The Clark Atlanta University's Center for Academic Excellence in National Security (CAENS) Studies permitted the 2006 and 2007 IC Scholars to experience the people, history, geography and Islamic culture of Turkey . With Turkey being at the crossroads of the East and the West and providing a unique blend of Islamic and Christian history, the CAENS Studies program administrators decided that it would again be the ideal place for the students to visit for cultural immersion.

After their visit to Turkey , one of the students wrote, “I had no idea that Turkey was so imbued with both Islam and Christianity. There was a mosque or cathedral on practically every corner. Two of Istanbul's most famous sites, the Blue Mosque, a Muslim place of worship, sits on one side of the street, and the Hagia Sophia Museum, a former cathedral, sits on the other side.” All of the students were surprised to learn that the Virgin Mary's cottage was in Turkey and that archeologists and religious historians found the cabin by piecing together clues from both the Koran and the Bible.

One of the highlights of the trip for the students was the visit to Middle Eastern Technical University (METU) in Turkey 's capital city of Ankara . Founded in 1956, the University now has a student body of 19,500, from 50 countries around the world. The students were given a tour of the campus, including the METU-Technopolis, one of the world's fastest growing science parks, which hosts approximately 140 high-tech companies.

METU professor also gives the scholars a lecture on the Turkish language and sends them on a shopping spree to test their skills.