Tansu Daylan
Turkish Coffee and the Cosmos (TC2)
I occasionally organize informal gatherings among Turkish members of my research group, our Department of Physics, and other academic units at WashU, as well as the broader Turkish community in Greater St. Louis or those visiting from other metro areas, to catch up, nerd out, grab food, or drink Turkish Coffee in the Gateway City, as part of a meetup group colloquially known as the Turkish Coffee and the Cosmos, or "T-C-squared" short. However, anyone interested in Turkish culture or the Turkish language is welcome to join!
I believe such collectives lead to stronger mentorship for new international students and other early-career professionals in the region, grounded in the many shared cultural values between the US and Turkey, and help build a stronger international community that integrates well with the society.
If you’d like to join the meetups, you can sign up for our mailing list, turkishscholars@lists.physics.wustl.edu, by sending an email to
turkishscholars-join@lists.physics.wustl.edu.
St. Louis and Istanbul
As a side note, Saint Louis has several places with striking connections to my hometown, Istanbul, including the Ottoman Garden at the Missouri Botanical Garden, with a sundial modeled on the Topkapı Palace, the Cathedral Basilica, which has the same Byzantine architecture as Hagia Sophia, and the Turkish Pavilion in Tower Grove South.
