Our Learning Festival

Our Learning Festival is an initiative by the Office of the Vice Chancellor and Learning & Organizational Development in partnership with offices across campus, for all NYU Abu Dhabi community members to share and learn knowledge and skills.

Join us on Wednesday, April 24, 2024
11:30am to 5pm
John Sexton Square, Art Gallery, Arts Center, and A6 StartAD space

Headline Acts

Time	Location	Course Description	RSVP to Attend
12:30pm	StartAD Room, A6-015	Generative AI and the Future of Work By: Professor of Practice of Political Science; Director, Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning, Nancy Gleason People, societies and institutions are changing due to the impact of generative AI and other disruptors. How work is done and integrated in organizations is shifting as a result. The fourth industrial revolution (4IR), and artificial intelligence within it, is enabling the automation of cognitive tasks, changing the nature of expertise the future workplace requires. Women can benefit from the positive contributions that generative AI can make to efficiencies in our work. In some cases, this shift is happening very fast. The session will address emerging phenomena and offer ideas for AI upskilling.	RSVP to Generative AI and the Future of Work
1:30pm	StartAD Room A6-015	Gravity's Cosmic Shadows: A Mathematical Unveiling By: Provost, Arlie Petters Step into the mesmerizing world of cosmic shadows with Arlie as he unveils the patterns hidden within them! Like the intricate shadow designs we drive through on our daily commute, to the ethereal dance of shadows in pools, similar patterns are also cast throughout the universe by the gravitational fields of stars and galaxies. Inspired by Einstein's groundbreaking theory of general relativity, join Arlie as he guides you through a captivating journey where mathematics meets the cosmos.	RSVP to Cosmic Shadows
2:30pm	StartAD Room A6-015	First Art: Gardens of Eden and the Human Condition By: Vice Chancellor, Mariët Westermann The Garden of Eden is the most famous work of horticulture in history, but it is better known for what happened there than for being a garden. If the Garden of Eden existed, it would have been somewhere in our region. In this session, Mariët will give a glimpse of her long-running J-term course on Gardens of Eden in the cultural life of the Abrahamic religions. The class considers how people in these communities made gardens and thought about them, and why the first paradise still holds significance for our challenged earth today.	RSVP to First Art: Gardens of Eden and the Human Condition

Time

Location

Course Description

RSVP to Attend

12:30pm

StartAD Room, A6-015

Generative AI and the Future of Work
By: Professor of Practice of Political Science; Director, Hilary Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning, Nancy Gleason

People, societies and institutions are changing due to the impact of generative AI and other disruptors. How work is done and integrated in organizations is shifting as a result. The fourth industrial revolution (4IR), and artificial intelligence within it, is enabling the automation of cognitive tasks, changing the nature of expertise the future workplace requires. Women can benefit from the positive contributions that generative AI can make to efficiencies in our work. In some cases, this shift is happening very fast. The session will address emerging phenomena and offer ideas for AI upskilling.

RSVP to Generative AI and the Future of Work

1:30pm

StartAD Room A6-015

Gravity's Cosmic Shadows: A Mathematical Unveiling
By: Provost, Arlie Petters

Step into the mesmerizing world of cosmic shadows with Arlie as he unveils the patterns hidden within them! Like the intricate shadow designs we drive through on our daily commute, to the ethereal dance of shadows in pools, similar patterns are also cast throughout the universe by the gravitational fields of stars and galaxies. Inspired by Einstein's groundbreaking theory of general relativity, join Arlie as he guides you through a captivating journey where mathematics meets the cosmos.

RSVP to Cosmic Shadows

2:30pm

StartAD Room A6-015

First Art: Gardens of Eden and the Human Condition
By: Vice Chancellor, Mariët Westermann

The Garden of Eden is the most famous work of horticulture in history, but it is better known for what happened there than for being a garden. If the Garden of Eden existed, it would have been somewhere in our region. In this session, Mariët will give a glimpse of her long-running J-term course on Gardens of Eden in the cultural life of the Abrahamic religions. The class considers how people in these communities made gardens and thought about them, and why the first paradise still holds significance for our challenged earth today.

RSVP to First Art: Gardens of Eden and the Human Condition

Learning Zones (11:30am-1:30pm)

Five learning zones are set up across campus building on the values of the university, to cultivate belonging, and foster sustained learning in our community. Swing by between 11:30am to 1:30pm to explore the zones.

Learning Zone	Details	Location
Arts	Join an interactive workshop in the Art Gallery Reading Room and see the current exhibition ‘In Real Time’. Guests will be encouraged to experience the exhibition and create their own unique work using clay and spatial art and are invited to discover the space from 11.30am-1.30pm. A community piano will be available in Sexton Square for anyone to play a tune or sing along with. Gather your dancing shoes and head over to the East Plaza for our Silent Disco from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Grab a headset and dance with fellow festival-goers. Explore the Arts Center and drop into an interactive media session. Where it's art, music, or dance, there's a creative outlet for everyone.	Art Gallery Reading Room and Arts Center
Artificial Intelligence (AI)	Artificial Intelligence takes many forms across the university – from the “Robodogs” and VR headsets, to how to get started with Chat GPT and the importance of prompt engineering, this is your opportunity to experience hands-on learning about the power of AI.	Sexton Square
Majlis	Ever wondered what ghawa is, how the coffee gets made, the ritual and significance of Buhoor, or why Faiza is a falcon? Experience interactive learning about Emirati culture in our Majlis Zone, and join the Office of Inclusion and Equity for wider conversations around identity and inclusion, diversity, belonging, and equity.	Sexton Square
Sustainability	Heard about our Climate Action Plan but you are not really sure what it means? Wondering what the University is doing about food waste, printing, and other community ways to benefit the environment? Come and enjoy some interactive learning while swotting up on all things sustainable at NYUAD.	Sexton Square
Community	Learn more about how the University supports cross-constituency community gatherings such as Our Learning Festival and the upcoming Louvre Takeover, and how you can get involved.	Sexton Square

Well-Being Activities

Throughout the day, there will be a number of interactive and well-being focused activities for you to join in, including a community piano and opportunities to learn important well-being skills, including:

Mindful Conflict Management
5:15pm, C2 Multifaith room behind the Marketplace, Sign Up.

Dealing with interpersonal conflict can be a difficult and anxiety inducing experience. Join the Office of Inclusion and Equity for a workshop to learn how to be mindful and present during interpersonal conflict and moments of tension. Mindful conflict resolution utilizes mindfulness and presence to become more aware of one's own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors during a conflict, as well as the other person's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. This will include mindfulness practices such as breathing and body awareness exercises to attune to the body during moments of tension, as well as skill building on how to effectively communicate and listen actively to oneself and others from a place of presence.

From the Cosmos to the Garden's of Eden: Sound and Art discovery
5:15pm, Amphitheater on the High Line, Sign Up.

Join a guided sound healing journey followed by a creative exploration using the powerful dynamics of ARTiculation art therapy. During this exercise you will lie down or be seated for a sound healing journey, followed by creating a piece of art. Duration 1hr 15 minutes.

Our Learning Community

Our Learning Community is part of a wider Our Learning Festival programming. Building on our philosophy that we are all learners and educators, all community members – including students, staff, faculty, and contracted colleagues – were invited to propose and teach a 25-minute mini-course of their own design.

The mini-course schedule for the afternoon is as below. Courses will be on a first come first serve basis, and you can attend as many of these mini-courses as you like.

Mini-Course Schedule

Time	Lecture Title	Taught By
3:30-3:55pm	Crash Course on MRI	Sipan Hovsepian, Class of 2027
	Crafting Together: Wreath Making	Lindsay Doung, Assistant Director, Career Advising
	Standing on a Spectrum: Introduction to Cultural Orientation	Emma Baker, Operations Manager, Science Division & Farzan Ahmad Khan, Student Engagement and Leadership Development Manager
	How to Braid Afro Hair	Idorenyin Udoh, Environmental Health and Safety Manager, Campus Operations
3:55-4pm	Transition
4-4:25pm	Synthetic Biology 101	Heesung Tae & Fatma Alrebh, Class of 2027
	Knitting for Knewbies	Caitlin Newsom, Program Manager, Core Curriculum
	The Benefits of Travel	Haris Ali, Logistics Officer, Mailroom
	Personal Finance Essentials	Nghia Nim, Class of 2025
4:25-4:30pm	Transition
4:30-4:55pm	Reeform! Coral Care and Conservation	Abdullah Salman and Afomia Mengistu, Class of 2027
	Introduction to Modular Origami	Hazem Lashen, Research Assistant
	Introduction to Mindfulness	Aamir Shehzad, CCTV Operator
	Introduction to Refrigeration and Air Conditioning	Zoltan Derzsi, Research Associate
4:55-5pm	Transition