Project Supervisor: Dr. Öğretim Üyesi Miray Boğa
Duration: 1-19 July 
Application Deadline: 10 June 2024

Topic: Bio-inspired Character Design

Description:

This research project aims to raise awareness of ecology, especially among young people, through interactive media as educational material. The project’s outcome is expected to be the design of educational materials, infographic maps, and a game. As the users of this design project, the players are expected to create their own game characters through bio-inspiration, which the game structure will instruct. This practice will encourage young people to engage more with nature via an interactive, creative, and fun action. 

In the data collection and user research phase, youngsters are invited to participate in game-playing sessions to give feedback on the existing games focusing on ecology, environment, biodiversity, etc. They will also contribute to the idea generation and design development phases by practicing the design of fictional characters and ecosystems through bio-inspiration techniques. 

This internship program will have two modules, including the game-playing sessions as user research and bio-inspired fictional character design sessions as idea generation and participatory design development. The candidates may sign up for each module. However, it is highly recommended that they participate in both to get maximum efficiency.

The total duration is three weeks; the first module lasts one week, and the second does two weeks.