Five Hopes for a Transformative Future for NYUAD — A Letter from a Graduating Senior

In this heartfelt letter, a graduating senior urges for thoughtful considerations in forging a brighter future for everyone at NYU Abu Dhabi.

‘Open’ for Who? Balancing Community, Inclusivity, and Privacy

The idea of an Open Campus raises questions about inclusivity, privacy, and the amplified impact of the pandemic on student life. Who is the campus truly ‘open’ to in a city like Abu Dhabi?

Institutional Efforts To Promote Arabic Education For All Students Are Overdue

Not having a need in the UAE to learn Arabic is not an excuse for NYUAD to continue neglecting the teaching of the Arabic language for all students and disregarding its social value.

Should AI Reflect Us, Or Should We Reflect AI?

Garbage In, Garbage Out refers to the common idea in AI that models will reflect the data they are trained on. As state-of-the-art models still continue to demonstrate large, measurable bias, what can be done?

Karl Lagerfeld: Man or Designer?

The Met Gala theme sparked great controversy because it honored the late Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld. While undoubtedly an influential fashion designer, choosing to ignore his persona and perceive him only through his work is problematic.

The Surge of Artificial Intelligence Is a Double Edged Sword for the Developing World

There is no doubt that adoption of AI has the potential to dramatically improve the standard of living and save lives, if done correctly. If we’re not careful, though, it may also end up perpetuating existing inequalities.

In Search of Authenticity in a Global World: An Urbanization Story

Attracting tourists to big urban cities often results in an artificial version of what the underlying culture represents, resulting in a romanticized past and lost culture for locals.

Why are we still hyping TV shows like Netflix’s “Queen Cleopatra”?

Defenders of the show say it challenges all the Monica Belluccis and Angelina Jolies who played Cleopatra — but no one is talking about how Egyptian actors have rarely gotten to play her, whether they are white, Black, or somewhere in between.

A feminist intervention to science

It is time we dismantle cis/heteronormativity in science and disentangle the scientific results that have come from it; and that we be a little more doubtful of truths, and a little more confident about uncertainty.

Pause Giant AI Experiments: A Panicked, Precautionary Letter

Recently an Open Letter was released, calling for an immediate halt of AI research until proper precautions and regulations can be defined. This brings up a lot of questions about how comprehensive the letter is and consequences for the AI industry.

How should you choose your major?

What factors influence your academic direction? Would you rather study something you enjoy, something considered "profitable", or something in-between?

Engineering x IDBE: A Call for Inclusivity in STEM

Globally the STEM fields are some of the least diverse in terms of workforce. The Engineering department at NYUAD has formed a committee to address this issue, but there are still many challenges ahead.

India and Pakistan are Weaponizing History Textbooks to Manufacture Religious Nationalisms

Divided by borders, but united by erasing histories, India and Pakistan’s attempts at creating a national identity through the revision of history textbooks illustrate how closely ideology is intertwined with power in the nation-states.

Ramadan in Palestine and What the Media Isn’t Telling You

A recent assault at Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan marked a dark day for Palestinians. As the story is told, media bias plays a significant role in shaping public perception of the ongoing conflict, presenting a highly skewed view of the situation.

How can we navigate Ramadan with Respect and Inclusion at NYUAD?

Over Ramadan, the diverse NYUAD student body has grappled with how to act during the holy month. How do we as a community engage with Ramadan in a way that embodies values of cultural respect, inclusion, and tolerance?