ETF BAFA USATEN YEARS

Sveta Djurich

TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARYFor several years in the late 1990s professor Vladana Likar Smiljanic used email to stay in touch with her colleagues spread over the world. She informed them on the critical situation in their alma mater, School of Electrical Engineering (EE) in Belgrade. Because of economic sanctions, school could not get computers, instrumentation, books and magazines. Sanctions lasted a decade. After sanctions were lifted, some of alumni started to help school. For instance, a group in Netherlands sent a truck full of latest edition books and magazines to the school library. Still these efforts were individual and far apart.

In 2001 the Computer Center at the School had an old DEC VAX computer and a couple of unusable, old PCs.

TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY (cont’d)

Thus, in September 2001, Jasmina Vujic, Mita Postich and Sveta Djurich got together and decided to incorporate a non-profit organization in California with a goal to help their alma mater, students and professors. They named corporation ETF Belgrade Alumni and Friends Association, or ETF BAFA. It is important to stress the non-profit feature since it enabled corporation to attract donations. It took a year of work to win such status.

Founders only motivation was that they got a solid basic knowledge from the school and they successfully built their carriers on such knowledge. They wanted to return the favor to the school and help current students.

FIRST MEETING, SEPTEMBER 2001

TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY (cont’d)

The founders were hoping that there are enough colleagues across US and Canada who will share same ideas. And the members started signing up to the new corporation.

Together with new members, founders collected used computers and during next two years sent five shipments of computers and other equipment to the school.

LOADING CONTAINER WITH COMPUTERS

SHIPMENT ARRIVAL AT ETF

TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY (cont’d)

Some of the members tried to get their companies to donate instrumentation to BAFA and to EE school in Belgrade.

For instance, Miroslav Pajovic “Paja” managed to get instrument donation from Cisco valued at $120,00. Representing BAFA, Paja gave a certificate of gratitude to Cisco president John Chambers.

CISCO JOHN CHAMBERS WITH PAJA

HP DONATION - JELENA GODJEVACJelena Godjevac got for ETF new computers and equipment from HP in the amount of $230,000. Even Boris Tadic came to witness delivery.

NEW COMPUTER LAB WITH HP COMPUTERS

AT DOMOVINA

CLUSTER DONATION - JAKOV SEIZOVIC

ETF Computer Center got a cluster computer from Jakov Seizovic. Value $70,000.

THERE IS NO FREE LUNCH

It is important to underline, the small membership fee ($30 annually) and income from donations and fundraising events were used to cover shipment and other expenses. The members and directors of the association do not get any income from ETF BAFA. Their work is strictly voluntary and they often contribute their own funds to help association activities. A lot has been achieved with modest means.

Fund raising activities are picnics, dinner meetings (zhurka), Slava and various sport events (tennis, sailing), etc.

DINNER MEETING 2001

DINNER MEETING

PICNIC

PICNIC

TENNIS TOURNAMENT

SAILING ON THE BAY

SLAVA SV. ILIJA

IVAN RASOVIC DONATION $500,000

LABORATORY BLOCK IVAN AND JELENA RASOVIC

The donation of half million dollars received from Ivan and Jelena Rasovic was used to rebuild the old pavilion between EE and Mechanical Engineering buildings. A new level was added and the renovated building increased by 30% the area used by the EE School. The new building is named “Ivan and Jelena Rasovic Laboratory Block” and a memorial plaque is attached at the building entrance.

Mita Visiting ETF

2008 NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ETF BAFA biannually elects its board of directors. In 2008 the number of board members was increased from three to five. New members are Vlada Marjanovic and Nenad Caklovic. The new board is shown on the picture.

2010 NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The last election to the Board of directors was in the year 2010. Again five directors were elected. However, two previous directors, Jasmina Vujic and Nenad Caklovic could not serve on the board because of other commitments and two new directors were elected. They are Aleksandar Veselinovic and Milos Jorgovanovic.Three remaining directors are Vladeta Marjanovic, Mita Postich and Sveta Djurich.

NEW DONATIONS TO THE SCHOOL IN BELGRADE

EE School received two more donations.First, our member Branislav Selic, who lives in Canada, donated software from IBM, valued at $120,000.Second, our member Professor Bane Simic donated spectroscopes, lasers and other optical instrumentation worth $400,000. This instrumentation was divided between ETF and Institute for Physics in Belgrade. BAFA organized packing and shipping.

DONATION TO SCHOOLS IN REPUBLIC SRPSKA

ETF BAFA gave donation in computers to schools in Rogatica and Prnjavor. We gave four computers to school in Rogatica.

To Prnjavor school we gave a complete computer center with four computers, printer and a modem. We were able to make a connection with the school in Prnjavor and they are able now to communicate with other schools.

PRNJAVOR CONNECTION

Jasmina Vujic is testing connection with the school in Prnjavor.

CONTRIBUTION TO IVA OBRADOVIC

ETF BAFA took part in the fundraiser for Iva Obradovic. Iva is UC Berkeley student who represented Serbia in the single scull at the World Rowing Championships in New Zealand in 2010.

AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS

Starting with 2002, BAFA gave on the ETF Day in December an award to the best student of each of five ETF sections. Initially the amount of each award was $100. In 2005 the award was increased to $120. Then in 2008, on recommendation of professor Dejan Popovic, awarding system was changed. Awards were given to three best graduation thesis. The second and third award were $500. The first prize was a weekly trip to Silicone Valley in California with visits to some of the best companies as well as UC Berkeley and Stanford University. All expenses paid.The winner of the first prize in 2008 was Milos Jorgovanovic. In 2009 recipient was Aleksandar Bojarov, in 2010 Nikola Prodanovic and in 2011 Milovan Blagojevic.

AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS cont’d

In addition to the two universities, the recipients of the first prize visited following companies: Apple, Google, Cisco, HP and Nvidia.

Depending on the schedule and availability, not all recipients visited all five companies each.

Following pages show award ceremony and some of the visit photos.

AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS cont’d

AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS cont’d

AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS cont’d