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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 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