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Month: September 2024

Rogan Kersh Is the New Academic Director of NYU Florence

Posted on by Maxine P

Portrait of Rogan Kersh

For Professor Rogan Kersh, becoming the academic director of NYU Florence and the vice chancellor for Global Programs is the culmination of a lifelong interest in world cultures—and a full-circle moment in his history with NYU.

From 2006 to 2012, Kersh was the associate dean of the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. There, among his other responsibilities, he was involved in the early planning stages of NYU Abu Dhabi, which fueled his passion for enhancing students’ global outlooks. For the next decade, Kersh served as provost at his alma mater, Wake Forest University, where he helped expand overseas study programs and global cultural opportunities on campus. In the fall of 2022, he spent a semester at DIS Copenhagen, teaching a course and engaging closely with their leadership to better understand the changing state of global education.

Now that he’s back at NYU, Global Dimensions caught up with Kersh to discuss his return to the University and his goals for NYU Florence.

What drew you back to NYU and specifically to NYU Florence?

I’ve remained close to many cherished NYU colleagues, and it will be wonderful to renew those relationships. For an organization this large and multinational, it’s remarkable how important personal connections are. As for NYU Florence: if you’ve visited, you know.

A group of students with their instructor walk through La Piazza della Signorina

In your new role, what are your key goals for the site?

NYU Florence is at once a first-class study away program and a convening site important to NYU and to the city of Florence. Sustaining that balance, attending both to academic excellence and community engagement, feels essential.

I plan on learning as fully as I can about existing curricula, courses, and programs, and hearing from faculty and staff about the opportunities they see to enhance this wonderful site. Then, I will focus on working with them to help realize those opportunities.

What do you recommend students studying away at NYU Florence take advantage of while they are there? 

I’ve always been impressed with how well Florence wears its extraordinary history—so many remarkable figures and movements and moments, most superbly preserved—while remaining a dynamic modern ecosystem that is a global leader in sustainability and has developed a thriving start-up culture. Villa La Pietra

Students can exercise their passion in virtually any direction and take advantage of so much: superb dining, from haute cuisine to street food; natural beauty in an urban setting; engagement with local public service organizations; and cultural treasures both ancient and newly imagined. And of course there are architectural gems everywhere you wander. 

Many NYU Florence students find themselves spending fewer weekends city-hopping and more immersed in their fascinating immediate surroundings, which speaks to the power of the experience they have. 

Written by Kristin Maffei

NYU Faculty Conduct Research in 107 Countries and Counting

Posted on by Katie L

A scientist using equipment

At NYU, research thrives across 15 schools and campuses and dozens of centers and programs—in New York and around the world. In fact, University faculty conducted research in 107 countries, as well as in Greenland and Antarctica, during the 2023–2024 academic year alone. From sustainability to inequality and human health to artificial intelligence, research at NYU spans disciplines and crosses borders—and the University’s profile is rapidly rising. Today, NYU ranks 15th among all universities on the National Science Foundation’s annual Higher Education Research and Development survey, with the biggest year-over-year surge in rankings of any top 50 school (as measured by research expenditures).

“NYU’s ascent as a leading research university helps set the stage for President Mills’ visionary strategic pathways, which includes a focus on global science and technology that will enable NYU to continue to thrive and drive impact,” affirms Stacie Bloom, chief research officer, vice chancellor, and vice provost for global research and innovation. “By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, expanding global education opportunities, and investing in innovative research, President Mills has positioned NYU to be at the forefront of academic excellence and discovery. This holistic approach not only enhances NYU’s research capabilities but also cultivates a diverse and inclusive academic community that reflects the University’s values.”

Here are just a few of the projects positioning NYU to lead the world in global education and research.

J. Lawrence Aber, the Willner Family Professor of Psychology and Public Policy at the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and Hirokazu Yoshikawa, the Courtney Sale Ross Professor of Globalization and Education at NYU Steinhardt, co-led and co-found the Global TIES for Children Center at NYU, stewarding the center’s research for a decade. Their team conducts research in 14 conflict-affected countries, including Colombia, Peru, Lebanon, Jordan, Niger, and Bangladesh, to improve program and policy action that promotes children’s holistic learning and development. Effective this fall, Florencia Lopez Boo, has taken over duties as the director. Prior to her role at NYU, Lopez Boo spent 15 years evaluating, designing, and implementing early childhood development, social protection, and health programs with the Inter-American Development Bank.

Meredith Dank, a clinical associate professor and director of the Human Exploitation and Resilience program at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management, has led nearly two dozen human trafficking studies. Recently, she ran a randomized controlled trial in two regions of India to address the high risk of human trafficking among the country’s Denotified Tribes. The research aims to reduce trafficking by developing economic alternatives and new livelihoods for the tribal communities.

Donna Shelley conducts research on tobacco use treatment and tobacco control policies in public healthcare networks for underserved populations. The professor of public health policy and management, vice dean for research in the Department of Public Health Policy and Management, and founding codirector of the Global Center for Implementation Science at the NYU School of Global Public Health recently studied high smoking rates among people living with HIV/AIDS in Vietnam. Her research seeks to develop a scalable, culturally appropriate model for implementing evidence-based treatment for tobacco users in outpatient HIV clinics in Vietnam.

Joo H. Kim is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and affiliated faculty of NYU’s Center for Urban Science and Progress and the NYU-KAIST Global Innovation and Research Institute. In collaboration with Korea University, his research in South Korea uses advanced 3D fall-threshold algorithms and intelligent surrogate models to develop wearable robotic devices to prevent falls and enhance safety.

Written by Dana Guterman

NYU Shanghai Student Hones Research Skills as an Amgen Scholar

Posted on by Kristin Law

Yolanda Huang portraitNYU Shanghai junior Yolanda Huang spent eight weeks in the Amgen Scholars Program this summer, a prestigious undergraduate research program at the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Tsinghua University in Beijing, China.

Red brick building

Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

Amgen Scholars join a faculty member’s lab to contribute to a biomedical research project as well as participate in a series of academic activities, including weekly lab meetings, group discussions, presentation training, and campus-wide seminars. A faculty member guides them through the program, while a technician or graduate student offers an additional perspective. 

Yolanda’s research focused on red-light activated photocatalysis for protein proximity labeling. In other words, her project aimed to develop and test a method to label proteins within their natural surroundings with the help of photocatalysts that set off a chemical reaction. “Participating in the program meant that I could dive into pharmaceutical studies, which relies heavily on biochemistry,” Yolanda says. “I’ve found biochemistry harder than other fields of natural sciences, so being admitted to the program was a challenge but also an opportunity to improve myself in my weakest area.” In addition to enhancing her research skills, the program has helped Yolanda improve her scientific communication abilities. She plans to pursue a doctorate after graduation, continuing in academia as a researcher and scholar. These crucial skills will help her excel in addition to connections made with a new network of scientists-in-training.

“Even though NYU Shanghai also has students from different parts of Asia, we all attend an American school and people are more or less influenced by American culture,” Yolanda explains. “The diverse educational and cultural experiences of other Amgen Scholars are fascinating. After the program concludes, I hope to continue to contact them and meet with them again in the future.”

The orchestra at NYU Shanghai

Huang performing oboe at the end-of-semester show in Fall 2022.

While the cultural immersion and practical experience at Tsinghua University have helped Yolanda grow as a researcher and student, she’s excited to return to NYU this fall. She’s also looking forward to once again experiencing the state-of-the-art lab equipment, world-class faculty, and uplifting atmosphere at NYU. “For students who enjoy scientific research, NYU can provide them with unmatched opportunities, guidance, and support,” Yolanda says. “And now, I feel even more prepared to conduct research at NYU Shanghai due to my improved research skills from the Amgen Scholars Program.”

Repurposed from NYU Shanghai News

NYU Tulsa Kicks Off with Alternative Spring Break

Posted on , modified on by Maxine P

Select NYU community members became the first to experience the University’s newest global site at NYU Tulsa through the Alternative Breaks program earlier this year.

A group of students and staff smile at a person speaking to them

NYU students and staff learn about Gathering Place before volunteering begins.

NYU Alternative Breaks emphasize exploring the integration of service, education, and reflection to create meaningful change in communities. The Tulsa trip focused on community development and outdoor recreation while providing opportunities for students to learn more about the area’s rich history and culture. 

A group of 12 students as well as two staff advisers spent one week volunteering at Gathering Place, a world-class riverfront park. Like its name suggests, Gathering Place functions as a space for the Tulsa community to experience nature together. Volunteers connected with guests through play, engagement, and surveying; performed horticulture duties; and learned about the park, its vision, and its goals. “It is not your typical park,” says Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development sophomore Amanda Wang. “It truly serves as a place for people of all ages, backgrounds, and identities to come together.” For Amanda that often involved using the park’s unique resources to interact with children—playing instruments with them at the outdoor music stage or making arts and crafts in the makerspace.

A person stands in front of a screen with a map and key of Gathering Place and talks to a table of students and staff

A Gathering Place representative introduces the NYU alternative spring break cohort to the geography and offerings of the park.

“By engaging in volunteering, students immerse themselves in a new community, broadening their perspectives,” explains Casey Duffy, the manager for domestic study away career development. Duffy accompanied the students to Tulsa as a staff adviser. “These hands-on experiences offer practical learning outside the classroom, providing them with valuable skills and a deeper understanding of real-world issues.”

Tulsa is an area with rich history, reflected in upcoming classes that focus on Native arts, Black economic freedom, subnational policymaking, and clean energy. During their trip, students got a taste of the city’s complex past and colorful present with excursions to historic sites and cultural centers.

They visited the historic Greenwood District and Black Wall Street, spending hours at the Greenwood Rising history center, which tells the story of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.

The Woody Guthrie Center building with a mural of Woody Guthrie that says, "This Land is Your Land"

The Woody Guthrie Center

Additionally, they traveled to Pawhuska, home to the Osage Nation, one of Oklahoma’s 39 tribes. They rounded out the trip with visits to cultural sites, including the Bob Dylan Center, Woody Guthrie Center, Philbrook Museum of Art, and the Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Arts District. “The arts and writing scene is incredibly rich in Tulsa, and we had the opportunity to see what local artists were working on,” Amanda shares. “Their work has a meaningful purpose, touching upon identity, race, and gender.”

NYU Tulsa officially launches in spring 2025, providing a range of unique opportunities. “No matter what you’re studying, Tulsa can offer so many opportunities for you to dive deeper into your passions and interests. The community there is really what makes the city so special,” Amanda concludes.

Written by Sarah Bender