In a line art illustration mini-workshop with Mikayel Martirosyan, Gayane Ayvazyan, Hasmik Azizbekyan, Vika Hovhannisyan and Narek Barseghyan, TUMOians unleashed their inner artists and let their imaginations run wild, vividly capturing life under quarantine. We’ll let their creative concoctions speak for themselves.

“I wish we had something like this back home.”

We’re having coffee with Roula Sharqawe, one of TUMO’s Winter of Code lab leaders who’s teaching a course on cybersecurity. Born in Palestine, Roula moved to the United States four years ago to attend Yale, one of the world’s most prestigious universities, to study computer science and, specifically, cybersecurity. When asked why she opted to spend her holiday vacation teaching in a country she’d never been to before rather than take a much needed break from a grueling academic schedule, Roula replies that it was an opportunity she simply couldn’t pass up. Citing the beauty of the country and Yerevan’s holiday festive atmosphere, she stresses the importance of her course’s subject matter. “Everyone uses the Internet all the time now…we’re practically living online. This younger generation is so familiar with the Internet, but they need to be cautious of the risks and threats that are out there.”

One thing that immediately jumps out when visiting Roula’s cybersecurity lab is the demographics; the class is made up entirely of teenage girls. This was no accident; Roula specifically requested an all-girls group after agreeing to lead one of Winter of Code’s two-week long labs “The computer science industry and, especially, cybersecurity are extremely male-centric. I wanted to empower and inspire these girls…and create a positive environment where they can create solutions to all of these complex problems out there. It’s something I really would’ve appreciated and benefited from when I was their age.”

Classes usually begin with a role call, with Roula careful to ensure that she pronounces each student’s name correctly. Before diving into the subject at hand, Roula kicks off the afternoon with a bit of light-hearted banter to ease students into the lesson, with questions about each girl’s day and small-talk about movies and food peppering the room. Soft jazz music hums lightly in the background which, combined with the warmth Roula radiates in front of her students, creates a relaxed sort of ambience, the perfect environment to dive in and tackle issues like data theft and malware infections.

The two week workshop gave the girls in class the opportunity to research and develop rudimentary programs in a cybersecurity field of their choosing: cyberattacks, cryptography, data privacy, or cyberbullying. Most of the girls elected to focus on creating new encryption models to strengthen password security, with Liana Avagyan,18, quick to point out that Roula “really helped us understand all of the risks we face when we’re online and how we can best protect ourselves.” On a similar note, Maria Movsisyan, 15, mentioned some of Roula’s personal characteristics that allowed the students to pick up on these topics so quickly. “She’s just very patient…she’ll spend so much time with each student and help us figure out any problems we might have.”

Ultimately, Roula hopes that her brief time at TUMO serves as a stepping stone for her young students on a trajectory towards fruitful careers in the computer science industry. Yet while Roula undoubtedly made a lasting impression on her students with her focus on technology’s gender disparity and the need to level the playing field in STEM-oriented careers, both the students and TUMO itself left a notable mark on her as well. “The last two weeks have totally opened my eyes in terms of how much these students can grasp and take in…how quickly they understand what I’m teaching them. The world could definitely use more places like this. So I guess you could say that this experience has inspired me to think about the need for programs like TUMO.”

During July’s learning lab extravaganza, students worked with illustrator Ksenia Kopalova to design and make an alternative map of Yerevan. They scouted locations off the beaten path — abandoned factories, chaotic streets and their favorite places — to create a unique, insiders guide to their city.

In a lab with experimental photographer Jay Perez, TUMO students embarked on a 3D scanning expedition across Armenia. They scanned the Matosavank monastery, Amberd Fortress, Sergei Parajanov House Museum, and one of the oldest buildings in Yerevan, 38 Pushkin Street, which is home to TUMO Studios. Thanks to their work, you can tour these historic and cultural sights from anywhere in the world.

Sergei Parajanov Museum (follow the hyperlink)

Matosavank Monastery (follow the hyperlink)

TUMO Studios (follow the hyperlink)

Vahramashen Church (follow the hyperlink)

Alt-July is around the corner! A record breaking 100+ learning labs are on the calendar — being led by TUMO workshop leaders and dozens of industry professionals from around the world. Wondering who’s behind this logistical feat? None other than members of our Learning Labs team Liana Harutyunyan, Zara Kevorkova, Marianna Zakiyan, and manager Astghik Hambardzumyan, with whom you’ve already been acquainted here.

Liana is the link between students and the Learning Labs team. Prior to working at TUMO, she was a student herself, attending TUMO Yerevan for six years and participating in her last lab as recently as February. As a student, her favorite lab was graphic design with Haytham Nawar, where she designed an illustration of the word moonat, “sarcasm,” to match her personality. 

The idea of coordinating 100 learning labs in a single month was daunting. But, Liana and her team are accustomed to making the seemingly impossible possible. She looks forward to Cabeza Patata’s 3D character design lab and its robot fashion show. 

Marianna has been part of the Learning Labs team for a year and a half. She joined with seven years in tourism under her belt, experience that comes in handy when she’s coordinating airport transfers, housing, transportation and all the necessary equipment for lab leaders. She’s often a best friend and savior to guests at TUMO. 

Marianna expects July to be exciting and chaotic for her team. She’s sure that lab leaders are equally as excited. They’ll have opportunities to network and get to know each other all month long. Alt-July will also open new doors for our staff of permanent workshop leaders. They’ll go beyond the regular workshop curriculum in planning and leading their own learning labs. Marianna is most excited for Luka Piškorec’s generative model building lab. With his help, students will build 3D models in Rhino and Grasshopper, then bring their blueprints to life by cutting and assembling 900 meters of wood. 

Of all the weeks to join the Learn Labs team, Zara chose the last one, one of its busiest. Prior to joining, she was a TUMO student and lab leader assistant for six years. Her most memorable experience was a skateboard design lab with Finnish artist Ossi Pirkonen. She signed up for the lab with no drawing experience and has grown a lot since. 

Although Alt-July will be stressful, Zara is up for the challenge. She’s excited about the creative writing workshops being led by MFA students from Columbia University. They’re from one of the best schools in the world and have a lot of experience in their field. 

The EU TUMO Convergence Center announces that Armenia will be part of 42 Network of 20 partner campuses that was launched by the famous French coding school, 42. “42 Yerevan” will be located next to the TUMO building in Yerevan, inside the campus of the EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Science.

42 is a pioneering coding academy created in 2013 by Xavier Niel, a highly successful serial entrepreneur. Its goal is to train the best developers in the world and provide them with the foundation for a successful career. Through this partnership, the EU TUMO Convergence Center will mitigate the shortage of developers needed to fuel Armenia’s booming tech industry and startup ecosystem. Anyone 18 years old or over will have the opportunity to gain cutting-edge software engineering skills free of charge, to complement their university education or as a career change, or immediately after high school.

42 Yerevan will emphasize the recruitment of women and students from Armenia’s outer regions, for whom it will provide subsidized dormitory options, security services and support infrastructure during their study period. It will admit up to 150 students per year for a study cycle of up to two years. The Armenian center is the only campus of the 42 network in the region and joins other centers in France, Japan, Belgium, Finland, Colombia, Spain, Canada, Netherlands, Morocco, Russia, Brazil, and Indonesia.

The innovative pedagogy of 42 relies on peer-to-peer learning. Participants learn without teachers or classes and students are in charge of their own success and the success of their peers in a project-based environment. To succeed, they rely on the strength of the group, sharing information and switching between helping others and being helped. This learning model relies on collective intelligence and fosters self-learning, experimentation, and critical thinking, similar to productive dynamics in the professional world.

The EU TUMO Convergence Center is an initiative of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and the European Union. It is a mixed-use campus bringing together academia and industry, fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, and linking local students, researchers and technologists to each other and their global peers. It includes a set of mutually reinforcing components ⁠— combining teaching and training facilities, businesses, public retail outlets and a conference center. Learn more at www.convergence.center

Basketball, violin, piano, vocal — 14-year-old Mariam Sargsyan has tried them all! But, nothing really stuck until TUMO.

“TUMO exceeded my expectations,” said Mariam, who is currently a TUMO Stepanakert student.

As she started exploring the different learning targets, she realized that she’d have to try them all to narrow down her interests. That’s how she decided to take every workshop at TUMO. After completing the writing workshop, she’ll move on to programming.

“I have no experience with programming, but I’m eager to try it out. It seems like it could be exciting,” she said.

Mariam tells about her new skills outside of the TUMO learning targets.

“I’ve made new friends here, I’ve learned about teamwork, and because of my interactions with lab leaders from abroad, my ability to speak English is improving,” she explained. “ When I started, I was coming to TUMO on different days than my friends. That’s why I had to be open to new people. If I had the same schedule as my friends, I may not have gotten to know so many new people.”

FUN FACT

Mariam would love to have her own planet, where she’d make the rules. There would be peace, a very large swimming pool and lots of candy.

Today, TUMO and the European Union launched their partnership to build and operate the EU TUMO Convergence Center for Engineering and Applied Science, a state of the art STEM ecosystem in Yerevan, Armenia.

The center will be a hub for research, education and startups geared towards university students and young professionals. It will bring together partners, both local and international, to bridge the gap between higher education and industry in Armenia.It will be baed in a newly constructed campus of 15,000 square meters located on 1.5 hectares of land adjacent to the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies. The land, valued at 6 million Euros, is donated to the project by the Simonian Educational Foundation. TUMO and it’s partners, most notably the French University in Armenia (UFAR), are also contributing an additional 6.5 million Euros to the project. This contribution is matched by a 12.5 million Euro grant from the European Union, in partnership with the Government of Armenia. The campus includes infrastructure for educational programming, a STEM research laboratory, a conference center, and revenue generating commercial space to ensure the center’s long-term financial sustainability. Additionally, the campus will host the UFAR’s Faculty for Informatics and Applied Mathematics.

A centerpiece of the project is TUMO Labs, a technology education hub designed to complement local universities with project-based learning opportunities in cutting edge fields. TUMO Labs will be a logical continuation of the TUMO program that gives young adults professional experience and promotes innovation and entrepreneurship in Armenia.

The signing and groundbreaking for the center was attended by guests from the European Union, ministries of the Republic of Armenia, the IT sector and local universities. The event kicked off with a video address by EU Commissioner Carlos Moedas. 

“[The center] captures this imagination that for me is the spirit of Armenia, and I think, is at the heart of the future of the European Union. That’s why we all need to invest in innovation,” said Lawrence Meredith, director of Neighborhood East at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations.

“We are thrilled to be creating a world-class STEM ecosystem in Armenia where the next generation of high tech professionals can learn and innovate,” said Pegor Papazian, TUMO’s chief development officer. “With support from the European Union, the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Armenia, and other partners both local and international, we will bridge the gap between higher education and the rapidly changing needs of the global economy.”

After the signing, attendees walked to the site of the future center, where Lawrence Meredith, Pegor Papazian, Piotr Antoni Świtalski, EU Ambassador, Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, and Arayik Harutyunyan, minister of education for the Republic of Armenia, participated in a ceremonial groundbreaking.

If you’re trying to kick bad habits like eating junk food and smoking cigarettes, these comics by Stepanakert TUMOians can help. In a lab with Shamiram Khachatryan, founder of TUMO startup Panicomik, students illustrated the outcomes of harmful habits.

“Not being in a lab is like Sherlock Holmes without a case to solve — nerve wracking and boring,” said TUMO student Vahe Sargsyan. So far, he has 18 workshops and 21 learning labs under his belt on topics such as filmmaking, robotics and game development, just to name a few.

Despite the variety, Vahe has already made a decision about his future profession. He’d like to develop 3D games and movies.

“When I was 5 years old, my father downloaded 3D Max and a bunch of instruction manuals. Together, we used them to build 3D cars with cubes. That was my first experience with 3D modeling,” he said. Fast forward to his time at TUMO, where he’s taken all three levels of the 3D modeling workshop twice, because in his own words, “there’s always something new to learn.” Once he discovered game development, his future plans were decided.

If you want to know what real excitement looks like, ask Vahe about YouTube. He can’t stand being idle, and avoids it at all costs by searching for free educational resources online. “Most people aren’t aware of all the free education that’s out there and accessible. For example, most of my day is spent watching YouTube tutorials. You can’t imagine how much there is to learn from them!”

Last year, Vahe made the short film,  “Make the Future a Dream,” in a three-day learning lab with director and producer Johanna Bernhardson for entry into the 2018 European Film Festival. “The film is about how young people like me and their parents don’t get enough time to interact. You greet them in the morning, then see them at the end of the day to say goodnight, and that’s it. Communicating with parents is an important part of a person’s development. Today, we’re lucky that working from home, and giving more time to our families, are options.

FUN FACT

Vahe is a loyal fan of Assassin’s Creed. The future 3D modeler and digital enthusiast is also a jazz pianist.