AUA reaffirmed its commitment to developing the study and practice of quantitative economics in Armenia at a public launch of its new Master of Science in Economics program on February 7. The Open House introduced the program to prospective students, finance professionals and the broader community. The new program, devised by AUA with the cooperation and encouragement of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), will prepare students for careers and advanced studies in a wide range of fields in economics. Career options include sectors such as public and private banking, insurance, consulting, quantitative analysis, and others.

AUA signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), marking a new chapter in collaboration between the two organizations. The collaboration will provide students from the College of Business and Economics with internship opportunities at UNICEF. AUA hopes to expand the partnership to include internships in public health, human rights, and environmental sustainability

On February 12, the College of Science and Engineering and the Acopian Center for the Environment organized a seminar exploring the nuclear disasters at Chernobyl, Fukushima and Three-Mile Island. The seminar led Dr. Vahe Kharazyan, head of the Instrumentation and Control Department at the Yerevan Combined Cycle Power Plant (Yerevan JEK), reviewed the sequence of critical events leading up to the accidents at each plant, the countermeasures taken, their effectiveness, and the consequences of the public’s exposure to radiation.

On February 4, President Bruce Boghosian led a tour of AUA’s campus to Birthright Armenia participants who are in Armenia volunteering. Participants had an opportunity to visit the newly renovated AGBU Papazian library, classrooms, and Manoogian Hall. They also had a unique opportunity to talk with President Boghosian about AUA’s founding, its existing graduate programs and the upcoming start of AUA’s undergraduate program.

Dr. Syuzanna Vasilyan, Assistant Professor in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, participated in "Challenges and Perspectives on Contemporary Russia" at the University of Padova where she made a presentation on Russia’s Policy Towards The South Caucasus. While she was in Padova, she also delivered a guest lecture on the Policy of the European Union towards the South Caucasus to the graduate students in International Politics and Diplomacy, Department of International Relations at the University of Padova, Italy.

Dr. Thomas Samuelian, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Stephan S. Khzrtian, Director of the Center for Excellence and Negotiation, authored a study entitled “The Armenian Culture of Negotiation: A Social Institution under Reconstruction?” which appeared in Yerevan State University’s scientific journal, the YSU Banber. The paper examines the Armenian conception of effective and actual negotiation behavior in Armenia.

Public Health Seminar to Explore Impact of Narrative Medicine on Alzheimer’s Disease
Thursday, February 21, 6:30 PM
Manoogian Hall, Paramaz Avedisian Building

International Scientific Symposium on Emerging Issues in Environmental and Occupational Health: Mining and Construction in Transition Economies

April 22 – 23, 2013