NYUAD Institute

Modern science has done amazing things: creating covid vaccines, sending humans to the moon, finding the ultimate nature of light. What makes it so powerful—and so different from the attempts to understand nature made by the philosophers and monks of old? Vaulting from Aristotle to gravitational waves, Michael Strevens argues that much of science’s power derives from an epistemic limitation that can only be understood as irrational. The paradigmatic scientist is a paradigmatic reasoner in many ways, but in at least one way, their perfection as a scientist lies in the deliberate cultivation of a gaping intellectual blind spot. Speaker Michael Strevens, Professor of Philosophy, NYU

Often, the United Arab Emirates is envisioned as a land of ultramodern skyscrapers or vast sand dunes. Yet, the Emirates are much more: a diverse tapestry of ecosystems that are home to a surprising array of life forms uniquely adapted to the Arabian environment. This talk explores the UAE's unique ecosystems, its terrestrial and marine biodiversity, and humanity's role in this young, rapidly evolving nation. Speaker John A. Burt, Author, "A Natural History of the Emirates" (Springer Nature, 2023); Head of the Marine Biology Lab and Associate Professor of Biology, NYUAD

The Golden Harvest is a 6,000-year old love story in which the filmmaker tries to understand the profound, often troubled, relationship between olive trees and the people of the Mediterranean, including her own father. It is a complicated romance, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, set in a region that includes some of the poorest and most conflicted areas of Europe and the Middle East. Alia Yunis, Writer/Film Director, "The Golden Harvest", NYUAD In conversation with Jamal Rayyis, Wine and Food Writer

Cryptography is often regarded as a cornerstone of computer security. Yet, many public-key cryptographic algorithms show vulnerability to implementation errors or misinterpretations. This talk surveys 'weapons of math destruction' that have proven remarkably effective in identifying flawed cryptographic implementations in real-world scenarios. It also covers adventures in both active and passive network measurement of cryptographic protocols, highlighting the challenges and advancements in this critical field. Speaker Nadia Heninger, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, University of California, San Diego

A conversation with filmmaker Shekhar Kapur about his journey through diverse film industries and film genres, across national boundaries. From Masoom (Innocence); India, 1983 to his most recent What's Love Got to Do with it? UK, 2022, from the fantasy film, Mr. India; India, 1987, to realism, Bandit Queen; India, 1994 and historical fiction, Elizabeth; UK 1998, Kapur will share his experiences and insight. Not limited to the single screen, Kapur will share his future projects that include multi-screen installations, gaming, comics and animation. Speakers Shekhar Kapur, Film Director, Producer, Actor; Recipient of National Film Award, Filmfare Awards, BAFTA Nominations In conversation with Surabhi Sharma, Program Head of Film and New Media; Associate Professor of Practice of Film and New Media, NYUAD

يتناول الحوار أهمية المواسم وتأثيرها على أساليب الحياة عبر استكشاف تقويم الدرور، التقويم الفلكي المستخدم في دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة قديماً، وارتباطه بالبيئة الطبيعية والمواسم فيها. كما يستند المتحدثون إلى خبراتهم الواسعة في مختلف مجالات الحياة لمُناقشة تقويم الدّرور، ودوره في الحياة الاقتصادية والاجتماعية في دولة الإمارات. المتحدثون: محمد سعيد الرميثي زيد سعيد الشحي إبراهيم أحمد الشحي أحمد إبراهيم القلاف النعيمي إدارة الحوار: آمنة الحمادي

Join us in celebrating International Women's Day 2024 with an inspiring event themed Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress. The program features a lineup of speakers who are at the forefront of women and youth empowerment across the globe and will discuss the interplay of education and diplomacy regionally and globally, with a focus on women in innovative leadership. Speakers Gugu Ndebele, Executive Director, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls Ouided Bouchamaoui, Nobel Peace Prize Co-Laureate, Former President of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts Opening Remarks Wana Udobang, Multidisciplinary Artist and Storyteller Lisa Coleman, Visiting Professor, NYU Stern School of Business In conversation with Fatiah Touray Esq., Executive Director of Inclusion and Equity, NYUAD

Obtaining accurate and current information from conflict zones has long posed numerous challenges for global media. The rise of generative AI and its use in targeted disinformation campaigns presents many new challenges that threaten to undermine the credibility of reporting and sway opinion. In this panel, four distinguished panelists will consider the problems posed by disinformation and generative AI from various perspectives, focusing in particular on the current research about the role of disinformation in today's rapidly changing media landscape. Panel Members Donald Jensen, Senior Advisor for Russia and Europe, US Institute of Peace Joshua Tucker, Professor of Politics, Director Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia, NYU Moderated by Leonid Peisakhin, Associate Professor of Political Science, NYUAD

This talk highlights the advanced use of sensing systems that collect continuous data from wearable devices, such as location trackers and voice-activated recorders, to deepen our understanding of human behavior and development. The speaker will explain behavioral imaging, which involves creating a dynamic multimodal representation of behavioral data over time. The focus will be on a specific sensing system and its application in two key studies in preschool environments. The first study investigates classroom social networks and the dynamics of children within these networks, while the second evaluates the effects of an intervention aimed at reducing social isolation in young children by altering network configurations. Speaker Laura Justice, EHE Distinguished Professor of Educational Psychology and Executive Director of the Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, Ohio State University

Kicking off a week-long New York City residency by Kuwaiti music ensemble Boom.Diwan, this panel explores the history and intercultural dynamics of musical cultures in the Arabian Gulf and Africa’s Swahili Coast. Based in mercantile trade and cultural exchange dating back many centuries, the music of the Gulf and Western Indian Ocean have developed uniquely rich and cosmopolitan song forms and styles infrequently explored and heard in the West. The panel discusses their ongoing research on this musical nexus and offers musical demonstrations. Panel Members Ghazi Faisal al-Mulaifi, Visiting Assistant Professor of Music, NYUAD Andrew Eisenberg, Program Head and Associate Professor of Music, NYUAD Moderated by Jonathan H. Shannon, Professor of Anthropology, Hunter College and Graduate Center, CUNY; Faculty Director, J-Term Curriculum, Office of Global Education, NYUAD