Commemorating Victor Hambartsumian

How to commemorate the 100th anniversary of a prominent world-class scientist such as Victor Hambartsumian (or Ambartsumian), 1908-1996?

The traditional and dominant pattern in Armenia and other former Soviet Union countries involves organizing a big and boring meeting (the hobelian ceremony), naming a major street after the person, publishing a book (a biography or a collection of memoirs by the person’s colleagues), placing a commemorative plate on the building where the person lived, and inaugurating a statue representing the person.

To me, the utility of such measures has always been very questionable. A commemorative statue, for instance, pleases our paean instincts. True. It is also good for the sculptor who receives the commission, and then flower growers and sellers who supply us every year with what we need to lay before the statue. But how do these contribute to the cause or the area of interest that has been central to the life of the person? That is after all what we are supposedly celebrating.

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Victor Hambartsumian, the Armenian authorities have – finally – decided to break with the state rituals.

A statue will of course be commissioned and placed at the Byurakan Observatory where Mr. Hambartsumian conducted much of his research (traditions die hard). But, in addition, several novel initiatives have taken place or been announced.

Evaluation & Proposals: Arka news agency reports that Mr. Samvel Haroutiunian, President of the State Committee on Education and Science, has called the government to devise a plan to revive and develop Astrophysics in Armenia.

According to Mr. Haroutiunian, the reason for the country’s regression in science, including Astrophysics, is the brain drain that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union. It is therefore necessary to create favorable conditions in the country so that young scientists do not feel obliged to leave the homeland. “A young talent will never remain unnoticed, and if we fail to pay him, others will do it”. Haroutiunian also asked the government to come up with a comprehensive plan to save and modernize the Byurakan Observatory.

Astrophysics Olympiad: The 11th international Astrophysics Olympiad for secondary school students from CIS countries takes place 19-26 September 2008 in Yerevan and in Byurakan. The Olympiad includes theoretical and applied sections, conferences, scientific and cultural excursions.

Hambartsumian International Award: This is the most interesting and innovative initiative so far. And, hopefully, the beginning of a new approach to commemorations.

The establishment of the international award was announced by President Serge Sargsian. With a frequency of once every two years and a value of 500,000 USD, the prize will recognize the scientist who has had the most significant contribution to the field of Astrophysics.

If combined with comprehensive and serious initiatives in favor of Astrophysics and other areas of science, the Hambartsumian International Award can play an important role in galvanizing research efforts in the country as well as boosting Armenia’s image.

Otherwise, it will become a very costly way of grabbing media attention once every two years; a pretentious publicity stunt such as the Formula 1 in Qatar or tennis championships in Monte-Carlo where the locals are pure observers.
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Picture: Details from the Starry Night, by Vincent van Gogh, 1889.
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2008-09 Admissions in Artsakh

According to De Facto news agency, Artsakh State University has admitted 734 new students this year. Almost one third, or 240 students, will benefit from state-funded scholarships.

Artsakh State University is the main institution of higher education in Artsakh (de facto independent republic of Nagorno-Karabakh) and is located in the capital city Stepanakert.

According to Artsakh Deputy Minister of Education and Science Slava Asriyan, the most demanded fields this year were Economics, Philology, History, Law, and Biology. Whereas the applications for Geography, Physics, Mathematics, and Agricultural Studies were lower than previous years.

Artsakh’s private institutions of higher education have also reported their 2008-09 admissions data: 210 students were admitted to Mesrop Mashtots University, 155 to Grigor Narekatsi University, and 10 to Gyurjian Art Institute.

According to the Artsakh Ministry of Education, only 55 secondary school leavers preferred to do their higher education studies in Armenia, and 41 of them have received full state scholarships.
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Picture: Artsakh floral carpet, early 18th century.
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The Chronicle of

His name is Hayk and he likes to write about failures. Tired of everyone’s obsession with success, Hayk started a blog exclusively covering failures, failures of all sorts – historic, technological and strategic.

In a recent post, he wrote about yet another failure, a personal failure or as he put it, his biggest failure so far. Though, as I'll ague later, it is difficult to qualify his experience as failure.

The story takes Hayk back to Armenia where he was born and grew up. Hayk’s story starts with two important events: First, at the age of 15-16, he wins a country-wide competition in Applied Macroeconomics and, second, he realizes that he would like to become an economist. However, his university entrance exams don’t go the way he had wished.

…. This was 1996. Post-Soviet era started few years before, but corruption and nepotism were ubiquitous. Demand for economists, lawyers and doctors soared, and universities reflected well that tendency. The only possibility to enter in an economics department in any of state universities at that time was to obtain maximum scores from three exams: English, Armenian, math.

… When time came to apply for undergraduate studies, I was still completely in love with economics (especially macro) and without hesitation specified three of my preferences (out of four possible) in one or another of economics or related departments. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.

Unfortunately, however, this is exactly what he is eventually obliged to do. He ends up studying Physics following his failure on the Economics admission tests. Or was this because he refused to engage in corruption - the common way into the university?

To Pay or Not to Pay?

Examination committees were where loads of money circulation was happening. “Give me this much and your kid is guaranteed to get that score” was unwritten policy but was so widely known and followed as if it were legal. No one questioned, no one demanded justice. Corruption chain could be traced all the way to the top, including Ministry of Education. Besides one of subjects, mathematics, examination committees for other subjects were only giving high scores to those who paid or those with connections to committee members. I (and my parents) didn’t have enough money or connections.

Knowing well in advance these initial conditions, I still went for it. I did pass all exams and scored maximum in only one: mathematics. For the other two, English and Armenian, my work was scored worse than it was worth, predictably. Appealing to both committees provided no results.

… Luckily for me however, my fourth (and last) option specified in the application form was physics department. I put physics department as my last choice for exactly such a reason, … I thought, I would at least have a high probability of not being drifted to the army but doing physics instead. … I was accepted to the physics department at Yerevan State University…

Whose Failure?

Hayk feels terrible at the beginning. He says he started his university days “with gloomy expression of face and dark spirits”. Fortunately, however, he adjusts pretty well to the new reality and completes his studies in Physics. Now, he even sounds rather satisfied with what happened:

I later realized [studying physics] was more beneficial for me in terms of mentality and attitude than actual knowledge, on graduate and post-graduate levels.

So I am not sure if we can consider this story as a case of big or "pure" failure. One can even argue that it should be qualified as success on moral grounds.

It is true that he failed to get into his favorite program but considering that the only way to enter was to pay a bribe, he did not really fail. He can even be proud now and for the rest of his life that he stayed clean in one of the most challenging situations in his life.

I think the real looser in this story, and stories like this that still happen in the country every year, is Armenia itself. Corruption in education is still there and it is even better organized and more widespread than in 1996.

It is the Armenian society that fails each time a motivated and qualified young person is unable to enter into the university to study his or her favorite subject because of barriers such as corruption.

And let’s not forget that, unlike Hayk, many never adjust so well to the imposed reality and grow to become mediocre graduates who exercise professions that they never desired.

To read Hayk’s story in full, please click here.
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