In the first semester of 2018-2019 academic year, PhD, assistant of YSUIB Department of General Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Smbat R. Davtyan donated around 300 books to the Branch library.

YSUIB Library personnel express their contentment and gratitude for the attention towards the university and the donation of books.

The library personnel are convinced that the donated books will be of great interest to the wide range of readers of the Armenian and world literature, history and philology, and separate branches of natural sciences.

YSUIB Library also expresses readiness to continue cooperation with Mr. Davtyan within the framework of joint events, discussions.

On December 7-8^th, 2018, Gyumri Technology Center hosted the Second Forum entitled “Empowering Regions through High-Tech”.

The forum was aimed at identifying opportunities and challenges from education to business, determining the role of the government in creation of business environment in the regions, presenting successful experience of Shirak region in the processes of high technology, engineering and education related fields, promoting business environment development in the regions as well as encourage networking, knowledge exchange among young people from all Armenian regions and tech communities in Armenia The Forum was attended by 10 young people from each region of the Republic of Armenia, representatives of state bodies and a number of local and international organizations.

Head of Tavush region group was Slavik Alaverdyan, lecturer of the Department of General Mathematics and Natural Sciences of YSU Ijevan Branch, president of “Creative Youth Union” NGO.

The third-year students of YSUIB Faculty of Informatics and Applied Mathematics (Full-time training) Gerasim Alaverdyan, Argishti Margaryan and Vazgen Paytyan, 5^th-year student of “Service” specialty (Part-time training) Gevorg Amirkhanyan, YSUIB graduates, coordinator of “Jinishyan” Memorial Foundation Ijevan office, Harutyun Alikhanyan and Tavush Tourism Research and Development Center coordinator Narek Sardaryan, as well as Narine Danielyan and Nane Gasparyan, ‘Armat” Laboratory Officers and 3D animator Roman Abovyan took part in the Forum.

Amalya Yeghoyan, regional high-tech development manager at Enterprise Incubator Foundation and the executive director of Gyumri Information Technologies Center made an opening speech. The presenters paid tribute to the victims of 1988 Spitak earthquake with a minute of silence.

Director at Enterprise Incubator Foundation, Bagrat Yengibaryan, RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Piotr Antoni Switalski, German Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Bernhard Matthias Kiesler, Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technology Hakob Arshakyan, Head of World Bank Armenia office, Sylvie Bossoutrot, USAID Armenia Mission Director Deborah Grieser, Deputy Coordinator of UNDP Armenia Dmitry Mariyasin, made a welcoming speech.

The memorandum was signed between the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies of the Republic of Armenia, the “YEA Engineering Association” NGO and the Union of Employers of Information and Communication Technology for the development of the technology sector in the regions.

The memorandum was also signed between 4 private companies and Gyumri N4 state art school.

On the first day of the Forum, three panel discussions were held on the following agenda: the challenges of international business in regions, promotion of entrepreneurship ecosystems in regions and the role of technologies in the development of those spheres. Some of the participants of the previous Forum presented their achievements and successes.

During the first panel discussion, Director of “National Instruments”, Director of “YEA Engineering Association” Aram Salatyan, Head of “Philip Morris International” Research and Development Ecosystem Mariam Davtyan, Director of “Synergy Armenia” Anna Stepanyan and “VOLO” Company co-founder and director Armen Kocharyan, and CEO of “SME DNC” of Armenia, Arshak Grigoryan, made a speech and answered the participants’ questions.

The speakers of the second panel discussion were “UEICT” Executive Director Eduard Musayelyan, “ISTC” Director Areg Gevorgyan, Director of “Blue Idea” Polish Company Tigran Amatuni, and Founder of “IT Space” company Karen Gasparyan, Co-founder of “Luseen Technologies” company Varazdat Avetisyan, Vanadzor Technological Center business development manager Patvakan Hakhinyan. Director of Synopsys Armenia Hovik Musayelyan also made a speech during the Forum.

The “FAST” Foundation Acceleration and Incubation program officer, David Becket, “Brainforce” CEO Gurgen Gharibyan, “D-Link” Quality Assurance Consultant Aram Khachatryan and Mariam Babayan, the program manager of “Support to SME Development” in Armenia took part in the final discussion.

The first day of the Forum ended with a dinner in “Di Napoli” pizzeria, where  the participants from different regions had an opportunity to communicate with each other, to establish contacts and to discuss the upcoming plans, wishing success to the Forum and the process of empowering the regions through high-tech in Armenia.

On the second day, the work of the Forum continued with parallel workshops and seminars. The participants were willing to choose which seminar they would like to attend.

Director of “ISTC” Areg Gevorgyan presented how successfully create the start up.

Director of “Deworkacy”company Julia Tumasyan held a seminar on “Design Thinking”.

Director of “SHEMM” Center Tigran Minasyan thoroughly presented the issues of finance and business management.

After the workshops and seminars, the guests of Gyumri were divided into four teams (Kumayri, Alexandrapol, Leninakan, and Gyumri) and through the game consisting of 3 dozens tasks (building names, information, pictures with cultural monuments, etc.) got acquainted with the city. The first was the team of “Alexandrapol” consisting of youth from Tavush and Syunik regions.

Taking advantage of the Forum, representatives of Tavush region got acquainted with Gyumri Technology Center and a number of organizations operating in its territory, accompanied by the Forum volunteer Ara Gevorgyan.

Bella Harutyunyan, Gyumri Technology Center Business Development Manager, made the final speech and handed the certificates to the partisipants.

During the Forum, an agreement was reached to organize meetings with representatives of IT sphere in RA regions and summarize the results at the next Forum.

All the photos of the Forum are available in the gallery.

On December 7^th, 2018, YSU Ijevan branch hosted a meeting with Vaghinak Hovsepyan, head of Tavush Regional Emergency Department, deputy head of Crisis Management, and Victor Abazyan, lieutenant colonel, deputy head of Population Protection Department.

The meeting was attended by representatives of YSUIB administrative staff, students of different specializations.

The purpose of the meeting was, on the occasion of 30^th anniversary of Spitak earthquake; provide students with details about Spitak earthquake (earthquake intensity, duration, and serious consequences, human and material losses) and especially the rules and effective means of earthquake protection.

During the meeting, it was particularly mentioned the main and maximum length of the earthquake, the duration of the tremors, the actions carried out during that period.

The safety instructions of earthquake protection in other countries were presented, rules of behavior during the earthquake outside, in a high-rise building, in the car.

In other words, the meeting participants learned what to do during and after the earthquake, to minimize material, human and moral-psychological losses.

 On December 7^th, 2018, a group of representatives of YSUIB administrative and professorial staff, headed by acting director A. V. Tsutsulyan paid tribute to the victims of the 1988 earthquake.

At Nerses Shnorhali Church, the Primate of the Diocese of Tavush, Bishop Bagrat Galstanyan together with Holy Simeon, Holy Torgom and Holy Arshavir served a mass in remembrance of the victims.

High-ranking representatives of different spheres of Tavush region, citizens, were present at the ceremony for the victims of the earthquake.

On 7 December, 1988, a devastating earthquake (later called Spitak earthquake)in northern Armenia killed 25,000 and left over 500,000 homeless. It took less than a minute, but the consequences were devastating.

 A 10 magnitude near the epicenter devastating earthquake took place in 40% of the territory of Armenia at 7.41.22.7 GMT (11.41.22.7 local time). The epicenter by the records of seismographs has the following coordinates: latitude 40.92°N, longitude 44.23°E. The depth of the hypocenter, measured by various methods and means, varies from 2.5km to 10-15km. It is natural as the earthquake source as a spatial, geological body came out to the earth’s surface at the Dzorashen-Halavar area and in subsurface it extended at least about 15-20km depths. The magnitude of the earthquake was 7.0. The intensity at the epicenter was 10 value on MSK-64 intensity scale.

The earthquake hit 40 % of the territory of Armenia, densely populated region with 1 ml people. The affected area, where the intensity of the earthquake was > 8, involved 30002 km area. 21 towns and 342 villages were destructed, 514.000 people were left without shelter, 20.000 people were injured and 12500 people were hospitalized. Number of victims was about 25.000. Particularly in Gyumri (15.000-17.000) and in Spitak (4000) number of victims was more than anywhere else.
17% fund of dwellings were destroyed, the work of 170 industrial companies were halted, the great losses were caused to villages and agro industrial complexes as well as to the architectural, historical and cultural monuments, 917 public buildings were destroyed.

The unexpected disaster took unawares the organizations and agencies that were called to work in emergency. The rescue activities were systemized only two or three days later. From the first second the earthquake strike, the population carried out restless rescuing works. Anyhow the absence of their experience and sometimes the lack of basic knowledge on actions in emergency caused real difficulties for the efficiency of rescue operations. Even there were cases when the public unawareness brought to life losses. Also there was a need of rescue equipment.
With the efforts of population and the rescuers 45.000 dead or alive people were brought out from the rubble and 12.5000 people were hospitalized.