Double Victory in Europe by YTU Students
Students from Yıldız Technical University (YTU) achieved a remarkable success at Shift Appens 2025—one of Portugal’s most prestigious hackathon events—bringing pride to both their university and their country. Representing Turkey as the only team in the competition, they competed with two separate projects and secured first place with an autonomous drone and an AI-powered mobile application.
Hosted by the University of Coimbra, this year’s 11th edition of Shift Appens gathered over 280 participants. The YTU Multidisciplinary Innovation Technologies (MINT) club’s “Shining Star” team proudly represented Turkey and their university, winning first place in two out of the event’s three main categories. Meryem Koç, a graduate student in YTU’s Intelligent Transportation Systems program, took first place in the “SPADE Drone SLAM + Autonomous Flight” category with her SLAM-supported autonomous drone project developed using ROS. Meanwhile, Yusuf Yılmaz, an undergraduate student in Computer Engineering, won the “Gamification” category with his Java-based AI-powered mobile app.
Held in May, the Shift Appens hackathon brings together undergraduate and graduate students, as well as industry professionals from across Portugal. It provides a platform for creative projects in technology, software, and innovation. The event has gained recognition not only in Portugal but across Europe, attracting developers and innovative ideas from various countries each year.
A National Signature on Global Technologies
The double victory at Shift Appens 2025 is a testament to YTU’s growing contribution to the global technology ecosystem. The award-winning projects span a wide spectrum—from autonomous systems to artificial intelligence—delivering internationally viable solutions. Meryem Koç’s SLAM-supported autonomous drone project stands out as a significant achievement in the field of autonomous aerial vehicles, incorporating real-time mapping and localization. Her drone is capable of creating maps during flight and positioning itself accurately on them. Yusuf Yılmaz’s AI-powered mobile app, developed in Java, aims to foster cultural awareness through personalized experiences and interactive quizzes, effectively combining AI with gamification.
YTU Rector Prof. Dr. Eyüp Debik met with the winning students to congratulate them personally. He emphasized that this success clearly demonstrates YTU students’ competitiveness on a global scale. “I sincerely congratulate them for this meaningful achievement and thank them for representing both our university and our country in the best way possible on an international platform,” said Prof. Dr. Debik.
We once again wholeheartedly congratulate Meryem Koç and Yusuf Yılmaz for proudly representing our country and university at Shift Appens 2025, and we are proud of their contributions to science, technology, and global innovation.