Research Public Engagement

Research Public Engagement explores ways to communicate, influence, and engage the public in areas of research through programs, events, and initiatives.

In collaboration with NYUAD students, faculty members, researchers, and community members we:

Develop on-campus educational workshops for school students.
Participate in local STEAM events where we present NYUAD research in an interactive way.
Launch grassroots initiatives that foster engagement between NYUAD research and the broader community.

Creating educational opportunities where members of the UAE community can connect with NYUAD research is important to us. Our public engagement programs provide UAE community members the chance to interact with and learn from researchers, scientists and professionals. We strive to create widely accessible, meaningful interactions where all those involved can learn and grow from one another through shared educational experiences.

Learn more about the ways we connect with the broader community by taking a look at our public engagement programs.

Programs

Citizen Researcher
STEAM Workshops
Local Events

Citizen Researcher invites members of the public to participate in and contribute to ongoing research. Following a guided process, participants collect or analyze data to help accelerate research and find solutions to critical questions. Members of the public who participate in Citizen Researcher learn about the research process and gain skills in data collection and/or analysis.

Inspired by Citizen Science; an initiative that allows individuals to participate in the inquiry and discovery of scientific knowledge, Citizen Researcher similarly engages members of the public in NYUAD research across the disciplines of science, social science, engineering, and humanities.

Visit Our Website

Join us as we build the first digital platform for public participation in NYUAD research. The Citizen Researcher website will house NYUAD research projects designed for public participation. From the comfort of your homes, you can take part in a project's research process, learn new research skills and techniques, and work alongside research professionals towards a common goal. Your contribution can help a research team reach a solution or find the answer to a critical question at a much quicker rate! Visit our website and express your interest.

Bug Fighter

Bug Fighter, a Citizen Researcher project, was launched with the aim of involving the public in scientific research. In its pilot phase, high school students in the UAE participated in this project to help discover new drugs that fight parasitic worms. Bug Fighter sparked students' curiosity about the different tools and experiments used in the field of drug discovery — from collecting natural bacteria to evaluating their potential as a source of biopesticides.

Fifty students analyzed several thousand images, helping the project’s progress by providing more resources and saving effort and time in data analysis. Through these initiatives, not only does the public learn about what goes on behind the walls of the laboratory, but the researchers also benefit from the curiosity of the public and their willingness to engage in scientific projects.

It was striking to see how rapidly the students grabbed the information and got actively involved in our data analysis. I identified some of them as budding scientists!

Hala Fahs, NYUAD Senior Research Scientist
In collaboration with NYUAD students, staff, and faculty members, we organize a number of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) workshops for school students throughout the academic year. The content of the workshops are developed by NYUAD students, staff, and faculty members and are tailored to an area or subject school students may find challenging. These school workshops provide NYUAD community members an opportunity to teach school students from across the UAE and to better prepare them for university level education.

STEAM Investigators — New for 2021

STEAM Investigators is a one-day educational workshop bringing university-level science to high school classrooms using portable, state of the art spectroscopic equipment. The workshop presents high school students with stimulating and interactive experiments in an engaging context.

Demonstrations and workshops in spectroscopy are presented by trained NYUAD staff, who ensure that the content presented is relevant and appropriate to current curricula. The STEAM Investigators Workshop aims to bridge the gap between secondary education and universities, giving students a stronger chance to pursue STEAM disciplines in their higher education.

STEAM Workshop for local students, held at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi Science Festival

The Abu Dhabi Science Festival (ADSF) is an ADEK-led event that aims to inspire youth, up to the age of 15 years, in STEAM fields (Science, Technology. Engineering, Arts, Math). NYUAD participates annually in the festival, demonstrating interactive and engaging activities showcasing the research in NYUAD.

Having the privilege of serving as an ADSF science communicator was definitely one of the highlights of my freshman year at NYUAD. Going in, I had no idea that I would indirectly become part of the learning process for so many students going to local schools in Abu Dhabi.

Nelda Ilomelo John, NYUAD Class of 2023

The Abu Dhabi Science Festival runs for 10 days and is the largest science festival in the country. It is a way for NYUAD community members to connect with the broader UAE community, engaging them in research, and providing them with a memorable learning opportunity that is fun and inspiring.

It was absolutely wonderful to be able to engage with the community and bond with them over a shared passion for STEAM. The look of curiosity and wonder on people's faces as you demonstrate your activities was one of the most rewarding things I've ever experienced.

Faisal Quadri, NYUAD Class of 2023