Ufuk Tarı, a researcher at Istanbul Technical University Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, took part as a researcher in an ambitious research project that focuses on the coastlines that contain thousands of years of secrets of the earth and brings together the traces of the past with the climate models of the future. In the project titled "Records of Sea Level Changes on the Western Marmara Coasts and Investigation in Terms of Neotectonics of the Region", he had the opportunity to deepen his researcher identity by taking responsibility in both challenging field studies and advanced geochronological analyses.

Within the scope of the project, the last 11 thousand years (Holocene) climate and sea level changes were traced on the Gallipoli Peninsula and Gökçeada coasts. While Tarı made detailed geological examinations in the field, he also produced high-resolution coastal maps with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Samples taken from the collected sediments were analyzed with advanced dating methods such as Radiocarbon, OSL and Lead-210, shedding light on the thousands of years of history of the region.

"When you touch a coastal sediment, you are actually touching the story of a climate, a sea and a tectonic movement thousands of years ago. Rewriting this story by combining each layer of terrain, a UAV image, and a radiocarbon result took my scientific curiosity and problem-solving skills to the next level. Understanding the climate scenarios of the future with the data of the past has solidified my researcher identity in the direction of building a bridge between time and space. The education I received at ITU provided an analytical basis for me to solve this complex geological puzzle." says Tarı.

Ufuk Tarı and his team, who led the project, not only resonated in academic circles with their results, but also made significant contributions to the international scientific literature. Within the scope of the project, at least 2 SCI indexed international and 1 national refereed journal were published. The findings have been presented at prestigious international congresses such as EGU and INQUA, contributing to Turkey's scientific reputation.

While ITU transforms geological data from Marmara's deep past into a tool for understanding climate change, it also offers our young researchers the opportunity to take firm steps forward in the scientific world with postgraduate education. The preparation of one master's and two undergraduate theses within the scope of the project is proof that Ufuk Tarı's experience is the product of an environment where our students gain not only knowledge but also a culture of scientific production.