Sponsored by Gedik University and the Gedik Education Foundation, the “HALIL KAYA GEDIK AWARD” is presented annually to distinguished experts who have made significant contributions in the fields of welding, science, technology, and education. Recipients are selected through voting by members of the delegation. It is the first and only international Turkish award in the welding sector and academia.

The HALIL KAYA GEDIK AWARD is traditionally presented each year by the IIW (International Institute of Welding) to honor the legacy of the late Halil Kaya Gedik—one of Turkey’s first welding engineers, founder of Gedik Welding (1963), and a philanthropic businessman.

This year, the award was presented to American Professor Dr. Stephen Liu, Director of the Welding Metallurgy and Materials Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines, USA, in recognition of his contributions to the advancement of welding science and technology.

One of the most esteemed and prestigious awards in its field, the HALIL KAYA GEDIK AWARD was presented to Prof. Dr. Stephen Liu by Hülya Gedik, Chairwoman of Gedik Holding and Vice President of the IIW, during the Opening Ceremony of the 68th IIW International General Assembly held on the evening of June 28 in Helsinki, Finland.

The HALIL KAYA GEDIK AWARD was first presented in 2013 to Japanese scientist Hideyuki Yamamoto, and in 2014 to Lars Johansson, CEO of Sweden’s National Welding Education and Certification Authority (ANB).