YURI'S NIGHT (Amateur Astronomy Club)
Yuri’s Night is an event celebrated every year on April 12—or on the weekend closest to that date—to commemorate the successful mission of Yuri Gagarin, the first human to travel into space. This global celebration includes commemorative events, seminars, film screenings, and parties. Since its founding, the METU Amateur Astronomy Club has celebrated Yuri’s Night regularly, with only minor exceptions. Starting in 2015, the club adopted the celebration concept popular on U.S. college campuses, which includes a film screening followed by a music-filled observation party with costumes, and began implementing it in Turkey.
Since 2014, it has become a tradition for a club member to give a talk on “Yuri Gagarin and the Space Race” each year in the Necdet Bulut Amphitheater (Physics Department, Triple Amphitheater). This is followed by a screening of a classic science fiction movie. Later, a sky observation session is organized in front of the Atatürk Monument on the Physics Lawns, where participants are encouraged to wear costumes. During this observation, a costume contest is held to determine the most creative outfit, accompanied by various dance music. Through the club’s telescopes, participants can observe planets and bright stars.
For the past 8 years, the METU Amateur Astronomy Club has been organizing one of the few Yuri’s Night events in Turkey that is officially licensed by yurisnight.net. The event has now become a well-established tradition.
PHOTO FESTIVAL (Amateur Photography Club)
ENGINEERING COMPETITION (European Technology Students Association)
PROGRAMMING COMPETITION (Computer Club)
To encourage university students to engage with computer science, to contribute to our country’s goal of cultivating engineers who can develop fast, accurate, and complete solutions to real-world problems, and to foster friendships among young people who are passionate about computers, we organize a national programming competition in Turkey every year.
Our competition focuses on algorithm development and problem solving, featuring questions similar in format to the Computer Olympiads and the ACM ICPC. It consists of two stages: a preliminary round and a final round. University student teams of 1 to 3 people participate in the competition. The first stage is held online through a competition system that remains open for 48 hours. We evaluate the submitted solutions in a Linux environment and determine the teams eligible for the second round.
In the second stage, we invite the top 17 teams from approximately 200, covering their travel and accommodation expenses, to compete in the final round held at the Computer Engineering Department laboratories of our university in Ankara. This stage also takes place in a Linux environment.
KODTÜ COMPETITION (Computer Club)
KODTÜ is a programming competition we organize annually, with goals and objectives similar to our national programming contest, but specifically designed for METU students. It is held online in a single stage and follows a similar format. Teams can consist of 1 or 2 members. While there are no restrictions on who can participate, only METU teams are considered for prize rankings.
INFORMATICS DAY (Computer Club)
Informatics Day, our second largest and long-standing traditional event following our programming competition, is held annually in April or May at the METU Culture and Convention Center. We invite prominent figures from the IT sector to share their experiences with us. It also serves as a networking platform where our sponsors set up booths in the foyer area and interact with students pursuing education in the field of informatics.
SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY FESTIVAL
(Science Fiction and Fantasy Club)
AYKUT KENCE EVOLUTION CONFERENCE
(Biology and Genetics Club)
BLUES & JAZZ DAYS
(Jazz Club)
Organized by the METU Jazz Club since 2011 during the spring semester, Blues & Jazz Days is our most traditional event. It spans two days and features performances by musicians from Ankara as well as talents nurtured within the METU Jazz Club, all taking the stage at the METU Architecture Amphitheater. The audience enjoys a rich blend of both jazz and blues music.
JAZZ IN AUTUMN
(Jazz Club)
Held every fall since 2017 and named after the season, “Jazz in Autumn” is an event hosted by the METU Jazz Club at the METU Architecture Amphitheater. It brings together many jazz musicians from Ankara and across Turkey. The aim of the event is to offer jazz enthusiasts in METU and Ankara a nostalgic, autumn-themed musical experience.
CONTEMPORARY DANCE DAYS
(Contemporary Dance Club)
The first edition of the METU International Contemporary Dance Days was held in 1999, and since 2001 it has gained the status of an international festival. The entire process is organized solely by university club members on a voluntary basis and without any financial interest.
Contemporary Dance Days take place on the METU campus and span four full days. During the day, the festival offers workshops led by professional dancers in their respective fields, as well as panels and talks on a variety of topics. In the evening sessions, the audience is treated to dance performances—either choreographed group pieces or solo acts—by dancers from various dance schools and conservatories.
Open to everyone with an interest in movement, the festival is planned from the beginning of the academic term in order to deliver an improved experience each year.
One of its core missions is to spread art to wider audiences and to create a shared, free space for anyone interested in movement. In this spirit, the festival annually hosts both local and international choreographers and dancers on campus. In past years, dancers and institutions from countries such as France, Italy, Australia, Slovakia, the United States, Iran, the Netherlands, and Germany have participated in Contemporary Dance Days.
EUROSIMA – EUROPEAN UNION SIMULATION CONFERENCE
(Foreign Policy and International Relations Club)
INDEPENDENT ECONOMICS CONGRESS FOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS
(Economics Club)
CRYSTAL TREE AWARD CEREMONY
(Young Entrepreneurs Club)
GO TOURNAMENTS
(Go Club)
Alpar Kılınç Memorial Go Tournament:
Held to commemorate our founder Alpar Kılınç, this five-round tournament has been organized for over 25 years, mostly during the last week of December at the METU Cafeteria. It annually hosts over a hundred Go players of various skill levels.
METU Go Summer Tournament:
Organized for over five years at the beginning of August on the METU Campus, this five-round tournament brings together Go enthusiasts for a competitive yet friendly experience.
CAMPUS DEVELOPMENT DAYS
(IEEE METU Student Branch)
This is the largest-scale event organized annually by our club. It includes sessions with leading speakers in their fields, hands-on workshops, booths, panels, and various thematic concepts. Students have the opportunity to interact directly with the participants and professionals, making it a highly engaging and interactive experience within the IEEE METU community.
HACKATHON (IEEE METU Student Branch)
The Hackathon event brings together software and entrepreneurship enthusiasts from all over the country. Participants stay on-site continuously for 48 hours, during which they generate ideas and work on developing an application or website. This three-day software and idea competition also includes smaller events and presentations.
GİRİŞ:MCLK (IEEE METU Student Branch)
This two-day entrepreneurship event involves participants working in teams to learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and develop ideas aligned with sustainable development goals. The event aims to provide participants with hands-on experience in entrepreneurship focused on sustainability. At the end, teams present their ideas to a jury, and the top three are awarded prizes. This year, the event venue is also planned to be environmentally friendly.
POWER AND ENERGY CONGRESS (IEEE METU Student Branch)
This year marks the 8th edition of our event, where experts from the industry will share up-to-date information on topics such as Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Energy Monitoring. The two-day event will be held in a hybrid format, with one day in person and one day online. The audience mainly consists of engineering students, especially those studying electrical and electronics engineering. The event is free and open to all METU students.
FINANCE CONGRESS (Business Club)
JAPAN WEEK (Japanese Culture Club)
CHEMISTRY WEEK (Chemistry Club)
Held annually with designated themes, Chemistry Week primarily involves students from METU’s departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Petroleum Engineering, Food Engineering, Physics, Biology, Statistics, Economics, and Business Administration, as well as students from various universities across Turkey. Our event covers themes such as Nanotechnology and Energy, Chemistry in Industry, and Challenges Chemists May Face in Their Future Careers. Expanding on these concepts, we aim to organize a week-long event with various activities during the weekdays and two days of conferences on Saturday and Sunday, enriched by the valuable contributions of our participants.
The conference segment of Chemistry Week consists of academic presentations covering subfields of chemistry and talks sharing experiences from professionals working in different industry sectors. This two-day event, attended by approximately 400 participants, also includes competitions.
BIOCHEMISTRY CONFERENCE (Chemistry Club)
Since 2014, this biennial event has gathered around 200 university students and academics interested in biochemistry, chemistry, biology, chemical engineering, and related fields. It takes place face-to-face at the METU Culture and Convention Center and lasts one day, featuring presentations by expert academics and companies specializing in biochemistry. The Biochemistry Conference aims to promote and popularize the subfield of biochemistry and science to a broader audience.
CLASSICAL GUITAR FESTIVAL
(Classical Guitar Club)
This is a traditional event of our club, with its first edition held in 1989. The METU Classical Guitar Club hosts this grand festival annually during the spring semester, lasting between 3 to 4 days. The festival welcomes both local and international guitarists who have dedicated many years to their profession. The program includes seminars, one-on-one masterclasses/workshops where professional guitarists meet with amateur guitarists to share their experiences and knowledge, and concerts featuring performances by master guitarists, which are the highlight of the event.
TURKISH MUSIC DAYS
(Classical Turkish Music Club)
Organized by the METU Classical Turkish Music Club, "Turkish Music Days" is held over several days during a designated week, usually in the first weeks of the spring semester. The event hosts distinguished artists and features performances by the groups within our club. It plays a significant role in introducing Turkish music and our community to music lovers who are beginning their journey into the rich world of Turkish music. We have been gathering with you at the traditional "Turkish Music Days" for over fifteen years.
KTMT END-OF-TERM CONCERTS
(Classical Turkish Music Club)
Our student choir, composed of METU students interested in Classical Turkish Music, works throughout the academic year under the guidance of our skilled choir conductor. They come together to perform at the "End-of-Term Concert." Although the choir members change every year, the student choir has been continuously active since the founding of the METU Classical Turkish Music Club and holds this concert annually during the last weeks of the spring semester.
SHOW YOUR TALENT (Lodos Club)
The first "Show Your Talent" event was held in 2013 and takes place every year during the week of March 21, World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. The event features a team of individuals with Down syndrome traveling from out of town to perform theater, poetry readings, dance, and more. The aim of this event is to demonstrate that individuals with differences can be active in all areas of life and to offer them support.
INNOVATION DAYS (Mechanical Engineering and Innovation Club)
DEBATE TOURNAMENTS (Debate Club)
ROCK FESTIVAL (Music Clubs)
ROCK'N BLUES DAYS (Music Clubs)
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES (Musical Club)
PSYCHOLOGY DAYS (Psychology Club)
INTERNATIONAL ROBOT DAYS (Robot Club)
SOCIOLOGY DAYS (Sociology Club)
THEATER FESTIVAL (Theater Club)
ANATOLIAN MUSIC DAYS (Turkish Folk Studies Club)
FOLK THEATER FESTIVAL (Turkish Folk Studies Club)
INTERNATIONAL SPRING FESTIVAL (International Youth Club)
BOOK FAIR (International Youth Club)
MANAGEMENT AND ENGINEERING DAYS (Efficiency Club)
This seminar event aims to bring together students with successful companies and expert speakers in their fields to facilitate knowledge transfer. Over three days, through seminars, panels, and discussions, participants gain maximum benefit while leading speakers provide unique personal development opportunities through sharing their experiences. In addition to the sessions, the event features a rich foyer area that offers networking opportunities for both companies and participants.
Management and Engineering Days is not only the largest student event at METU but also one of the biggest in Ankara in terms of attendance. With its renowned speakers and collaborating companies, it attracts participants nationally each year, continually earning this distinction.