Research Report Rebranded and Launched

Manara will bring stories from the last year on COVID-19 research and ways NYU Abu Dhabi has tackled the global challenge through academia.

NYU Abu Dhabi has launched the first story from the latest issue of Manara, previously known as the Research Report, with stories from almost every discipline showcasing the University’s research enterprise over the last year. This issue focuses on COVID-19 research and features articles on a range of topics from new testing methods to treatments derived from llamas.

With 18 stories on research highlighting the work of 27 faculty, Manara highlights NYUAD’s unique research capacity and the interdisciplinary approach that has guided its academic philosophy over the last decade.

The name for the publication, Manara, was a months-long effort whereby key members of NYUAD’s research community were asked to submit suggestions to rebrand the Research Report, which has been published annually since 2014.

Finalists were chosen by a committee and given special consideration from both English and Arabic to determine the best possible outcomes. Manara was chosen to represent the ethos, vision, and relevance of research at NYUAD.

The name Manara, a transliteration of lighthouse in Arabic, holds cultural relevance in the Arabic language as both an allusion to one of the Wonders of the World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, and a mainstay of Islamic Architecture.

This issue of Manara will be available in print and online as a PDF. However, the University is also launching a new interactive and engaging storytelling platform to showcase the research and bring it to life using multimedia content.

Over the next 10 weeks, Manara will release two stories a week on the NYUAD website, that include videos, images, and soundbites from interviews with the researchers themselves.

The publication has been a collaborative effort over the last six months from dozens of members of the NYUAD community and will continue to be updated regularly online throughout the year.