize public awareness.
This symposium hosted by our university as part of the AIRQUEST Project, is significant in terms of sharing scientific knowledge and strengthening the vision of a sustainable future.
CleanAir Analysis Center and BSB Airquest mobile application are concrete examples of the research capacity and solution-based approach of our university.
With this in mind, I would like to thank all academic and administrative staff, project partners, and all stakeholders here who contributed to the project, particularly Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökhan Gürbüz, and wish the symposium would be beneficial.”
As part of the 3-day-long program, various sessions will be held on air quality, environmental policies, sustainable development, environmental data management, and public awareness. It is aimed to strengthen the international collaboration and increase information share in the symposium that focuses on local and global solutions to environmental problems.
