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NYU Abu Dhabi Hosts Jill Biden, Educator and Second Lady of the United States

The former Second Lady of the United States of America at the NYUAD Engineering Design Studio discussing innovation with Professor Matt Karau.

Press Release

Dr. Jill Biden, Second Lady of the United States, visited the NYU Abu Dhabi campus on Monday, where she spent an hour speaking with University leadership and students.

Dr. Biden, a lifelong educator and full-time English professor at a community college in northern Virginia, met with Vice Chancellor Al Bloom to discuss trends in higher education and the role NYUAD is playing in that evolution; visited with students and program administrators from NYUAD’s Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Scholars Program, a leadership development program for Emiratis enrolled in the UAE’s three national universities; and received a tour of the University’s Engineering Design Studio, an open research lab that allows students the space, resources and technology to create original and projects in the fields of technology and innovation.

Students and professors presented some of their recent projects, among them, an application for iPhones and smart watches aimed at safer driving, called Road Watch. 

NYUAD was developed in partnership with the UAE government and opened in 2010. It is the first comprehensive liberal arts and science campus in the region operated by a major U.S. research university. Today, there are around 880 undergraduates from 110 countries.

NYUAD Vice Chancellor Bloom said: “Dr. Biden offers a phenomenal role model to all students, and particularly to students like those at NYUAD, who are resolved to make a difference in shaping a world of shared understanding and service to humanity. It was a great privilege to have her visit NYUAD, and we look forward to her continuing connection to this institution.”

About NYU Abu Dhabi

NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective undergraduate curriculum across the disciplines with a world center for advanced research and scholarship. The university enables its students in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, humanities, and arts to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world and advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from over 115 countries and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.