We were excited to announce that we successfully held our first Advance Armenia Boston Reception on March 2, 2023, at the Museum of Science.
This special evening united diasporans and other global citizens who were passionate about supporting the betterment of our nation and its future. In addition to an inspiring program, the evening included welcoming remarks from FAST Co-Founder Dr. Noubar Afeyan and a presentation by FAST’s Founding CEO, Dr. Armen Orujyan. The keynote speaker of the evening was Dr. Daron Acemoglu, an Institute Professor at MIT, an elected fellow of several prominent educational institutions worldwide, a recipient of numerous international awards, and the author of five books, including Why Nations Fail: Power, Prosperity, and Poverty and Our Thousand-Year Struggle Over Technology and Prosperity.
In 2023, FAST aimed to expand its impact on research in Armenia through ADVANCE while also building a sustainable pipeline of scientists by focusing on enhancing education. That fall, FAST launched Generation AI, a pilot program designed to introduce Advanced Mathematics, Computer Science, and the foundations of Machine Learning as part of AI education at the high school level. This initiative helped create a continuous talent pipeline that motivated students toward STEM research and AI careers in Armenia.
Thanks to our supporters, we were able to raise approximately $500,000, which was directed toward Armenia’s scientific and technological advancement.
We were especially grateful to our Advance Armenia Boston Reception supporters:
Champion
Flagship Pioneering
Raffi and Nina Festekjian Family
Robert A. Semonian Charitable Trust: Leon and Paul Semonian, Trustees
Advocate
Goodwin
Quantori
Catalyst
Aram Adourian and Anna Ohanyan
Avak and Christine Kahvejian
Bilazarian Family
Charleen Mosesian Onanian
Hajjar Family Fund
Michael Douvadjian
Nishan and Margrit Atinizian
Spark
David and Claire Khougazian
Latham & Watkins LLP
Friends of FAST, the U.S.-based sister organization to FAST, was a tax-exempt public charity organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; EIN 87-4632702. To claim a donation as a deduction on U.S. taxes, donors were advised to retain their donation receipt as an official record.
