Systems, Man & Cybernetics - January 2017 - 37

EEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC) Magazine introduces Okyay Kaynak, an emeritus
professor at Bogˇaziçi University in
Istanbul, Turkey.
SMC Magazine: Describe your current position, research areas, and
interests.
Kaynak: I am an emeritus professor
at Bogˇaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, and also affiliated with the Harbin
Institute of Technology in China. My current research interests are in the fields
of intelligent control and mechatronics.
Industrial big data and cyber-physical
systems are in my intellectual neighborhoods. However, my fellow title is mostly
due to my work in sliding mode control
(for the SMCS-a happy coincidence).
SMC Magazine: What motivates you
to do research, teach, and volunteer?
Kaynak: With regard to motivations for research and teaching, I think
it is a matter of character: one is born
with them. I have always had an inquisitive mind, and I have always enjoyed
sharing what I know with others. Volunteering is in essence joining a team,
and I enjoy being a part of a team.
SMC Magazine: Who are your role
models? Why?
Kaynak: For most Turkish people
around my age, Ataturk is a role model
because he transformed the Ottoman
Empire, which was in ruins, into a
modern and secular nation-state. Under his leadership, a great number of
reforms were made. Another role model of mine is Martin Luther King for his
role in the advancement of civil rights.
Everybody should have a dream!
SMC Magazine: How did you get
started as a volunteer (in the IEEE
and elsewhere)?
Kaynak: About 35 years ago, I
spent nearly a year in Japan. At that
time, my host, Prof. Harashima, introduced me to the Industrial Electronics
Society. That is how my volunteering

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MSMC.2016.2623871
Date of publication: 17 January 2017

Okyay Kaynak:
Long-Time Member
of the SMCS
in IEEE started. However, before that,
in my high school and university life,
I was active in student-led organizations. Maybe that is also a part of one's
character-the desire to contribute to
the community one lives in. Teaching
may be a part of this desire.
SMC Magazine: How do you see the
SMCS of the future?
Kaynak: We are living in an era of
convergence. The boundaries between
different disciplines are eroding; what
is what is becoming very difficult to
define. Convergence is fueling further
convergence, and ultimately what we
see is the emergence of different disciplines, centered on systems (perhaps systems of systems) and human
beings. So there is the S and M of the
SMCS! Regarding the C, Wikipedia
defines cybernetics as being a "transdisciplinary approach for exploring
regulatory systems, their structures,
constraints, and possibilities. In the
21st century, the term is often used in
a rather loose way to imply 'control of
any system using technology.'" What
else can I say? The SMCS will be in the
heart of the next industrial revolution:
Industry 5.0.
SMC Magazine: Describe your early
work for the SMCS.
Kaynak: I have been a member
of the SMCS for many years now. Being active in the IEEE, I have always
been in contact with colleagues from
the SMCS, and have cooperated with
them on many occasions. The publications of the SMCS cover my research
interests, so I have published in them.
I had the honor and pleasure of organizing the 2010 IEEE International
Conference on Systems, Man, and
Ja nu a r y 2017

Cybernetics in Istanbul as the general
chair. This enabled me to meet many
colleagues from the SMCS. Most recently, I was appointed as a Distinguished Lecturer and then became a
member of the Board of Governors.
SMC Magazine: Tell us how and why
you volunteered to serve the SMCS.
Kaynak: Well, the areas that the
SMCS covers are very much in my
research areas. Furthermore, the
next industrial revolution, Industry
5.0, will be around systems, man,
and cybernetics, as I have previously
discussed.
SMC Magazine: What do you consider the most challenging aspects of
the SMCS?
Kaynak: The transdisciplinary nature of what is to come will be most
challenging. We must learn to work
not only with engineers and scientists
but also with social scientists, such
as sociologists, ethnographers, and
anthropologists. However, challenges
are what make life interesting!
SMC Magazine: What achievement
are you most proud of?
Kaynak: I am most proud of leading the teams that conceived, designed,
and brought to life two IEEE publications, namely IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics and IEEE
Transactions on Industrial Informatics. It was going to be a hat trick with a
third one...but we can leave this matter
to perhaps another time.
SMC Magazine: Tell us about your
social life.
Kaynak: I am happily married to
Pervin, my sweetheart of over 40 years.

IEEE SyStEmS, man, & CybErnEtICS magazInE

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