ETF BAFA USA TEN YEARS

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ETF BAFA USATEN YEARS

• Sveta Djurich

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TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY
For 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.
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TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY (contd)
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.
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FIRST MEETING, SEPTEMBER 2001
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TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY (contd)
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.
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LOADING CONTAINER WITH COMPUTERS
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SHIPMENT ARRIVAL AT ETF
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TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY (contd)
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.
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CISCO JOHN CHAMBERS WITH PAJA
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HP DONATION - JELENA GODJEVAC
Jelena Godjevac got for ETF new computers and
equipment from HP in the amount of 230,000. Even
Boris Tadic came to witness delivery.
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NEW COMPUTER LAB WITH HP COMPUTERS
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AT DOMOVINA
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CLUSTER DONATION - JAKOV SEIZOVIC
ETF Computer Center got a cluster computer from
Jakov Seizovic. Value 70,000.
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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.
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DINNER MEETING 2001
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DINNER MEETING
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PICNIC
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PICNIC
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TENNIS TOURNAMENT
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SAILING ON THE BAY
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SLAVA SV. ILIJA
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IVAN RASOVIC DONATION 500,000
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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.
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Mita Visiting ETF
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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PRNJAVOR CONNECTION
Jasmina Vujic is testing connection with the
school in Prnjavor.
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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.
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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.
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AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS contd
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.
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AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS contd
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AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS contd
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AWARDS TO ETF STUDENTS contd