Researcher and writer (b. 23 February 1935, Bari / Italy). After attending
the Turkish Education Foundation's Yenişehir High School, he went to America to
study chemical engineering on scholarship. In 1956, he graduated from
California University, Department of Berkeley Engineering. In 1957 he graduated
as a chemical engineer from Michigan Institute of Technology in the United
States. He collected two prizes in 1959 when he completed his doctorate at
California University, Berkley Foundation of Chemical Engineering. From 1959 to
1960 he conducted research at the Atom Energy Center. In 1961 he gave graduate
lectures on the theories of chemistry and new quantum physics at Harvard and
Yale Universities. In 1962 he became the youngest professor of the previous 300
years at Yale University at the age of twenty-six. He established a board of
trustees at the Middle East Technical University for the establishment of a
department of theoretical chemistry of which he became the consultant
professor. He pushed for Turkish language education at the Middle East
Technical University and then established a department of theoretical chemistry
in Turkey. He retired from Yıldız Technical University. He is a member of the
Atatürk Culture Association.
In 1964 he was
appointed as Second Professor of Molecular Biology at Yale University. In 1973
he collected the Alexander von Humboldt Award for Science from Germany. He
became the first Turkish Republic Professor under a special law (1975). In 1976
he was sent to Japan as a special ambassador of Turkey and he worked for the
development of cultural, educational and scientific relations between the two
countries. Because of his achievements at Yale University he was made a
life-long professor of two chairs and then became emeritus professor for his
services to Turkey and Turkish. He became the first Turkish member of the
American Science and Art Academy. He collected the Turkish Scientific and
Technical Research Council Award for Science, the Sedat Simavi Award, the 1992
Science Age Award, the Professional Scientific and Literary Work Owners of
Turkey Award for Superior Service (1995), in addition to the Intellectual of
the Year Award, the 2001 Local Newspapers Union Public Hero Award, the Uğur
Mumcu Award for Science in Antalya and the Award for Contribution to the Turkic
World given by the Turkic World Writers Artist Foundation. He worked as a
professor and member of the board of trustees at a many universities such as
Yıldız Technical University and Kazakhstan University. Sinanoğlu, who was
nominated for a Nobel Award twice by different countries, is known with his
works and speeches against education in foreign languages in Turkey.
WORKS:
Prof. Dr. Oktay Sinanoğlu ve Türkçe -> Matematik + Bilim + Gönül (Prof. Dr. Oktay Sinanoğlu and Turkish -> Mathematics + Science + Heart, edited by Turgay Tüfekçioğlu, 1999), Türk Aynştaynı - Oktay Sinanoğlu Kitabı (The Turkish Einstein – The Book of Oktay Sinanoğlu, interview by Emine Çaykara + Albums and Documents, 2001), Bir NevYork Rüyası, Bye Bye Türkçe (A New York Dream, Bye Bye Turkish, 2002), Hedef Ülke (Target Country, interview and speeches collected by Yılmaz Çebi, 2002).
REFERENCE: Haz: Turgay Tüfekçioğlu / Prof. Dr. Oktay Sinanoğlu ve Türkçe + Matematik + Bilim + Gönül (1999), Emine Çaykara / Türk Aynştaynı Oktay Sinanoğlu Kitabı (Söyleşi: Albüm ve Belgeler, 2001), Ahmet Hakan / Oktay Sinanoğlu / Bir Türk Dehası (2002); Prof. Dr. Oktay Sinanoğlu: Asyalı Olmakla Övünüyorum (Söyleşi, Aydınlık 18 Kasım 2001), Hakan Yılmaz Çebi / Hedef Ülke (Söyleşi, 2002), İhsan Işık / Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (c. 8, s. 3208-3209, 2006) - Ünlü Bilim Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 2, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).
