The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute is pleased to announce an exceptional program of talks, workshops, and performances free of charge and open to the public throughout the month of September.
Kicking off this week, the program covers a wide range of topics such as arts and theatrical adaptations, music in a cross-cultural setting, the psychological explanation of radicalization, and the causes and consequences of climate change.
Notable speakers include Hinterland author Caroline Brothers; Professor of Psychology at University of Maryland Arie W. Kruglanski; and Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The Warren Jeffrey A. Reime, alongside distinguished guests from local and international institutions.
Established in 2008 as a center of advanced research, scholarly, and creative activity in Abu Dhabi, The NYU Abu Dhabi Institute assembles academics, professionals, and leaders from around the world to its academic conferences and public program to discuss research areas and topics of local and global significance.
Public events throughout the month of September include:
Talk
September 10, 2019
Location: NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
The story of child refugees alone on the highways of Europe originally appeared as newspaper reportage, was reconceived as the fiction work “Hinterland” by Caroline Brothers, and then adapted by Scottish theater company Vox Motus into “Flight,” a groundbreaking, award-winning theatrical work. In this talk, Brothers shares her experience of the story’s double adaptation. What considerations governed the decisions to carry out the new forms? What might be lost, and what might be gained? This talk is hosted by The Institute in collaboration with The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Speakers
Caroline Brothers, Author of Hinterland | Piia Mustamaki, Lecturer of Writing, NYUAD
(2) Our Changing Atmosphere: Evidence That Demands a Verdict?
Talk
September 17, 2019
Location: NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
Many of our contemporaries are only aware of climate change through public discourse and social media. Drawing on recent scientific papers, Jeffrey Reimer shows how the atmosphere is changing, that humans are the cause, and that there are consequences. Such consequences may be viewed in the context of Earth’s historical carbon cycles, which demonstrate well what the Earth will look like unless we consider every possible means to decarbonize the atmosphere. Looking ahead, this talk also examines carbon capture and sequestration and its increasing feasibility.
Speakers
Jeffrey A. Reimer, Chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Warren | Katharine Schlinger, Distinguished Professor in Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley
(3) The Three Pillars of Radicalization: Needs, Narratives, and Networks
Talk
September 22, 2019
Location: NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
What fuels radicalization to violence? Is de-radicalization a possibility? How can societies build sustainable peace and reinforce people’s commitment to coexist in harmony? Based on rare field research with terrorists spanning the ideological spectrum, The Three Pillars of Radicalization explores the drivers of radicalization. Evidence collected across the globe suggests that when conjoined, the drivers create a combustible psychological mixture that threatens social stability and global peace. Yet, interventions exist that can reverse this psychological process and mitigate contemporary terrorism. Panelists discuss the ways in which community-led initiatives can build societies resilient to unpredictability, divisiveness, and disasters.
Speakers
Arie W. Kruglanski, Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, University of Maryland | Rohan Gunaratna, Professor of Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technology University, Singapore
Moderator
Jocelyn J. Bélanger, Assistant Professor of Psychology at NYUA
(4) Getting NYUAD in the Groove: Five Years of Rhythm-Related Research and Activities
Performance
September 25, 2019
Location: NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
This presentation reviews five years of research conducted at NYU Abu Dhabi exploring the cross-cultural practices and understanding of musical rhythm. Three previously held workshops bringing together experts from musicology, computational modeling, cognition, and neuroscience informed the formation of a large corpus of music from the region, machine learning techniques that can analyze and characterize this corpus, and algorithmic music generation tools that emulate important musical traditions, including that of the Carnatic tradition in South India. The presentation includes a live performance of Carnatic music and a duet between a human master of the tradition and a computer-generated emulation of the style.
Speakers
Robert Rowe, Professor of Music and Director of Steinhardt Music Technology, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, NYU | Akshay Anantapadmanabhan, Virtuoso mridangam performer | Carlos Guedes, Associate Professor of Music, NYUAD | Andrew J. Eisenberg, Assistant Professor of Music, NYUAD | Kaustuv Ganguli, Postdoctoral Associate in Machine Learning, NYUAD
