Olcay Birgül

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Olcay Birgül was born in 1940 in Çamlıhemşin, Rize. She graduated from Ankara Girls' High School in 1957 and the Chemistry Department of Ankara University, Faculty of Science in 1962. She completed her doctorate at the University of Kent in England between 1965-1968. She received an Atomic Energy Commission scholarship in 1955-1957 and a TÜBİTAK international scholarship in 1965-1968. She worked as a researcher in the Nuclear Chemistry Laboratory of the Atomic Energy Authority between 1962-1965, and as assistant professor and associate professor in the Chemistry Department of METU from 1969 until her death on August 17, 1987. She worked as a visiting professor at McGill University (Montreal, Canada) between 1974-76, and at the University of Kent (England) between 1982-1983. He was the head of the Department of Chemistry at METU between 1978-1982. He taught general chemistry, inorganic chemistry and nuclear chemistry in the Department of Chemistry. Olcay Birgül published his first scientific article titled “Absorption of Sr-90 by soil” with Prof. Cemil Şenvar in 1965, when he was working as a researcher at the Atomic Energy Authority, Ankara Nuclear Research Center. Five of his articles from his studies with his doctoral advisor Prof. Lyle from Kent University were published in the journal Radiochimica Acta. In these studies, the yields of fusion products resulting from the bombardment of Pa-231 with 14.8 MeV neutrons were measured. Olcay Birgül continued his studies with Prof. Lyle after his doctorate, both by going to England and by inviting Prof. Lyle to Turkey. Olcay Birgül has many articles published with Prof. Dr. Namık Kemal Aras, Prof. Dr. H.N. Erten, Prof. Dr. L.Yaffe and other scientists. Olcay Birgül was the master's thesis advisor of İlhan Güçlü, Nursel Bekişoğlu, Hale Göktürk, Şebnem Aksoyoğlu, and Hüseyin Al at the METU Chemistry Department. He was Hüseyin Al's doctoral thesis advisor, but could not participate in the doctoral thesis jury, which was completed shortly after his death. The region most affected by the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident on April 26, 1986 was the eastern Black Sea region. Hazelnuts and teas grown in this region were contaminated with very intense radioactivity. The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority and government officials responsible for monitoring the effects of the accident and reducing its health and environmental effects adopted attitudes such as downplaying, disregarding, and denying the consequences of the accident through the press after the accident. Economic concerns were prioritized over health and environmental concerns. Authorities claimed that even if there was radioactive contamination in teas, it would not be a problem and would not have any effect on human health. However, tea is a beverage that people of all ages drink in large quantities every day in our country. Olcay Birgül, İnci Gökmen, Ali Gökmen from the Chemistry Department and Aykut Kence from the Biology Department prepared a report on the results of their measurements and experiments on radioactive pollution in tea and submitted it to the METU Presidency to be presented to the Radiation Safety Committee. When this report was featured as the lead news in the Hürriyet Newspaper on January 27, 1987, the faculty members who prepared the report were invited to the Çekmece Nuclear Research Center of the Atomic Energy Authority and defended their report in front of a committee of 15 people. In addition to the measurement results, the report suggested that the radiation dose received from tea was high, that pregnant women and children in particular should be protected, and that radioactively contaminated tea should be withdrawn from the market. With the introduction of new products to the market, it was decided to withdraw the contaminated tea. The President of Çaykur, the President of the Atomic Energy Authority, and the Minister of Industry were dismissed from their posts. Olcay Birgül, who was also from Rize and knew how tea was collected, was very concerned about the people living in Rize and those who collected tea during this entire process. On August 13, 1987, while on a trip to the Black Sea with a relative to see the results of the accident on site and determine what could be done, he was seriously injured in a traffic accident at the exit of Ordu province and passed away on August 17, 1987. The Ankara Medical Chamber decided to give the 1988 Public Health Award to the research group consisting of Olcay Birgül, İnci Gökmen, Ali Gökmen and Aykut Kence, considering their scientific studies on radiation, which poses a significant threat to our health, without compromising despite all the pressure and obstacles.

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https://hdl.handle.net/11511/112245
https://bellek.metu.edu.tr/handle/11511/112245
https://memoriam.metu.edu.tr/doc-dr-olcay-birgul/

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METU Bellek, Biography