GİSAM (Audio-Visual Systems Research and Application Center) is a research and application center affiliated with the Middle East Technical University. One of GİSAM’s important tasks is to maintain METU’s visual memory. Witnessing many important events on campus since its establishment in 1993, GİSAM also records the pre-founding times through oral history studies, building and preserving METU’s institutional memory.

Another important interest area of GİSAM is science communication. As a video center located on the university campus, GİSAM has also taken on the important mission of bringing science to society.

Since its establishment, GİSAM has been a meeting place for students interested in cinema and video at METU. Alongside elective courses opened every semester, practical training is provided to students interested in video production throughout the year in workshops. In addition to routine work at GİSAM, documentaries and short films dealing with social and historical subjects are also produced. GİSAM expands its scope every day with national and international projects it pioneers or is a part of. Collaborating with various national cinema organizations and festivals, GİSAM also makes a significant contribution to the social and artistic environment of METU and Ankara by organizing joint film screenings and events throughout the year.

In 2009, GİSAM was awarded the Mass Communication Award at the 20th Ankara International Film Festival with emphasis on the aforementioned characteristics.