Category: 2019

BY RICHARD OHANIAN

Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America is organizing a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Conference & Expo at Glendale Tech Week. AESA is excited to host these events as a strategic initiative that is bound to become a hallmark event in Los Angeles, aiming to converge the Armenian STEM community worldwide in an annual celebration of achievements in STEM. The event will take place from September 15 to 17.

The AESA Conference at Glendale Tech Week 2019 will be held on Sunday, September 15, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Glendale Central Library, located at 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale, CA 91205, and it will include cutting-edge STEM related presentations and multidisciplinary panel discussions in a wide variety of technical topics. Undergraduate and graduate students, as-well-as professionals engaged in science and engineering will present their work in form of a poster or oral presentation. Businesses and university affiliates will have the opportunity to advertise academic programs and scout for talented individuals in our community.

This is an exceptional collaboration and networking opportunity among diverse presenters, program affiliates and local audiences. Students and professionals in science and engineering are expected to present their research and technology related advancements to a broader audience. The goal of the conference is to create a forum for STEM professionals, researchers and students to share their research with a broader audience, network, and create opportunities for further collaboration among participants. This year, the list of speakers at the conference consists of world-renowned researches and experts in various STEM disciplines such as medicine, robotics, chemistry, computer science, and astronomy.

The AESA Expo will be held on Monday, September 16, and Tuesday September 17, from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Armenian Society of Los Angeles, located at 117 S. Louise St., Glendale, CA 91205. It will showcase creative startups and established companies from Armenia and the U.S., and present their extensive wealth of technology talent and world-class entrepreneurial excellence. This will be an exceptional opportunity to market breakthrough innovative products and services and network with local and international professionals in STEM related fields, and benefit from collaboration with local and global businesses in our technology ecosystem by exploring funding opportunities with investors and venture capital organizations in the Southern California region, as well as market products to local and global needs. Participating companies will present their unique talents in this marquis event and also find new talent to hire. This event is open to all tech companies here in the U.S. and abroad, especially for tech companies from Armenia to augment their business and brand name.

AESA is a non-partisan, non-sectarian, and non-profit organization founded in 1983 in Glendale, CA, based on a vision to create a worldwide Armenian scientific organization with the objective of creating venues for all engineers, scientists and industrialists of Armenian descent to network, interact and help one another. Throughout its history, AESA has organized and implemented many projects, conferences, seminars, and workshops in Armenia and United States to achieve its goals. We firmly believe that advancing in STEM and utilizing STEM based models and processes guarantees a bright future for our nation-state. Professional organizations such as AESA, with their STEM based value system, professionalism, and global reach can and must play a central role in creating that bright future.

AESA’s mission is to enable and empower an Armenian STEM Community worldwide to reach its fullest potential and facilitate global progress through STEM education, collaboration, and humanitarian initiatives. We strive to impact the Armenian nation, state and the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. Our vision is to be the leading platform for enabling the worldwide Armenian STEM Community to network and address global challenges through innovative solutions and to foster a world where STEM professionals, especially Armenians, are empowered, enabled, and influential. Our mission and vision, as well as our values, based on scientific rigor/endeavor and innovation, teamwork and collaboration demonstrate and enforce our commitment to search for knowledge and uphold the truth without any ideological or political bias. We promote the free and fair exchange of ideas and we believe that the clash of ideas is the only way we can solve today’s challenging problems.

At present, AESA is engaged in various activities including organizing annual AESA Science Olympiad for middle and high schoolers, where students from Armenia and Artsakh are also participating, establishing AESA chapters in universities, organizing annual AESA STEM Conference/expo, initiating AESA Leadership & Entrepreneurship Academy, awarding scholarships for STEM graduates and undergraduates, organizing periodic STEM lectures, and finally recognizing STEM professionals with awards such as the award named after Victor Hambartsumyan, who was the first recipient of the prestigious award.

Our long term goals include creating a global Armenian “STEM Community” worldwide, attracting youth and new-members towards STEM, becoming a role model for professional organization in Armenian nation-state, partnering with STEM based entities in Armenia and other countries, organizing annual AESA Regional Conferences, establishing AESA Leadership & Entrepreneurship Academies in Armenia and other countries, awarding hundreds of scholarships and grants to STEM students, establishing research centers and STEM based think-tanks in Armenia and the diaspora, as well as accelerators and incubators for start-ups and finally implementing high-impact/high-value STEM based projects and initiatives in Armenia and the diaspora.

Visit the website to read more about AESA activities. AESA Conference and Expo programs and registration info can be found online.

To reach out to AESA with any inquiries regarding the AESA STEM Conference & Expo, please send an email.

Richard Ohanian is a Principal Engineer with GM/Cruise, and lecturer at Caltech. He is the 2019 Vice President, and 2020 President of AESA. He can be reached by email.

BY HOVSEP DAGHDIGIAN

Karen Balayan, born and raised in landlocked Armenia, is a sea captain. He looks the part, and speaks clearly with a calm, assuring voice; all I presume an asset for one who commands a ship and its crew. But besides this, he is a historian and a naval architect. He also may be considered an experimental archaeologist. Experimental archaeologists study the past, striving to replicate the past by living, working, and building as they believe people did long ago. Doing this allows them to verify theories about the past and gain insight about how people lived and thought, and the difficulties they encountered.

Karen (pronounced “Garen” in Western Armenian) was trained as an engineer, but had an interest in the sea — initially building model boats and exhibiting them at shows and competitions. His main interest was less in winning awards than introducing Armenian boats to the rest of the world.

On Armenia’s Lake Sevan he learned to sail small sailboats, later building larger 29-foot sprit-rigged sailboats and promoting sailing among enthusiastic young Armenians. All the while he researched Armenian nautical history and architecture. Balayan studied ancient boats uncovered at Lchashen on Lake Sevan as well as boats of other nations, but his main focus was on merchant ships of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (12th c to 14th c) in the northeast corner of the Mediterranean Sea. This area is currently in Turkey and Syria. In 1985 Karen Balayan and friends founded the Ayas Nautical Research Club (www.ayas.am), with an office in Yerevan currently filled with nautical memorabilia.

This was followed by six years of extensive research on Armenian nautical history, shipbuilding, and navigation techniques at Armenia’s Madenataran — an ancient manuscript repository — as well as at archives and museums in Amsterdam, Venice, Genoa, Marseille, Portugal and other ports that documented their medieval trade with Armenian merchants. Many of the traded goods were from Armenia, including Artsakh, while other goods arrived at Armenian Cilician ports from Asia via caravans over the Silk Road. Cargos were then delivered over sea routes by Armenian merchants. In the 13th century, shipbuilding skills were passed down from father to son or to apprentices. Now these skills had to be rediscovered. While there was information on the shape and size of Armenian merchant ships, there was little information about their interiors. But as Balayan pointed out, the ships were designed to hold cargo, not for crew comfort. Sailors probably slept on top of the cargo. Balayan and his colleagues had to not only reinvent 13th century shipbuilding craft, but had to determine what tools and materials were used, and what instruments were used by 13th century Armenian mariners, as well.

In ancient times pine, oak, and cedar were used. This time oak was procured for major structural elements such as the ship’s skeleton, while pine planks were used for decks and for cladding the hull. Cedar is no longer available due to its scarcity and high cost. To construct the keel of the 65-foot long ship, an oak tree with a trunk and root of the same shape as the keel was cut to fabricate a strong, single-piece keel. Navigation was by maps using astrolabes, a medieval instrument predating sextants. According to Balayan, this allowed determination of both latitude and longitude though it required about a half hour of calculation to determine the ship’s position. But, since astrolabes from around the 13th century are extremely rare, he borrowed five of them from museums and collectors. After carefully disassembling them and copying their parts, accurate replicas were constructed.

To learn seamanship, Balayan traveled to Georgia where he enrolled in school, receiving his ship captain’s license. Just as there were no experienced 13th century ship builders to learn from, there were also no old salts left to teach sailing a 13th century ship. So, the Cilicia’s crew spent two years learning to sail the ship on Lake Sevan. Finally, they gingerly towed the ship on a specially built trailer through the mountains of Armenia and Georgia to the Black Sea, setting sail under an Armenian flag.

Initial financing for this project was from friends. Later, when success appeared on the horizon, other donors came forth to help. The ship had little modern equipment except those items required by maritime law — a small engine and a radio.

In 2004, flying an Armenian flag and starting from the Black Sea with a crew of 12, the Cilicia ship visited the ports that a 13th century Armenian merchant ship would have visited, including the Armenian Cilician ports of Ayas, Korikos, and Alexendretta (in current day Turkey), then Syria and Lebanon, as well as other ports on the Mediterranean. Later, it was on to Europe and Russia. They did not sail during the winter months. Turkey offered no impediment to visiting ports. Off the coast of Syria, a coast guard ship quietly approached during the nighttime darkness then lit its searchlights. The Syrians were cautioned to take care that this was a fragile wooden ship and to avoid potentially damaging contact with their metal ship. Two Syrian officers boarded the ship. Only the Syrian captain spoke English (the international maritime language). They toured the ship and were quite impressed. In Greece, the Cilicia ship was put into port after surviving a severe storm resulting in damage to the ship’s rudders. Greek officials were impressed that the ship survived the storm and was able to make it to port — a testimony to the seamanship of the Armenian crew and the seaworthiness of the ship.

During three years the Cilicia traveled 15,000 nautical miles. After visiting European ports and Russia, it sailed down Russian rivers entering the Black Sea. The ship was then transported back to Armenia’s Lake Sevan, having visited 25 countries and 63 ports.

The ship is currently out of the water, at home in Armenia’s Port Ayas, near the Artinash peninsula on the coast of Lake Sevan. It needs some repairs due to exposure to the hot sun. As Balayan stated, if the ship stayed in the water, it would not last more than 10 to 20 years. Current plans include the construction of a new home for the ship — a maritime museum in Yerevan near Yerevan Lake where the ship together with Armenian maritime history will be on display. Classes in sailing as well as other activities will be offered. The museum is planned to have a controlled environment, which will help preserve the ship and minimize maintenance. The ship will be visible from outside the museum, hopefully attracting visitors. The establishment of a new museum featuring the Cilicia, as well as other aspects of Armenian nautical history, will be a major addition to Armenia’s cultural and historical attractions. It will encourage further interest in the largely unknown field of Armenian nautical history.

A number of non-Armenians who visited the Cilicia during its journey have offered support, as has the city of Yerevan. Land has been designated for the museum’s construction though this process has not yet been finalized. Positive discussions have been held with relevant Armenian ministries and with Yerevan authorities. There is a sponsor for funding this project, though it is unclear if this will cover the complete cost of the museum.

There is a great deal of information about the Cilicia ship online, including videos. Simply search for “Cilicia Armenian Ship.”

SACRAMENTO—The Divestment from Turkish Bonds Act, known as AB 1320, passed the California State Senate on Wednesday with a vote of 33 in favor, no opposition and seven abstentions. The bill now goes to the Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk.

California has a long history of divesting from countries that violate human rights, South Africa (apartheid policy), Sudan (Darfur genocide), and Iran (international terrorism, human rights violations). A divestment from Turkish bonds over Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide, the continued funding of a campaign of genocide denial, and the recent erosion of democratic principles would send a clear message internationally that California, the fifth largest economy in the world, demands justice for 1.5 million Armenians killed.

“California is a signature away from sending a clear message to Turkey to stop their deceitful campaign of genocide denial,” stated Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian.

“Having spearheaded the Divest Turkey movement for the past several years, the ANCA-WR is grateful to the California State Legislature for once again taking a stand by passing this bill. We now look to Governor Newsom, with whom we recently had a very productive discussion on this issue, to sign the bill into law so that California’s fiscal policy can mirror its human rights policy on justice for the Armenian Genocide,” said Nora Hovsepian, Esq., the Chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region.

AB 1320 prohibits the boards of the California Public Retirement System (CalPERS) and California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) from making additional or new investments, or renewing existing investments issued, owned, controlled, or managed by the government of Turkey after federal sanctions are imposed on Turkey.

The boards shall liquidate investments only upon action taken by the federal government. More specifically, CalPERS and CalSTRS must liquidate any of the investments described above within six months of the passage of federal sanctions on Turkey.

This bill also requires the boards of CalPERS and CalSTRS to submit reports to the Legislature and the Governor, within a year of when the federal government issues sanctions against Turkey. The report will detail a list of investments that they have already liquidated and a list of investments that potentially can be liquidated.

BY RUPEN JANBAZIAN

Born in the village of Chegoggin, Nova Scotia, Canada, in 1872, Nurse Sara Corning made it her life’s mission to help others. In her mid-twenties, she moved to the United States for training and worked in New England for almost 20 years, before returning to Nova Scotia to help the 10,000 victims of the Halifax Explosion.

In 1918, at the age of 46, Sara was certified by the American Red Cross and joined Near East Relief — an organization created to help civilians affected by the Great War. Landing in Constantinople (Istanbul) soon after, she helped rescue and care for thousands of Armenian and Greek orphans, often risking her life in the process, for more than a decade.

In 2016, nearly a century after Corning’s heroic decision to dedicate her life to help genocide survivors, David and Jennifer Chown of Nova Scotia founded the Sara Corning Society, which honors the nurse’s life and humanitarian work. A number of activities honoring Corning, including the unveiling of a statue dedicated to her, will be taking place this weekend in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

I recently spoke with David and Jennifer to learn more about what is in store.

Rupen Janbazian: How did the idea of establishing the Society come about?

Jennifer Chown: As we became more aware of Sara’s Red Cross volunteer service in Armenia, the former Ottoman Empire, and Greece, we gradually realized how significant her service turned out to be. From 1919 to 1930, she saved and cared for thousands of orphaned children and adult refugees.

R.J.: How did you two get involved?

J.C.: I reached out to the mayor of Yarmouth to suggest that a street be named in honor of Sara Corning. In meeting with other interested individuals, we agreed that Sara was as deserving of a statue as any war hero or humanitarian. The Sara Corning Society was formed not long after that, with 12 members.

R.J.: How is the Society governed and run? Does it have a paid staff, or is it run strictly by volunteers?

J.C.: We are a not-for-profit corporation made up of 12 members in Yarmouth, Dartmouth and Fall River, Nova Scotia. My husband and I are the founders and co-chairs.

R.J.: Tell us how the idea of erecting a monument in the humanitarian’s honor transpired.

J.C.: A statue seemed to best suit how to honor Sara’ s memory, because it underscores the importance of her story for this generation, as well as the one she helped to care for —including the generations yet to come. A timeless story of someone who stepped out of their comfort zone to help others. This is worth preserving in a lasting way. It also helps to uncover a relatively unknown historical connection between Canada and Armenia — with opportunities for even greater collaboration now. We hope there will be a Canadian embassy established in Armenia soon.

R.J.: How was the site chosen?

David Chown: There were several sites offered but this site was special for several reasons. First of all, her archival holdings are in the adjacent museum. The statue site is where the Zion Baptist Church once stood — a church, which Sara would have attended, like a “mother church” to smaller local Baptist churches — but it was recently demolished due to structural weakness.
In a sacred way, Sara’s statue will now bring a healing presence to the site for local residents. The Yarmouth County Museum and Archives has been a great partner with the Sara Corning Society in efforts to bring this together so we are pleased that the statue will now be owned by them.

R.J.: Tell us a little about the artist commissioned to create the statue.

D.C.: Renowned artist and sculptor Garen Bedrossian from Montreal and Yerevan has invested his heart and soul into this statue. We can feel the heartbeat of Armenia in this initiative — when he sculpted and formed Sara’s image in the city where she first arrived in 1919 to help set up orphanages and hospitals for the thousands of orphans at that time. Garen’s work reflects his Armenian roots and Sara would have been deeply touched that someone from the country, and people she came to know so well, created a statue in her honor 100 years later.

J.C.: We would also like to acknowledge the generous donors of the statue, Simon and Maral Hasserjian of Toronto, whose vision to show their gratitude for Sara’s service on behalf of Armenians has now brought our communities together in a deeply personal and beautiful way.

R.J.: A host of activities honoring Corning, including the unveiling of the statue, will be taking place this weekend. Tell us more about what is planned.

J.C.: The weekend of commemorating Sara Corning will begin on September 13 with a staged reading of a play titled “Memories of Sara Corning” written by Christine Bolger and performed by Martha Irving. The statue of Sara Corning with children will be unveiled at 1 p.m. on September 14 at the Yarmouth County Museum lawn. The Sara Corning Commemorative Dinner will be held that evening at the Rodd Grand Hotel. Other events include an art show at the Waterfront Gallery and a workshop at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Yarmouth branch. Additional details of the events are on our Facebook page.

R.J.: It is well known that Corning was quite humble — so much so that those who knew her well didn’t know the extent to which she affected humanity. If alive today, do you think she would want to be honored and recognized in such grandiose fashion or would she perhaps feel uncomfortable getting all this attention?

J.C.: When Sara arrived home from the Near East, she would have been sensitive to the orphans that she cared for. There were fears of reprisals at that time and she would want to protect them by being silent. As a result, few Nova Scotians have known about her. Also, in any theater of war or post-war eras, it was difficult to describe what those who served would have witnessed and she would have seen the worst of humanity as well as the best of humanity — all at the same time. She was a strong woman with strong faith, there is no doubt of that. She would not have sought recognition as she will be receiving today, but there is no question that she would be pleased — no, elated — to know that people from her area of birth are meeting and developing friendships with the descendants of the ancestors who she would have helped to rescue and care for. We believe she would be very pleased and honored to know this.

R.J.: Any future plans for the Society?

D.C.: We are working through a lengthy process to have Sara Corning named as a National Historic Person by Parks Canada. We are seeking funding support for a nurses’ scholarship in Sara Corning’s name at the Yarmouth campus of the Dalhousie School of Nursing in Yarmouth. A small memorial community park in the tiny Chegoggin village where Sara was raised and later where she retired is being planned to honor Sara’s memory. It is adjacent to the cemetery where she is buried which is also near her home.

J.C.: In addition, the Town of Yarmouth and the Armenian Ambassador to Canada are interested in pursuing a sister-city partnership between Yarmouth and a municipality in Armenia.

D.C.: We see opportunities for initiating Corning Conferences in a world that needs to learn more about genocide education. Sara herself once wrote: “We believe that education is what all nations need to advance.”
The Sara Corning Centre for Genocide Education in Toronto, founded by Raffi Sarkissian and named after Sara, has made great strides in introducing genocide education into the school curriculum in Ontario. We would like to see further outreach for this nationwide. Including speaking engagements about Sara Corning, the research is ongoing and we have additional projects, which are in the works. Her story reaches across a broad spectrum of topics, which are all relevant today.

A delegation of lawmakers from France’s National Assembly and Senate, headed by the chair of the France-Artsakh Friendship Group Guy Tiessier arrived in Stepanakert on Tuesday and met with the leaders of Artsakh on Wednesday in a series of meetings that highlighted cooperation with France and advancing Artsakh’s right to self-determination on the world stage.

Artsakh President Bako Sahakian welcomed the delegation and after briefing the French lawmakers about the current developments, he underscored that Artsakh was interested in advancing cooperation with France, which he said would be a significant turning point in the country’s foreign policy.

The delegation also met with Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mayilian who underscored the importance of the visit and the opportunity it provided for French lawmakers to gain first-hand knowledge about the current situation in Artsakh, which would help in furthering relations between Artsakh and France.

Mayilian touched upon the state-building process and the democratic developments taking place in Artsakh, in particular, the recent elections to the local self-government bodies. The Foreign Minister stressed that Sunday’s election served as yet another manifestation of the process of advancing of Artsakh’s domestic priorities, based on democratic values.

The sides assessed the achievements and challenges in advancing bi-lateral relations and stressed the need for Artsakh to continue developing relations with the international community and highlight the fundamental rights and freedoms by its citizens.

Mayilian emphasized the need to multiply efforts toward the development of parliamentary diplomacy and decentralized cooperation between the two countries, emphasizing the key role the France-Artsakh Friendship Group plays in that regard.

During a meeting with Speaker of Artsakh’s Parliament Ashot Ghulyan, the sides discussed advancing cooperation between the two countries’ legislatures.

Tiessier, the leader of the French delegation, expressed willingness to raise awareness about Artsakh around the world.

During a special ceremony at Stepanakert’s War Volunteers Park following the meeting, Ghulyan and Tiessier were joined by members of the delegation and other officials in inaugurating a sign that celebrates the friendship between France and Artsakh.

“I congratulate everyone on another symbol of Artsakh-France cooperation and wish perpetuity to our friendship,” said Ghulyan during remarks at the ceremony.

Environmental activists were joined by citizens on Wednesday in a protest rally and march during which they called on the government to not move forward with a proposed operation of a gold mine in Amulsar in the Vayots Dzor province of Armenia.

The protest began in front of the parliament building days after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan urged an end to the blockade of roads leading to the Amulsar mine, where operators have been prevented to complete the necessary construction to begin excavating the mine.

From the onset of the project and the Lydian takeover of the mine, local residents opposed its excavation citing concerns for environmental hazards. During the popular movement in 2018, Pashinyan pledged that he would focus on the Lydian project and other mines, prompting residents to block the road to Amulsar beginning in June 2018.

The issue gained national attention last month when Pashinyan green lighted the project after an independent audit found that the environmental hazards would be minimal. Pashinyan’s decision elevated the opposition and called into question the validity of the audit, which was entrusted to the Lebanese-based ELRAD company, whose officials last week began pointing fingers at Lydian officials for not providing the necessary information for the audit, essentially backtracking from the initial report.

Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan met with protesters on Wednesday. He told them that he was there to not engage in a discussion, but to listen to concerns and answer technical questions.

‘Last time [there was a protest] brawl erupted and there were some tensions. Now I have come to defuse such developments,” Mirzoyan told protesters, adding that while he shared some of the concerns voiced by the protesters, he also found others to be groundless.

The protesters then began marching to Republic Square where during a rally they collectively declared September 20 as Environmental Mobilization and Justice Day. This is also the date that that residents of Jermuk, a town to Amulsar, have set as a deadline for the government to take a decision on excavating the mine.

Pashinyan told Parliament on Wednesday that he will not break laws to prevent a Lydian International from mining gold at the Amulsar.

The prime minister also complained that activists were paying little attention to environmental risks posed by other, functioning mines, and are excessively focused on the Amulsar project, which is deemed as the largest U.S. investment in Armenia at a reported price tag of $400 million.

“If we are talking about an [environmental] disaster, then that disaster happened a long time ago. We just don’t know or are not told about that so that our spirits remain high,” Pashinyan sarcastically told parliament.

On Monday Pashinyan called on protesters to end their more than yearlong blockage of all roads leading to Amulsar, saying that his government has no “legal grounds” to pull the plug on Lydian’s project. He said the project’s continued disruption would have severe consequences for Armenia’s economy and even national security. He also argued that Lydian has given the Armenian government more guarantees that mining operations at Amulsar would not contaminate water, soil and air.

According to Azatutyun.am, during the government’s question-and-answer session in the National Assembly an independent parliamentarian strongly opposed to the project, Arman Babajanyan, challenged Pashinyan to explain why his government is not unilaterally revoking Lydian’s mining license issued by Armenia’s “former criminal regime” in 2016.

“My position on Amulsar and any other issues is that everything must be according to the law,” Pashinyan replied. “This is very important because we are talking about [building] a rule-of-law state, and if in some cases there are environmental, emotional and economic approaches to an issue I believe that the right solution to those approaches must be a legal approach.”

“If we illegally shut down the [Amulsar] mine now, we will illegally shut down a media outlet tomorrow, illegally shut down a factory the day after and so on,” said Pashinyan according to Azatutyun.am.