13.06.2026 20:30
Batman high school students, who made Turkey proud by winning two awards in a worldwide science competition held in the USA, were enthusiastically welcomed in their hometown. The champion young people, who stood out among 1,800 inventors with their artificial intelligence project that enables ALS patients to communicate using only eye movements, were honored in a ceremony at their school.
Students from Batman Türk Telekom Anatolian High School, who returned with a double award from the Regeneron ISEF 2026 finals, the world's most prestigious pre-university science competition held in the USA, were welcomed as heroes in their hometown. The three young students from Batman, who developed an artificial intelligence-supported mobile application to ease the lives of ALS and paralyzed patients, brought great pride to Turkey by surpassing over 1,800 students from approximately 80 countries.
A WELCOME CEREMONY FIT FOR CHAMPIONS
Following their historic success in the USA, a grand welcome ceremony was held at their school for 12th-grade students Eyüp Bilir, Eren Aygün, and Sinan Güneş upon their return to Batman. The successful inventors were warmly embraced in the schoolyard by Provincial Deputy Directors of National Education Beşir Tileği and Ahmet Sedat Aydın, School Principal Mehmet İsen, TÜBİTAK Provincial Coordinator and advisor teacher Emre Arslan, along with their teachers and school friends.
THEIR TEACHER'S GRIEVANCE BECAME THE PROJECT'S INSPIRATION
The process that drove the young students from Batman to this meaningful project began when their English teacher, Emre Arslan, lost his father to ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Deeply affected by their teacher's suffering, the three idealistic young students took action for paralyzed individuals who lose motor neurons, speech, and movement abilities but can use their eyes until the very last moment.
THEY ENABLE COMMUNICATION USING ONLY EYE MOVEMENTS
The developed artificial intelligence-supported software allows patients to write text on the screen using only their eye movements by utilizing the front camera of mobile devices. Through the application, patients can audibly transmit these written texts to the other party. Additionally, they can communicate with their relatives and other patients like themselves via a special social media platform embedded within the system. The application, tested in Turkey, received full marks from patients.
THE LADDER OF SUCCESS REACHING FROM TURKEY TO AMERICA
With their accessibility project, the Batman team first secured second place in the TÜBİTAK Turkey Finals and then first place at TEKNOFEST, earning the right to represent Turkey on the international stage held in the USA from May 9-15. Standing out among 1,350 projects in the competition, the young students achieved a double honor, winning both the 'Special Award' from international organizations and the 'Grand Award' evaluated by the main jury.
'THIS ACHIEVEMENT WAS OUR DEBT OF GRATITUDE'
Speaking after the award, student Sinan Güneş stated that touching the lives of paralyzed people made them happier than the award itself, while Eren Aygün announced that they would soon release the application on digital markets to reach more patients. Project advisor teacher Emre Arslan, experiencing emotional moments, said, 'This project and the awards we received were a debt of gratitude to my father, whom I lost to ALS. We are very proud for our country and our city.'