Within the framework of the Erasmus+ project IM4STEM – Intelligent Methods for Structures, Elements and Materials, Prof. Dr. Ercan Işık participated as a keynote speaker at the international scientific conference “1st International Conference on Smart Systems, Design and Energy 2025”, held on November 28, 2025, in Bitlis, Türkiye.
The conference was organized by the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Bitlis Eren University, providing a forum for discussing contemporary challenges in smart systems, design, and energy efficiency.
As part of the conference programme, Prof. Işık delivered a keynote lecture entitled
“A Comparative Assessment of RC Structures Prior to and Following the 2023 Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes”.
The lecture was conducted within the scope of the IM4STEM project and focused on the causes of damage and collapse in reinforced concrete structures, based on field observations carried out in the earthquake-affected region between April 23 and April 29, 2024, as well as earlier studies.
The presentation included comparisons of pre-earthquake and post-earthquake visual data for reinforced concrete buildings, and the reasons for collapse or severe damage were evaluated based on adverse structural and construction-related parameters.
The investigated buildings were classified according to the 2019 Turkish Rapid Assessment Method, enabling a systematic evaluation of damage levels and seismic vulnerability.
The keynote lecture attracted considerable interest from conference participants and contributed to the exchange of knowledge on the seismic performance of structures, while further enhancing the international visibility of the IM4STEM project in the field of advanced analytical and empirical assessment methods in civil engineering.
