Western Diocese to host book presentation for Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian
On February 27, 2025, the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church, under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, in collaboration with the American University of Armenia (AUA), will host a special reception and book signing for Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian’s new book, From Earthquake Tragedy to Beacon of Light: The Story of the American University of Armenia.
AUA co-founder and President Emeritus Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian served at AUA in various capacities, including Founding Dean of Engineering (1991-2007), Interim Provost (2011-2012) and President (2014-2019, 2022-2023). His book, published by AUA Press, tells the story of the University — from its conceptualization after the Spitak earthquake in 1988 to its founding in 1991 under extremely challenging conditions, and its remarkable growth and advancement over the past three decades.
It also tells the story of how AUA became affiliated with the University of California, and how it came to be accredited by one of the highly recognized American accrediting agencies. In addition to Dr. Der Kiureghian’s memories, the writing relies on archival documents, including reports by other AUA presidents, minutes of various meetings, correspondence within and outside the University, newspaper articles, program review reports, strategic planning reports and reviews by outside organizations.
The event will take place in the Hampar Hall of the Western Diocese, located at 3325 N Glenoaks Blvd, Burbank, CA 91504. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by a wine and appetizer reception.
Program highlights will include a discussion of the book between Dr. Der Kiureghian and AUA trustee Suzy Antounian, as well as a brief musical performance. Remarks will be given by AUA President Dr. Bruce Boghosian, followed by a benediction from Archbishop Hovnan Derderian. Members of the AUA Board of Trustees will also be present.
Copies of the book will be available for purchase at the event and a book signing will take place at the close of the program. All proceeds from the book sales will benefit AUA. To order a copy of the book online, please click here. Registration is required to attend as capacity is limited. Please RSVP by February 21, 2025 by following this link. For other inquiries, please contact the AUA Office of Development at development@aua.am or (510) 925-4282.
About the author
Armen Der Kiureghian is President Emeritus of the American University of Armenia and Taisei Professor of Civil Engineering Emeritus of the University of California, Berkeley. He was born in New Julfa, Isfahan, Iran, and attended local Armenian schools. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Tehran University and his Ph.D. in structural engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
His teaching and research are in the areas of risk and reliability of constructed facilities, stochastic structural dynamics, earthquake engineering and engineering decision making. He has authored more than 400 publications, including over 130 in archival journals. Among other awards, he is a recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize, Alfred M. Freudenthal Medal, Thomas A. Middlebrooks Award and George Winter Medal. For his efforts in advancing education in Armenia, he was awarded the Movses Khorenatsi Medal by the Government of Armenia and the Saint Sahak-Saint Mesrob Medal by His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.
Der Kiureghian is a Distinguished Alumnus of both Tehran University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an elected foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
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