Tumo Center for Creative Technologies
Tumo Center
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Established | 2011 |
| President | Sam and Sylva Simonian |
| Director | Marie Lou Papazian |
| Location |
Yerevan, Armenia 40°11′47.5″N 44°28′48.4″E / 40.196528°N 44.480111°ECoordinates: 40°11′47.5″N 44°28′48.4″E / 40.196528°N 44.480111°E |
| Affiliations | Simonian Educational Foundation |
| Website | www |
The Tumo Center for Creative Technologies (Armenian: Թումո ստեղծարար տեխնոլոգիաների կենտրոն) is a free of charge digital media learning center in Yerevan, Armenia. Since its opening in 2011, the center has provided thousands of students aged 12–18 an open environment where they can use the latest in digital tools, learn from media professionals, and explore the intersection of technology and art.
Tumo is a non-profit venture founded by Sam and Sylva Simonian who fully fund its educational program through the Simonian Educational Foundation.
The initial impetus behind Tumo was to create a synergistic hub for education and technology in Armenia. Various ideas were considered in the context of a mixed use technology and education hub. The plans eventually settled on building an after-school center for teenagers. Construction started in 2003 and ended in 2009-2010.
Tumo's grand opening took place on August 14, 2011, with an open-air concert featuring rock musicians Serj Tankian and the Dorians.
Among the famous visitors of Tumo Center in Yerevan were Ian Gillan, Kanye West, George Clooney and Charles Aznavour.
Tumo is the creation of Inet Technologies co-founder Sam Simonian and his wife Sylva. The Simonian Foundation fully funds the center, its programs, and the adjacent Tumanyan Park. The Simonians are also directly involved in Tumo’s operations, with Sam lending his knowledge on technology and its economic impact and Sylva contributing to the center’s engagement with the environment and the program’s overall curriculum.
Marie Lou Papazian is CEO of the Simonian Educational Foundation and Managing Director of Tumo. In addition to her responsibilities in managing the center, she led the design and construction management of the center’s interior architecture and outdoor plaza. Prior to Tumo, Marie Lou co-founded the Education for Development Foundation in 2001, where she led the Three Pomegranates project linking Armenian students to their global peers through web-based educational activities. She has a graduate degree in Education from the Columbia Teachers College and serves as a member of the Information Technology Council of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
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