Armenian Engineers and Scientists Gather at Columbia University
By Vahan Tanal
June 1, 2010
Anahid Yeremian of Stanford and AESA members and guests at the forum in Mudd Hall of Columbia University
On May 20, 2010, over 40 noted Armenian engineers, scientists, professionals and students from many institutions filled room 826 of Columbia University's Mudd Hall for a two-hour forum focused on science in the Republic of Armenia.
Aram Setian, President AESA NY-NJ Section and CU alumnus, Vice President, Dr. Garo Khanarian Dow Chemical, and Chairman of the Mentoring committee, Vahan Tanal, former CU Professor, now of Parsons-Brinkerhoff, welcomed the conferees, many of whom were returning CU engineering alumni or faculty.
This forum focused on "The Cosmic Ray Division (CRD) of the Yerevan Physics Institute", presented by physicist Anahid Yeremian of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, and her colleague Joseph Dagdigian of Boston, both active supporters of CRD. Scientists of the Republic of Armenia have long been known for their technological innovation, and the conferees heard about the pioneering work of the CRD in Armenia to help other nations to develop and install instruments to precisely measure cosmic rays, described at www.crdfriends.org .
The one-hour presentation was preceded by an informal reception, celebrating the First Year anniversary since the establishment of the Armenian Engineers and Scientists Association NY-NJ Section (http://groups.google.com/group/aesa-ny-nj ) of AESA (www.aesa.org) that was established 1972 in California. The milestone was marked by participants discussing the role of the NY-NJ section, expectations, and membership, professional and personal interests.
The CRD presentation was followed by an unusually lively discussion, featuring several experts as discussants, including the AESA NY-NJ committee and the distinguished guests. Professor Bedrossian-Omer and Professor Harold Takooshian contributed to arranging this forum in cooperation with the non-profit professional association, Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America. Based on the enthusiasm of the participants, plans are being developed for a second and expanded forum with AESA at Columbia this fall. For any details, contact:
Aram Setian: Setianh@gmail.com
Ani Bedrossian-Omer: aab107@columbia.edu
Garo Khanarian: gkhanarian@gmail.com
Harold Takooshian: Takoosh@aol.com
Vahan Tanal: vahan@vtanalconsulting.com
For more information about the work of the Cosmic Ray Division, please visit http://www.crdfriends.org .