Produce a Good, a Service or an Idea Today… (UAS 1997/ISPR 1997)
This view, which constitutes the theme of the first Production Research Symposium (UAS 1997), is the expression of our very valuable teacher, Professor Ayhan Toraman, who defended that the purpose of humanity’s creation was “Production” and aimed to instill production as a philosophy of life in those around him.
Our teacher, who pioneered production research symposiums and organized the first symposium together with Güneş GENÇYILMAZ in order to spread “Production” and have its philosophy adopted, is also among the founders of the Production Research Association.
Prof. Dr. Ayhan Toraman was born in Kars in 1938, completed his middle and high school education in Kars and Erzurum, and started his undergraduate education in the Department of Business Administration and Finance at Istanbul University Faculty of Economics in 1962. He completed his postgraduate education at the University of Nebraska, USA; He completed his PhD in Econometrics under the Department of Numerical Methods at Istanbul University. Ayhan Toraman, who worked at West Virginia University before his PhD, continued his academic career as an Associate Professor at Istanbul University, and in 1981 he was appointed as a Professor of Production Management and Quantitative Analysis at the Department of Production Management of Istanbul Technical University Faculty of Management Engineering, and retired from this department in 2005.
Ayhan Toraman, who trained many undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, conducted their theses, and supported the training of many academics and business people during his academic life, also continued his education and training activities at different universities, institutions and industrial organizations. He made significant contributions to the scientific world with publications such as national and international proceedings, articles, books, and book translations, and to society and his institution with the numerous projects he carried out. He continued this contribution with administrative duties such as Dean of the Faculty, Head of the Publications Commission, and UY-Gar Center board membership, and with the social and community projects he carried out.Ayhan Toraman has played an active role in social and political life with various activities such as the President of Istanbul University Student Union, Board Member of Turkish National Youth Organization, President of Nebraska Turkish Student Association, and member of Turkish Statistical Association. He has also transformed the knowledge he has gained through the associations and foundations he founded such as Turkish Youth Service Foundation, Istanbul Education and School Construction Association, and Arıköy Housing Construction Cooperative into a benefit for the society by sharing it with those around him.
Ayhan TORAMAN, who always uses his love and energy to empower those around him with the postulate that love increases when shared, also has books in which he tells about his experiences in the fields of science and politics. In his last publication titled “I Did Not Compromise on My Freedom”, he summarizes his book and essentially his life by saying “I love my country, my profession and my students very, very much…” and we remember our teacher Prof. Dr. Ayhan TORAMAN, who devoted himself to “production”, with love, respect and mercy, stating that we also love him very much.