Author: Jidarian Alex

Source: The Franklin Institute

The Franklin Institute Committee on Science and the Arts Announces the Benjamin Franklin Medal and Bower Award Laureates for 2004

Raymond Damadian, Inventor of the First Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI) Machine, Among the Laureates Honored with America’s Most
Historic Science Awards — Widely Regarded as American Nobel Prizes

PHILADELPHIA, March 18, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) — The Franklin Institute’s
Committee on Science and the Arts, together with Institute President
and CEO Dennis M. Wint, today announced the Benjamin Franklin Medal
and Bower Award laureates for 2004. These preeminent scientists are
being recognized for their outstanding achievements in the fields of
chemistry, computer and cognitive science, electrical engineering,
life sciences, mechanical engineering, and physics. Laureates will be
honored formally at a gala awards ceremony and dinner, presented by
Fleet Bank, on Thursday evening, April 29, 2004, at The Franklin
Institute, in Philadelphia. The Master of Ceremonies for this
celebration will be Lester Holt. Holt is the lead anchor for daytime
news and breaking news coverage on MSNBC.

The 2004 Franklin Institute Bower Award Laureates are: Seymour Benzer,
who will receive the esteemed Bower Award for Achievement in Science
and the accompanying $250,000 Cash Prize; and Raymond Damadian, who
will receive the Bower Award for Business Leadership. The Benjamin
Franklin Medal Laureates are Roger Bacon, Harry B. Gray, Richard
M. Karp, Robert B. Meyer, and Robert E. Newnham.

“These exceptional scientists are taking up the torch of a
180-year-old-legacy of extraordinary achievement in science and
technology,” says Wint. “Whether lifting the veil on the mysteries of
the brain, or inventing tools and technologies to help us conquer
disease and revolutionize many aspects of science, engineering, and
business, these Laureates are changing the quality of our everyday
lives. We are proud to honor these individuals as they have honored
and inspired us and generations to come through their dedication to
science.”

Meet The Laureates

The Bower Award Laureates

The 2004 Bower Award and the accompanying $250,000 Cash Prize for
Achievement in Science in the Field of Brain Research goes to
geneticist Seymour Benzer for his pioneering discoveries that both
founded and greatly advanced the field of neurogenetics, thereby
transforming our understanding of the brain. More than anyone else,
Benzer began the effort to trace the actual, physical links from genes
to behavior. Research based on these fundamental experiments is today
providing profound insights into such degenerative disorders as
Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to opening the door
to a new world of understanding about the genetic basis of brain
function and pathology, Benzer also is honored for his monumental
discoveries in molecular biology and physics early in his career.

The 2004 Bower Award for Business Leadership in the Field of Brain
Research goes to physician and inventor Raymond V. Damadian for his
development and commercialization of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
used in clinical applications. Damadian filed for a patent in 1972,
which was granted in 1974 for an “Apparatus and Method of Detecting
Cancer in Tissue”. Soon afterwards, he and his team built the first
MRI scanner and achieved the first human scan (1977), and subsequently
founded FONAR Corporation and developed the first commercial MRI
machine in 1980. MRI technology has transformed the diagnosis and
treatment of disease in our lifetime, and in doing so, created an
entirely new industry. The development and commercialization of the
MRI has given the world a Jules Verne view inside our bodies such that
even the inner workings of the brain are now within reach. Today,
thanks to Damadian’s work, more than 60 million MRIs are performed
each year around the world.

The Benjamin Franklin Medal Laureates

The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Chemistry goes to Harry B. Gray for his
pioneering contributions to the understanding of the underlying
physics and chemistry that control electron transfer in
metalloproteins. Specifically, Gray has applied his knowledge of
inorganic chemistry to biological processes. He and his team
identified the molecular pathway by which electrons move in proteins
that contain a bound metal ion such as iron or magnesium in their
structure. Examples of metalloproteins in living cells are chlorophyll
in plants and hemoglobin in blood. Gray is an indefatigable promoter
of inorganic and biological chemistry.

The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science goes to
Richard M. Karp for his contributions to the understanding of
computational complexity. vHis work helps programmers find workable
solution procedures to tremendously complex problems, avoiding
approaches that would fail to find a solution in a reasonable amount
of time. Scientific, commercial, or industrial situations where his
work applies include establishing least-cost schedules for industrial
production, transportation routing, circuit layout, communication
network design, and predicting the spatial structure of a protein from
its amino acid sequencing. Karp is among the world leaders in
algorithm design, analysis, and computational complexity.

The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Electrical Engineering goes to Robert
E. Newnham for his invention of multiphase piezoelectric transducers
and their spatial architecture, which has revolutionized the field of
acoustic imaging. Specifically, Newnham invented the composite
piezoelectric transducer, which has had exciting applications in the
fields of underwater acoustics, medical ultrasound, wireless
communications, and chemistry. He is considered one of the pioneers in
the field of electronic composites and acknowledged as the “Father of
Unified Nomenclature of Piezocomposites”.

The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering goes to Roger
Bacon for his fundamental research on the production of graphite
whiskers and the determination of their microstructure and properties,
for his pioneering development efforts in the production of the
world’s first continuously processed carbon fibers and the world’s
first high modulus, high strength carbon fibers using rayon
precursors, and for his contributions to the development of carbon
fibers from alternative starting materials. So many of today’s
products and technologies rely on high strength composites. From
sports equipment to aerospace advancements, high strength graphite is
an integral part of today’s world — a world made possible by Roger
Bacon.

The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics goes to Robert B. Meyer for his
creative synthesis of theory and experiment demonstrating that tilted,
layered liquid crystal phases of chiral molecules are ferroelectric,
thus launching both fundamental scientific advancement in the field of
soft condensed matter physics and in the development of liquid crystal
displays that meet the demands of current technology. The application
of his work has been instrumental in the development of new
technologies including flat panel displays and optical switches
important to the modern computer and optical communication industries.

The Story of the Franklin Institute Awards Program

The long, distinguished history of The Franklin Institute Awards
Program dates back to 1824, when the Institute was founded by a group
of leading Philadelphians to train artisans and mechanics in the
fundamentals of science. Philadelphia — then the largest city in the
United States — was the nation’s innovation and manufacturing
center. In 1824, the Institute arranged the first of what became a
series of annual exhibitions of manufactured goods.

With the exhibitions came the presentation of awards — first
certificates and later endowed medals — for achievement in science
and technology. Recipients were selected by the Institute’s venerable
Committee on Science and the Arts, established in 1824 as the
Committee on Inventions. The Institute’s all-volunteer Committee still
nominates recipients of The Franklin Institute Medals. Committee
members represent academia, corporate America, and government. They
evaluate the work of nominated individuals for its uncommon insight,
skill, or creativity, as well as for its impact on future research or
application to serve humankind.

Widely regarded as the American Nobel Prizes, these awards reflect
upon the spirit of discovery embodied by Benjamin Franklin, as well as
the power of science to inspire lives and encourage future innovation
and discovery. The list of Franklin Institute medal winners reads like
a “Who’s Who” of notable Nineteenth, Twentieth, and Twenty-First
Century scientists. The list includes Alexander Graham Bell, Marie
Curie, Rudolf Diesel, Thomas Edison, Niels Bohr, Max Planck, Albert
Einstein, Jane Goodall, and Herbert Kelleher to name but a few. To
date, 101 Franklin Institute Laureates also have been honored with 103
Nobel Prizes.

The newest awards — the Bower Award for Business Leadership and the
Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science — are made possible
by a $7.5 million bequest in 1988 from Henry Bower, a Philadelphia
chemical manufacturer. The Bower Science Award carries a cash prize of
$250,000, making it one of the richest science prizes in America.

Today, The Franklin Institute continues its dedication to education
and science literacy, creating a passion for science through its
museum, outreach programs, and curatorial work. Recognizing leading
individuals from around the world is one important way that the
Institute preserves Franklin’s legacy.

Awards Week

In addition to the formal Awards Ceremony on Thursday evening,
Laureates will participate in a series of symposia to be held at local
universities during Awards Week. This year’s symposia are scheduled at
the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, Villanova
University, and the University of Delaware.

Laureates will also take part in a Meet the Scientist session on
Tuesday of Awards Week, during which hundreds of students from city
schools are invited to meet the scientists and join in a question and
answer session with them. This lively and exciting discussion presents
a rare opportunity for students to interact with some of the most
exceptional scientists in the world. Moderating the event and
interacting with these world-renowned scientists are students from
Partnerships for Achieving Careers in Technology and Science (PACTS) –
a Philadelphia-based program for minority middle- and high-school
students.

Also scheduled for Tuesday is an interactive Celebration of Science,
wherein demonstrations geared to young museum visitors highlight the
scientific concepts behind the work of this year’s Laureates.

The 2004 Franklin Institute Awards Ceremony and Dinner is generously
presented by Fleet Bank. Fleet’s lead sponsorship helps to underwrite
the extraordinary costs associated with staging the April 29, 2004
Awards Ceremony, which will be attended by more than 700 business,
civic, governmental, and education leaders. This support also provides
funds for free or reduced admissions for the 300,000 or more
schoolchildren who visit the museum each year.

Also providing support are Associate Sponsors, Centocor, Inc.;
Cephalon, Inc.; Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.; and the Four Seasons
Hotel. In addition to their support of the formal Awards program on
Thursday evening, Cephalon, Inc. will generously underwrite the
Laureates’ Symposia and the Meet the Scientist program during Awards
Week.

For more information on the 2004 Franklin Institute Awards Program,
please call Donna Dickerson, Awards Program Director, at 215.448.1329,
or check the Institute’s web site at ,
For tickets, please call Barbara Cowan,
Director of Development Events, at 215.448.0984. To arrange for
interviews or to receive additional Laureate information and
photographs, kindly contact Evan Welsh, Public Relations Director, at
The Franklin Institute at 215.448.1176 or [email protected]; or Emily
Reynolds, Communications Manager, at 215.448.1175 or [email protected].

CONTACT: The Franklin Institute
Evan Welsh, Public Relations Director
(215) 448-1176
[email protected]

Emily Reynolds, Communications Manager
(215) 448-1175
[email protected]

© 2003 PrimeZone Media Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

PRESS RELEASE
March 18, 2004
Embassy of the Republic of Armenia
2225 R Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20008
Tel: 202-319-1976, x. 348; Fax: 202-319-2982
Email: [email protected]; Web:

First pan-Armenian Educational Conference to Convene in Yerevan on August
27-29, 2004

A pan-Armenian educational conference will be held in Yerevan for the first
time on August 27-29, 2004 under the auspices of the Armenian Ministry of
Education of Science, in line with the decisions of the Armenia-Diaspora
Conference. The objectives of the conference are to discuss the current
state of Armenian educational facilities in Armenia and the Diaspora and
find ways of collaboration between the Armenian educational and training
institutions worldwide to face common challenges.

The agenda will include issues relating to national education, teaching
methodologies, educational exchanges, teacher training, development of
common educational information network and curricula, preparation of
textbooks. The conference is open to participation by the representatives of
the school boards and Diocesan councils, community leaders and education
officials, Diasporan organizations that carry out activities in the field of
national education, principals and teachers of the Armenian schools, and
education specialists. The agenda will be finalized in June, and is open to
suggestions from prospective participants.

The Ministry of Education and Science will cover room and board expenses for
the participants of the conference in Yerevan. The participants are expected
to make their own arrangements for travel to/from Armenia.

The deadline for applications is June 1, 2004. For detailed inquiries,
program of the conference, and application forms, please contact the Embassy
of Armenia, or the Ministry of Education and Science, Government House 3,
Yerevan, 375010, Armenia, Tel. (+374-1) 525207, Fax. (+374-1) 581391, email:
[email protected], Web:

Noyan Tapan Highlights #10(512)
15 March 2004

The Young Face of Georgia

By Haroutiun Khachatrian

The series of impressions we had got of Mikhail Saakashvili, has been
extended by what we saw during his visit to Armenia. The rather extensive
dialogue of the two presidents has brought a sizable set of additional
information about the new Georgian leader. In short, the positive
expectations we had from fragments seen on TV screens earlier have largely
been confirmed.

The most important element was, of course, the attitude of the President of
Georgia about the regional problems, the unresolved ethnic conflicts being
the most important ones among them. He displayed a sober and pragmatic
stance, carefully avoiding any expressions and words, which could increase
tension and suspicions of whoever concerned. He gave optimistic promises,
extending as far as the promise to re-open the rail link in Abkhazia in a
year period (the official report quotes him as saying this during his
meeting with Artur Baghdasarian, the Chairman of the National Assembly of
Armenia). Similarly, he pronounced many correct and optimistic words about
the regional cooperation and the relations between this region and its
powerful neighbors.

Of course, much of what Saakashvili declared in Yerevan was said by his
predecessor as well. What was different between Saakashvili and
Shevardnadze, was, in my view, that the new 36-year-old president really
meant what he said. It was evident that this is his style: he spoke very
openly, often saying things that few other politicians would. And hence he
looked quite sincere in expressing his goals: settling problems with Russia,
regulate conflicts, stimulate cooperation in the region.

Georgia has been, for a number of reasons, the central element of the South
Caucasus. If its new leader succeeds in implementing his policy, the
situation in the whole region may improve greatly. Good luck!!!

—

Innovations-Report, Germany
March 15 2004

Hydrogen as an alternative energy to petrolium

The key aspect of the project is the obtaining of metal hydrides with
the capacity to “store” the hydrogen used in automotive vehicle fuel
batteries.

Under the auspices of the Strategic Plan for Materials and Energy
being carried out by INASMET, the Armenian Institute of Chemistry &
Physics of the National Academy of Sciences has signed a joint
working agreement on order to make progress in one of the future
energy sources such as fuel cells based on using hydrogen.

This alternative energy source to fossil fuels (petroleum and its
derivatives) has, amongst other advantages, that of being
non-contaminant, given that the only by-product is water due to the
combustion of hydrogen. Energy user sectors such as automotive one
and aeronautic are the most likely beneficiaries of this alternative
energy.

On the occasion of the signing of the joint co-operation contract and
in order to continue work started in 1999 between both bodies,
professor S. Kharatyan, the sub-director of the Armenian Institute,
accompanied by researcher, doctor A. Sargyan, have visited Inasmet
Technological Centre.

The agreement involves the development of SHS (Self-propagating
High-temperature Synthesis) technology that has relevant applications
in the industrial sector (energy and metallurgy), in obtaining
enhanced-specification materials at competitive prices. The technical
team at INASMET already has ten years of experience in this
speciality and applications widely accepted industrially have been
obtained, such as powders for special coatings or high-specification
porous materials.

One aspect of the new agreement – more directly related to hydrogen
energy – will be the development of new production methods for metal
hydrides as raw material for fuel cells, given that they are an
efficient form of `storing’ hydrogen through SHS technology.

The Armenian Institute of Chemistry & Physics, founded in 1975, is
developing new lines of technological research, initiated in Moscow,
amongst the advantages of which are those involving simplicity,
rapidity and low energy consumption throughout the whole process.

In 1999 the first steps were taken for the joint enterprise between
INASMET and the Armenian institution in order to obtain cermets,
materials composed of ceramic and metal for applications in extreme
operating conditions. The first relevant steps in that two different
research teams and professionals from two distinct cultures have come
together and, apart from overcoming language barriers, the Armenians
in particular have had to go through work permit procedures under
very difficult conditions. With the signing of this agreement, many
of these difficulties have been overcome and there are very positive
expectations for both partners for advancement in these technologies.

Contact :
Cristina Alberdi
INASMET
[email protected]
(+34) 943 003668

Armenian Assembly of America
122 C Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-393-3434
Fax: 202-638-4904
Email: [email protected]
Web:

PRESS RELEASE
March 9, 2004
CONTACT: Christine Kojoian
E-mail: [email protected]

ASSEMBLY ANNUAL BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING BUILDS ON DECADES OF PROGRESS

Delray Beach, FL – Building on more than three decades of activism, the
Armenian Assembly of America held its annual Board of Trustees Weekend March
6-7 in Delray Beach, Florida. Assembly leaders, members and supporters
from across the nation attended, participating in business meetings,
question and answer sessions and social events.

Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues member Rep. E. Clay Shaw, Jr. (R-FL)
and former South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Richard Harpootlian,
also a new Assembly Fellow Trustee, were among the featured speakers.

In a major announcement, Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian said
that he is renovating a three-story historical building he gifted to the
Assembly to house its Yerevan offices and that the premises, located near
Republic Square, should open in two years.

Board of Trustees President Carolyn Mugar said of Hovnanian’s most recent
philanthropy: “This action is another example of his generosity, passion and
vision in support of the Assembly’s mission.”

A full day of highly successful business meetings at the Delray Beach
Marriott, the site of all weekend events, gave participants the opportunity
to voice their thoughts and views on the Assembly’s future direction and
relations with other non-partisan Armenian organizations. Hovnanian
underlined the importance of building on the working relationship with the
Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the Eastern and Western Diocese
of the Armenian Church, and the cooperation between the organizations in the
Assembly’s upcoming National Conference and Banquet in Washington, DC.

Another weekend highlight was the passing of the baton from outgoing Board
of Directors Chairman Peter Vosbikian to the incoming Chair Anthony
Barsamian, who formerly served as vice chair.

Vosbikian said he leaves confident in Barsamian’s leadership. “Anthony and I
have been working side by side over the past twelve months and I can assure
you he has already hit the ground running,” he said.

Vosbikian also saluted outgoing and longtime Board of Directors members
Edgar Hagopian of Michigan and Sam Hagopian of Texas, who he said never
hesitate “to do what is right for the people of Armenia and Karabakh.”
Vosbikian also acknowledged Dork Alahydoian and Flora Dunaians, both of whom
were not present, for their years of service on the Board of Directors.

Assembly leaders also helped welcome several new members to the Board of
Directors including Bryan Ardouny of Montana, Berge Ayvazian of
Massachusetts, Corinne Heditsian of Rhode Island and Lisa Kalustian of
California.

Also of special interest was a presentation by Assembly Life Trustee Dr.
Noubar Afeyan, who spoke about an exciting new project, dubbed “Armenia
2020.” The purpose of the project, which has already invested $2 million
in research, polling and review meetings, is to develop possible scenarios
for Armenia’s long-term economic development.

As is customary, the weekend closed with a Saturday night banquet where
Assembly Fellow Trustee Hovsep Hovsepian donated an 85-year-old hand-drawn
silk map of historic Armenia, a family heirloom, to the Armenian Genocide
Museum and Memorial (AGMM).

The Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide
organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian
issues. It is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

NR#2004-027

Photograph available on the Assembly’s Web site at the following link:

Caption: Assembly Board of Trustees Chairman Hirair Hovnanian, right, and
incoming Board of Directors Chairman Anthony Barsamian, left, presenting a
plaque to outgoing Chairman Peter Vosbikian in appreciation for his
outstanding service to the Assembly.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan
March 10 2004

ILLEGAL BROADCASTING TO BE STOPPED
[March 10, 2004, 17:15:37]

In connection with broadcasting of Armenian TV programs in several
regions of Azerbaijan, the Ministry of Communications and Information
Technologies has raised the problem before the regional communication
organization functioning within the framework of the Commonwealth of
Independent States. At he organization’s invitation, officials of the
Communication Ministry visited Moscow, where representatives of
Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia through the mediation of the regional
communication organization, have negotiated on elimination of the
problem emerged due to coordination of TV channels broadcasting.

The meeting participants have reached the agreement on suppression of
Armenian TV channels’ broadcasting in the territory of Azerbaijan,
and signed appropriate protocol.