February Updates from Effective Altruism Turkey

Announcements

1. Effective Altruism Turkey University Students Retreat

We brought together students interested in effective altruism from various universities in Turkey and organized workshops on topics such as impactful careers, rationality, and community building. Nineteen participants who filled out the feedback form rated the retreat 8.9 out of 10 on average for meeting their expectations.

Thank you to all participants. We hope to see you again at our next event.✨ 2. Effective Animal Advocacy Reading Group

What can we do to increase the strength of the animal advocacy movement? Is it possible to develop more effective strategies, critically evaluate existing approaches and make a real difference for animals? These questions form the basis of the Effective Animal Advocacy Reading Group. This 8-week online reading group offers a learning and discussion platform for anyone who wants to create a better world for animals. With this program, participants will have comprehensive access to important concepts and discussions in the field, starting from the basic level. You will have the opportunity to explore different perspectives and develop your own activism practice in a friendly and supportive environment.

Application deadline: March 4 3. EA Ankara’s Introduction to Effective Altruism Program

A six-week discussion group designed to identify the world’s priority problems, develop the most effective solutions, and encourage individuals to take responsibility for those solutions. In this face-to-face program run by EA Ankara, you can discuss how we can better help people and other sentient beings on both a theoretical and practical level, explore different perspectives, and develop your own path to impact in a friendly and supportive environment. The first meeting will take place on Saturday, March 1 at 16:00 at Kızılay Selanik Route Cafe, with a presentation by Fırat Akova, and will be open to everyone interested.

Application deadline: March 4 4. Future Impact Group

The Oxford-based research group offers a 12-week, part-time research program for researchers working in the fields of AI security, policy and philosophy. In this program, where various topics focusing on solving the world’s most urgent problems are selected, you can apply to the field of your choice and create a global impact together with mentors who are experts in their fields.

Application deadline: March 8 5. Ambitious Impact (AIM) Programs

AIM Research Program Applications for 2025 are open. This 12-week, online and free program aims to equip participants with the skills to analyse, compare and develop strategies for effective charities and interventions.

AIM Charity Entrepreneurship Program is a two-month, full-time, online, grant-funded program designed for those who want to build a high-impact organization. Throughout the program, you can acquire the knowledge and skills needed to develop the most effective solutions to global problems and have the opportunity to start your own organization with expert guidance and community support.

Application deadlines: March 24 6. Skill Building in Animal Advocacy Webinar Series

This five-part online training series, organized in collaboration with Mercy For Animals, New Roots Institute, and The Humane League, is designed for new activists who want to learn and practice the basic skills of advocating within the community while avoiding infighting. This program, which aims to increase the collective power of the animal rights movement, offers a step-by-step learning process; each session builds on the previous one.

Application deadline: March 6 7. Hi-Med Career Planning Course

Want to learn how you can do more good in healthcare? This six-week online program offers guidance for medical students and those who want to build their careers in the field of healthcare to discover ways to create high impact in this field and set concrete goals.

Application deadline: March 19 8. Program to Make an Impact by Writing About Scientific Progress

This six-month writing fellowship, organized by Works in Progress and Asimov Press, aims to support participants in the long-term process of writing a text. It is aimed to improve the participants’ writing skills by receiving mentoring support while developing their projects in the field of scientific advancement. Scholarship opportunities are also provided.

Application deadline: March 1 9. EAG London 2025 Conference

By attending the EA Global London 2025 conference, which will be held on June 6-8, you can connect with effective altruism communities around the world, participate in various workshops and speeches, have the opportunity to chat with people with similar interests or career paths, and deepen your connection to effective altruism.

Application deadline: May 18 10. Effective Altruism Virtual Programs - Detailed EA Program

Open to participants from all over the world, this free, 8-week online program offers an in-depth exploration of a wide range of topics, from the fundamental principles of effective altruism to complex ethical questions. During the program, you may have the opportunity to think about critical issues such as the risk of human extinction, discuss effective solutions to global problems, and explore career paths in this field.

Application deadline: March 2, 2025

Selected Readings

Teaching AI to reason: this year’s most important story

In 2024, artificial intelligence made a groundbreaking improvement in its reasoning ability thanks to reinforcement learning. Benjamin Todd states that new AI models can answer scientific questions at the PhD level, surpassing human experts in coding and mathematics, and predicts that we can reach superhuman artificial intelligence capacity in science and coding within two years. He emphasizes that new developments could enable the beginning of a cycle of self-improvement of artificial intelligence, and that this is “the most important (scientific, economic and social) development in the world at the moment.”

We need a new Artesunate - the miracle drug fades — EA Forum

Nick Laing, founder of OneDay Health, draws attention to the need for new drugs due to increasing resistance to Artesunate, known as the “miracle drug” in the treatment of malaria. Although this drug, which revolutionized malaria treatment, has saved the lives of more than a million people in the last decade, its effectiveness is gradually decreasing. Laing points out the importance and urgency of allocating more resources to the search for new vaccines and treatments to eliminate malaria, along with climate change, increasing resistance to medicated bed nets (bed nets used to prevent malaria transmission) and decreasing international funds.