About Melih Yalçıneli

I have known Melih Yalcineli since 1989 when he, right out of University, started teaching physics in my high school where I was a freshman student. If I were to sue anybody for leading me to a career in physics research, it would be Melih. His constant enthusiasm and energy attracted me to physics, a long way from my very promising wrestling career! As a teacher, who was only a few years older than his students, he immediately earned respect- which is not an easy task- in the school and organized a group of students who were interested in positive sciences: predominantly but not exclusively in physics. In a young school which was virtually unknown, with no graduates, he had a hard task to build a science group which could compete at the international level. At the time his ideas seemed a million miles away from the reality and I personally did not believe in him. But he was steadfast in his course and a look at the list of his students, would reveal that he succeeded. Melih's efforts not only produced many Olympic medalists and made the school famous , but also generated a serious interest in positive sciences among the students who then made careers out of sciences. Melih is a person with new ideas, problems and projects at a given time.  He is never dull and static. Put him in a new environment, conform, he may not , but I would bet anything that he will swiftly affect that place in a positive way. Despite suffering a lot from bad health, from bad financial state and from the lack of positive feedback and appreciation to what he did, he never stopped producing new ideas.  He is restless. From the moment I met him, he has been like a hectic school boy, full of life and energy.He is humble and ready to learn, if one can beat him in the argument. I would rate him way far up in the list of the most interesting people I have met. An inquisitive mind, a revolutionary

Bayram Tekin , Post-Doctorate , Brandeis University, USA, 1991 Kuba Fizik Olimpiyatlari Milli Takımında

Melih Yalcineli is one of the most influential role models in my life. I met him in my first year in Yamanlar Science High School. He was one of the very first and few graduates of the Physics Education Department of Bogazici University and started teaching us Physics.  His vision, dedication and enthusiasm brought a new perspective of education into that newly founded high school. Mr. Yalcineli initiated many special programs to encourage students to study basic sciences in theory and in practical applications. These programs resulted several of his students to be elected for national teams to represent Turkey in International Science Olympiads and International High School Science Project Competitions and received several national and international rewards. He was a proficient teacher, an inspiring leader and a true friend in the course of those studies. The cliché of  “follows the new ideas and developments in his filed” although is true but falls short to describe him.  He also researches and very often creates new methods and techniques and implements them with a unique success. His special interests and experience in “education of gifted children”, “career planning/counseling by character profiling” and “application of computer and multimedia technologies in education” make  him extraordinary educator.

Nezih Pala, PhD. , Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ,  USA, 1991 Kuba Fizik Olimpiyatlari Milli Takımında

Mr. Melih Yalcineli was my physics teacher when I was studying for the International Physics Olympiad. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the Physics Department of Bogazici University, which is one of the best universities in Turkey. After graduation, he started teaching physics at Yamanlar High School. In part, thanks to Mr. Yalcineli,Yamanlar High School became well-known for the high number of its students who were sent to scientific olympiads and national and international project competitions. Mr. Yalcineli was a very enthusiastic and hardworking teacher, the driving force in our relatively new and growing school.Mr. Yalcineli has a truly unique personality. He is self-confident, enterprising, and forward-looking. He is a teacher who keeps up-to-date by following new ideas and developments in his areas of interest, such as education, academic advising and computer technology. He has the innate ability to motivate gifted students. In addition, he is deeply interested in using computer-aided technologies and other original methods to help intelligent students to grow as learners and individuals. To sum up, he is an extremely qualified teacher, a wonderful person who both motivates his students and cares for his profession.

Salih Adem  1993 ABD ve 1995 Avustralya Fizik Olimpiyatlari Dunya Birincisi

Melih Yalcineli was my special physics trainer at Yamanlar High School,between 1991-1993. I met him two years after  he had started teaching physics and tutoring special students who were preparing for International Physics Olympiads (IPhO). We, as his students, always admired his tremendous enthuasiasm toward his job and dedication to science.  He  was a motivating "leader".  Being around him or joining one of his talks was  just enough to  get us motivated about our studies. I can say with a great confidence that I learned first time what hard working is by watching  and working with him.He was living at the High School premises so that we can study with him day and night. Up to this date, I haven't seen any professor, who was that much enthuasiastic about his job. He was always coming up with new ideas and applying them. He was ordering new books from abroad, getting us new computers and making possible to do experiments on the computers, finding various tests  for carrier selection and IQ measurements,  writing books and producing resources for students who were interested in physics and giving us talks about what he had recently learned. He was always searching, learning and developing himself.   I guess seeing his innovative side gave us the self-confidence that we can achieve great things and make discoveries as well. Today I continue my academic life in a PhD program on computational biophysics at the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, as a result of vision and motivation he inspired in me  during those years.

Sinan Aslan, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign USA 1993 ABD Fizik Olimpiyatlari Dunya Ucuncusu

I have known Melih Yalcineli since 1989. He was my high school physics teacher at the time. As anybody, who had the opportunity to see him at least once, could easily tell, covering the material in the curriculum by giving lectures and preparing exams was not enough to fulfil his enthusiasm. It is true that he gave the most creative, interactive and motivating physics lectures and unorthodox exams I have ever had, but his main responsibility was to prepare students for the International Physics Olympiad. His determination, encouragement and leadership were some of the most important ingredients in the success of our (relatively new) high school, the kind of success that made it a nationally recognized institution. As a more personal note, I should say that Mr. Yalcineli has been a great influence in my life. I always remember him as an example especially when I am up for a challenge. I feel very lucky for having the opportunity to know such a distinguished teacher and a wonderful person.

Tolga Etgu, University of California at Berkeley USA ,1991 İsvec Matematik Olimpiyatlari Dunya Ucuncusu

I am pursuing my carreer in Physics in Max Planck Institute, Gottingen, Germany.I should admit that my interest in Science has bloomed in high school years under the supervision of Mr.Melih Yalcineli. He inspired not only me, but also hundreds of students in his courses with his enthusiasm. The remarkable number of students took part in national and international Scientific competitions prove his skills in science education and shows that his extraordinary endeavour was not fruitless.

Yasin Ekinci,  Max Planck Institute, Gottingen, Germany1994 Çin Fizik Olimpiyatlari Teşvik Ödulu

Melih Yalcineli was my Physics Olympiad trainer when I was preparing for the International Physics Olympiads in 1992. He is the pioneer physics teacher in physics Olympiad competitions in Turkey. During his period, the Turkish Physics Olympiad team achieved to get Gold medals and reached the paramount of their success.  Not only in Olympiad studies but also in physics education at high schools, he opened a new era. Regarding this, he introduced the virtual physics labs in computer for the first time. His works are always the-state-of-the-art. He utilized the computer technology successfully for the physics education. He introduced us the novel technologies such as interactive physics program, electronic lab, and many computerized measurement systems which have been used for the physics education at universities in US recently. Many physics projects were performed by using these facilities and awarded by TUBITAK. I think that the basic reason of all these successes mentioned above is due to his personality and his profession. He is a man of high performance hard-working, seeking novel ideas, thinking realistically and studying independently.  He is highly motivated person who is very successful to motivate his students and to help realize their dreams. He is dedicated to his job like a mission. I think that he, an educator and entrepreneur, will keep opening new doors and showing the best model of his job.

İbrahim Yılmaz, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ,  USA, 1992 Finlandiya IPHO Türk Fizik Milli Takımı Aday Kadro    

I was a student of Mr. Yalcineli most of whose students have succeeded in pursuing their academic lives in the US. Formally he can be described as an excellent teacher, however he is also a professional counselor and a team leader. Moreover, He is a guru to trainers of National and Int'l Physics Olmpiads competitions, Project comptetions to mention some.He has a nice and mature personality, which makes him dominant in colloborative studies. He has an extra-ordinary creative teaching competency that makes students feel a fresh atmosphere of academic environment.His Scientific enthusiasm and a habit of regular study are remarkably developed.Good interpersonal competence, maturity, disciplined work habits, diligency,adequate intellectual ability, and verbal ability are some of attributes thatwill enables Mr. Yalcineli to be successful.

Yıldırım Alkış Syracuse Univ. Science Educ. Fac.  USA 1992 Finlandiya IPHO Türk Fizik Milli Takımı Aday Kadro

Melih Beyi 1994 yılından beri tanımaktayım. 94-97 yılları arasında fizik olimpiyatlarına hazırlık için çalıştırıcılık görevinde iken birlikte çalışabilme şansına sahip oldum. 97 yılından bugüne gelinceye dek fikri alışverişimiz sürekli olarak devam etmektedir. Melih Bey kişisel kaabiliyetler açısından çok yönlüdür:- Öğretici-öğrenen gerilimini iyi yakalamış, bu gerilimi başarılı bir şekilde uygulayıp bilgi aktarma görevini etkili bir süreç haline dönüştürebilen ender eğitmenlerden biridir.- Teknolojik ve bilimsel gelişmeleri takip eden, bu konularda kendini geliştiren ve kolay uyum sağlama yeteneği gelişmiş, üretim ve uygulama öncesi araştırma konusunda dikkatli, sabırlı ve düzenli, uygulamada ise sorunlara zekice ama basit, aynı zamanda güçlü çözümler bulabilen, akademik yönü güçlü, üretken bir bilim adamıdır.- Liderlik vasıflarına sahip, hızlı ve dinamik grup oluşturabilme ve organize kaabiliyetlerini iyi kullanabilen güçlü bir yöneticidir. Denetimi ya da eğitimi altındaki kişileri kolayca yönlendirebilen takım halinde uyumlu çalışmalarını sağlayabilen çözüm üreten ve çözüm üretilmesini sağlayan, kişilerin bağımsız karar verebilmeleri için onları motive edebilen ve bu konuda geniş bir hareket alanı bırakan başarılı bir takım liderdir.Melih Bey kişisel, yönetsel ve üretim olarak herkesin örnek gösterdiği üstün vasıflı nadir insanlardan biridir.

Fatih Buğan Araştırmacı Mühendis ,TÜBİTAK, 1994 Çin IPHO Fizik Milli Takımı Aday Kadro ve Türkiye Üçüncülüğü

   Melih Bey’le tanışmamız ilk okulun sonuna rastlıyor. O yıl, Türkiye genelinde, belli derecelere sahip öğrencileri toplayarak özel bir sınıf oluşturmayı planlamışlar. Benim derecem 1100. lük civarındaydı. Daha iyi imkanlar olsa daha iyi sonuçlar alınır mıydı; bilemiyorum. Bulunduğum ilçe küçük bir yerdi. Tercihlerimde Ordu Anadolu Lisesi’nden baska birşey yoktu. Büyük şehre çıkma cesaretim yoktu galiba. Bu işin, benim için en anlamlı yönü ücra köşelerdeki insanlara bile ulaşılabilmiş olmasıydı.Yazın bir zeka testi yaptılar ve benim gibi yaklaşık 15 öğrenciyle özel sınıfı kurdular. Okula, bahsettiğim sınav için gittiğimizde bizi kapıda karşılayan insan daha sonra bir çok yılımızın beraber geçecegi Melih Bey’den başkası değildi. İlk konuşmamızda Salih Adem’in dünya üçüncülüğünden bahsederek beni çoktan kafalamıştı bile. Neyi nasıl ve ne zaman söyleyeceğini iyi biliyordu yani. Daha okula başlamadan çalışmaları kafamızda kurmuştuk, kendi çapımızada.. Daha sonraki yılları bu kadar ayrıntılı hatırlamam elbette mümkün değil ama sonuç olarak, şunu söyleyebilirim ki onu tanıdıkça bu hayranlığım hiç azalmadan sürekli arttı. Onda gördüğüm en önemli özellik bir ferrari kadar hızlı olmasıdır. İstediğimiz herhangi bir dökümanı teneffüste göz açıp kapayıncaya kadar evine gidip getirmesi ve çoğu zaman bizim hızına yetişemediğimizden yakınması hafızamdan hiç silinmeyecek sanırım. Hep, bir “dahiler okulu” planlamıştı. Fakat ne yazık ki hafızamdan silinmeyeceğini düşündüğüm diğer bir şey de çoğu zaman düşüncelerini gerçekleştirecek maddi gücü bulamıyordu. İmkanlar kısıtlıydı. Buna rağmen bir “profesyönel” olmasını biliyordu. Bence, eğer imkan bulabilmiş olsaydı su anda dünyada parmakla gösterilecek organizasyonlarda Türkiye pastanın çok önemli bir dilimine sahip olurdu. Zaten şu anda birçok öğrencisi iyi üniversitelerde fiziğin değişik dallarında çalışmalar yapıyor. Oluşturduğu dökümanlar, aradan bunca yıl geçmiş olmasına rağmen, Fizik Olimpiyat çalışmalarının bel kemiğini veya diğer bir tabirle iskeletini teşkil ediyor. Motive etme kabiliyeti o kadar iyi ki hala internetteki sayfasına bir göz attığımda kendimde extra bir enerji hissediyorum. Aklıma gelen bir diğer şey de Melih Bey’in ileri görüşlülüğü. Tübitak sınavlarında kimin geçip kimin kalacağını ve hangi doğru cevap sayısının sınır olacağını büyük oranda doğru tahmin etmesi, okulda çok erken bir dönemde multimedya işine el atması, internet imkanlarının kısıtlı olduğu ilk zamanlarda bizi sık sık Manisa’ya kadar, sırf internet için, götürmesi sanırım ne demek istediğim hakkında yeterince fikir veriyordur. Son olarak onun çok iyi bir organizatör olduğunu söyleyebilirim. Amerika’dan bile deney malzemesi getirmesi, ulaşılamamış soruları her nasılsa ayağımıza kadar getirmesi, okulda düzenlediği fizik kampına Kazakistan’dan bile öğrenci getirmesi de bu konuda örneklerden. Şu an için bize normal gelebilecek bu işlerin hangi zaman ve şartlarda yapıldığı düşünülürse Melih Bey’in kıymeti daha iyi anlaşılabilir. Türkiye’de olimpiyatların tanınması ve yayılması onun sayesinde gerçekleşti. Ve ne yazık ki hala “daha orijinal” bir şey bulunamadığından dolayı da bu iş (olimpiyat çalışmaları) taklit edilerek devam ediyor.  

Ayhan Düzgün, ODTÜ,  1999 İtalya Fizik Olimpiyatlari Dunya İkincisi