NAASR/Gulbenkian series to present AUA President Emeritus Armen Der Kiureghiann

The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will host a hybrid (in-person and online) event with Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian titled “From Earthquake Tragedy to Beacon of Light: The Story of the American University of Armenia,” on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) / 4:30 pm Pacific Time (PT), at the NAASR Vartan Gregorian Building, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, Mass.

The program will be presented under the auspices of the NAASR/Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Lecture Series on Contemporary Armenian Issues, and can also be accessed online via Zoom (Registration: https://bit.ly/4h4PV0U) or YouTube (www.youtube.com/c/ArmenianStudies).

Der Kiureghian is the author of the recently published book “From Earthquake Tragedy to Beacon of Light: The Story of the American University of Armenia” (AUA Press) and will engage in a conversation with NAASR Director of Academic Affairs Marc A. Mamigonian. A reception and book signing will follow the program.

“From Earthquake Tragedy to Beacon of Light: The Story of the American University of Armenia” is the story of AUA from the moment of its conceptualization after the Spitak earthquake of 1988, to its founding in 1991 under extremely challenging conditions and its remarkable growth and advancement over the last three decades. 

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. Among other awards, he is a recipient of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ 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 Garegin II, Catholicos of All Armenians. Der Kiureghian is an elected foreign member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia and an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering as an independent national expert on refugee issues for UNDP Armenia.

For more information about this program, contact NAASR at hq@naasr.org.