FIG Foundation - Building a Sustainable Future

Report from Cemre Sahinkaya

FIG Foundation Young Surveyor Grant Recipient to attend the FIG Congress 2018 in Istanbul, Turkey

“I am feeling very lucky to be granted as a Young Surveyor in 2018 and to be able to attend to the 4th YS Conference and the FIG Congress in Istanbul. The support of FIG has been definitely encouraging me to improve my professional skills and motivating me to go further.”

The FIG Young Surveyors Grant 2018 that was offered by the FIG Foundation was received by 5 selected young surveyors all around the world and I (Cemre Sahinkaya, Turkey) became one of the grant recipients with my friends James Quick (United Kingdom), Mudit Kapoor (India), Ana Julia Herrera Gonzalez (Costa Rica) and Jean-Pierre Habiyaremye (Rwanda).


FIG Foundation Grant Recipients 2018

Before the 4th Young Surveyors Conference which was held on 4th and 5th of May 2018, in Istanbul, we were invited for a dinner by Mr. John Hohol, FIG Foundation President, to come together and get to know each other. It was a nice experience to all of us to meet and talk about our backgrounds and careers.

First meeting of the FIG Foundation Grant Recipients 2018, Istanbul

In the first day of the of Young Surveyors (YS) Meeting, I was responsible for preparing an ice breaker activity with my friend, Ana Julia Herrera Gonzalez from Costa Rica. In the activity, we served traditional Turkish delight in different colours, which were used for asking different questions to each other, in order to help break ice between the participants.

Ice Breaker Session" at the 4th Young Surveyors Conference

The Conference was carried on with speeches and discussion parts for 2 days. During the YS Conference, we could get a chance to know many Young Surveyors from different. It was very beneficial to hear their experiences and stories and meet them in person. It was sure that the Conference helped all of us to have an active and a wide-range of professional network. Personally, I did not only meet with young surveyors from foreign countries and cultures but also meet the ones colleagues from the other parts of my own country, Turkey.

Afterwards, the XXVI FIG Congress was started on the 6th of May 2018. The Congress had 4 plenary sessions called “Urban Development”, “Modern Technology Usage for our Profession”, “Rural Development” and “Spatially Enabled Societies”, in addition to the technical sessions. I could also get a chance to present my paper on the urban regeneration projects at the conference and extend my network internationally.

I am feeling very lucky to be granted as a Young Surveyor in 2018 and to be able to attend to the 4th YS Conference and the FIG Congress in Istanbul. The support of FIG has been definitely encouraging me to improve my professional skills and motivating me to go further. Currently, I am taking a part at the FIG Commission 3 as a young surveyor and experiencing the FIG projects, organizations and events closer. I certainly recommend the surveyors to join FIG and be a part of it!

/Cemre Sahinkaya
B.Sc. Geomatics Engineer & Urban Planner
M.Sc. Land Manager