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An Evening at Columbia University, New York Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Birth of Michael Pupin.  Speeches and Awards from the Serbian Academy of Sciences

Above: Columbia University, New York City.

Above: Michael Pupin Medal commemorating the 150th anniversary of his birth. 
Medal given by the Serbian Academy of Sciences.

Above: The diploma of the Pupin Gold Medal given to Dr. Ljubo Vujovic by the Serbian Academy of Sciences at Columbia University on on Thursday June 16, 2005, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the birth of Michael Pupin.

Above: Alma Mater, Columbia University, New York City.

Celebration in the Philosophy Hall Building of Columbia University

In the beautiful Philosophy Hall Building in Columbia University on Thursday June 16, 2005, an unforgettable evening with the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts honoring the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Michael Pupin.  Among distinguished guests was Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro, Dr. Ivan Vujacic and Slavko Kruljevic, Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy Permanent Representative of Serbia and Montenegro to the United Nations.  Dr. Gordon Bardos, Deputy Director, Harriman Institute organized this beautiful evening.  Mark Seifer, writer and Tesla biographer "The Life and Times of Nikola Tesla", Prof. Nickolas J. Themelis, Director of the Earth Engineering Center, Mrs. and Mr. Milan Lucic, Serbian Radio and Television, New York, Prof. Rada Milentijevic, Dr. Relja Nedeljkovic, Dr. and Mrs. Milan Rakic, Dr. Marisa Pezzulic, Dr. Smilja Matijevic, Dr. Aleksandra Dimic, Slobodan Todorovic, Milorad Milinkovic and actress Mary Gados were also present. 

Above: Michael Idvorsky Pupin (1854 -1935), a distinguished Serbian-American scientist and inventor and long time professor of Columbia University, previous President of New York Academy of Sciences and member of the Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C.  Michael Pupin was a founder of Astronautical Department of National Academy of Sciences, which is a precursor of today's NASA.

Above: This is the famous autobiography of Michael Pupin "From Immigrant to Inventor" which received the Pulitzer Prize in 1924.

Above: The Pulitzer Prize Awarded to Michael Pupin, 1924, for his autobiography  "From Immigrant to Inventor"

Above: Pupin Coil at the Smithsonian Museum, Washington D.C.

Above: Prof. Zvi Galil, Dean of the Engineering School at Columbia University receiving the Pupin Medal in recognition of his outstanding efforts to improve Serbian-American relations.

Above: Dr. Ivan Vujacic,  Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro speaking about the good relations between the United States and Serbia and Montenegro.

Above: The audience of celebration of the 150th anniversary of Pupin's birth.

Above: Dr. Ivan Vujacic,  Ambassador of Serbia and Montenegro in the audience.

Above: Martin Selak - Chicago Businessman, engineer and inventor.  The founder of the Society of Inventors in Serbia and Montenegro.  Mr. Selak is the organizer of the Serbian Academy of Sciences visit to the United States.  Mr. Selak spoke with enthusiasm about relations between Serbia and and the US and supporting future inventors.

Above: Slavko Kruljevic, Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy Permanent Representative of Serbia and Montenegro to the United Nations.

Above: Group Photo of the unforgettable evening at Columbia University.  From left to right: Prof. Aleksander Marincic, Catharine Theimer Nepomnyashchy, Dean Zvi Galil, Nikola Hajdin, Ambassador Dr. Ivan Vujacic,  Lalla Grimes and Dr. Ljubo Vujovic.

Above: Nikola Hajdin, the President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts speaking about "Modern Bridges In Serbia".  Academician Hajdin is international recognized expert on designing bridges.  He demonstrated this evening tremendous knowledge and showed beautiful pictures of many bridges he designed in Serbia and Poland.

Above:  Academician Alexsander Marincic, a member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences delivered a speech on "Michael Pupin: Life and Legacy" with many interesting detailed of Pupin's life and work.  Prof. Marincic is an expert on Pupin and Tesla.

Above: Catharine Theimer Nepomnyashchy, director of the Harriman Institute gave opening remarks.

Nikola Hajdin, the President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and Alexsandar Marincic, a member of the Academy, were featured speakers in a program commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Mihailo "Michael" Pupin, the Serbian-American physicist and electrical engineer who devised a means of greatly extending the range of long-distance telephone communication. The Njegos Endowment for Serbian Language and Culture at Columbia, together with the Harriman Institute and the East Central European Center,  sponsored the program in honor of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), whose Department of Physics is housed in a building named after Dr. Pupin. The event was held on Thurs., June 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Graduate Student Lounge, 301 Philosophy Hall.

The program began with a welcome from Catharine Theimer Nepomnyashchy, director of the Harriman Institute, followed by Marincic, who delivered a speech on "Michael Pupin: Life and Legacy." In addition, Hajdin talked about "Modern Bridges in Serbia."

After the formal addresses, the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts presented medals to Zvi Galil, dean of SEAS, and to Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, Secretary General of the New York Tesla Memorial Society, and Lalla Grimes, administrative coordinator of the physics department in recognition of their outstanding efforts to improve Serbian-American relations.

Above: Lalla Grimes, administrative coordinator of the physics department, receiving Pupin Medal in recognition of her outstanding efforts to improve Serbian-American relations.

Above: Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, Secretary General of the New York Tesla Memorial Society receiving the Pupin Medal in recognition of his outstanding efforts to improve Serbian-American relations.

Above: Prof. Zvi Galil, Dean of the Engineering School at Columbia University spoke after receiving the Pupin Medal.

Above: Newspaper article from Fall 2002, Columbia Press, with the photo of President Kostunica of Serbia and Dean Zvi Galil with the bust given to Columbia University as a gift from President Kostunica.  The bust is work of renowned Serbian sculptor, Drinka Radovanovic.

"Everyone knows that Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.. what Bell really invented was local telephone calls.  It was Michael Pupin who made long distance and international phone calls possible and the gadget that enabled it was the induction coil." - Dean Zvi Galil, Columbia University.

Above: The Michael Pupin Bust created by renowned Serbian Sculptor Drinka Radovanovic.  This bust was a personal gift from Yugoslav President Dr. Vojislav Kostunica to Columbia University, New York.

Above: Above: Lalla Grimes, administrative coordinator of the physics department spoke after receiving the Pupin Medal.

Above: Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, Secretary General of the New York Tesla Memorial Society spoke after receiving the Pupin Medal.

Above: Daughter of Lalla Grimes, Lalla Grimes, Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, Slobodan Todorovic, Dr. Smilja Matijevic and Milan Lucic.

Above: Mark Seifer, Academician Aleksander Marincic, Dean Zvi Galil, Academician Nikola Hajdin, and Dr. Ljubo Vujovic.

Above: Mark Seifer, Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, Prof. Catharine Theimer Nepomnyashchy, Eng. Martin Selak, Captain Slobodan Todorovic and Milan Lucic.

Above: Mark Seifer, Dr. Ljubo Vujovic, Lalla Grimes, Gordon Bardos, and Prof. Catharine Theimer Nepomnyashchy

Above: (third from left) Marko Vujovic, Web Designer and Photographer of the evening at Columbia University.

Above: This Glaznja arch dam near Kumanovo was designed by Nikola Hajdin.

Above: Prof. Dr. Aleksandar Marincic, previous director Nikola Tesla Museum, Belgrade.

Above: Martin Selak (bottom left picture) is the founder of the Society of Inventors in Serbia and Montenegro.