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Author: Kristin Law

NYU Shanghai Launches New Partnership with NYU Wagner’s Public Administration PhD Program

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NYU Shanghai and the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service partnered to launch a new research and study abroad opportunity for those pursuing a PhD in Public Administration. The new program brings NYU Shanghai’s total number of PhD offerings to 11. The application cycle for the class arriving in the fall of 2023 is now closed, but the NYU Wagner application portal will reopen next fall for fall 2024 candidates.

The Shanghai skyline

The new program is especially attractive to students with a special interest in urban planning and policy, according to NYU Shanghai assistant professor of urban science and policy ChengHe Guan, the program’s supervising faculty member.

“Urban digitalization has become an irresistible trend around the world for its significant role in accelerating economic growth, improving urban governance, promoting sustainable urban growth, and facilitating many aspects of our lives,” Guan says. “China is now at the forefront of urban digitalization. I hope we can tackle China’s new urban challenges from a global perspective and share our experience in building digital smart cities with the world,” Guan adds.

A Lab for the Cities of Tomorrow

“At our new state-level NYU Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science, students will use advanced technology, such as big data and artificial intelligence, to undertake a multidisciplinary exploration of this digital urban transformation through urban studies, data science, urban planning, urban ecology, urban geography, urban economics, and real estate development,” Guan says. It’s a great platform for PhD students, with three main research areas:

  1. Planning for sustainable postpandemic cities
  2. Planning for the growth of climate-responsive low-carbon cities in the context of greenhouse gas mitigation
  3. Planning for environmentally sensitive urban green and blue infrastructure using social sensing techniques

The NYU Advantage

Like many of NYU Shanghai’s master’s and PhD offerings, the PhD in Public Administration builds upon the academic resources and research communities within NYU’s global network. Admitted students pursue their coursework at NYU Wagner in New York City for one to two years before relocating to Shanghai for research under the supervision of NYU Shanghai faculty. Students mostly spend summer terms, especially during their first two years, in Shanghai as well. All PhD candidates earn an NYU doctoral degree upon graduation.

NYU Wagner is among the top-ranking public policy schools in the United States, especially in urban planning and policy, where the school ranks first in the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings. Admitted students have many opportunities to study and conduct research with some of the world’s top faculty in the field.

In Shanghai students can participate in research conducted at the NYU Shanghai Key Laboratory of Urban Design and Urban Science, the Center for Applied Social and Economic Research, and the Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence as well as access the abundant resources at the Center for Global Asia.

“Faculty across NYU Shanghai are researching the intelligent design of cities. Our emerging interdisciplinary strength in this area made establishing a doctoral program in partnership with NYU Wagner perfectly apt. Students in the program analyze how urban centers around the world like Shanghai are shaped in today’s era from scientific and policy perspectives, all while gaining a unique, global, two-campus experience that only a university like NYU can offer,” says Eric H. Mao, the NYU Shanghai dean of graduate and advanced education.

All admitted students are fully funded under the NYU Shanghai Doctoral Fellowship, which covers tuition and fees and provides students with international health insurance, travel funds, and an annual stipend. Since fall 2015, 50 students have enrolled in NYU Shanghai PhD programs.

Story repurposed (and updated) with permission from NYU Shanghai News and Publications. 

Fall 2022 Orientation Week in Images

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Orientation Week at NYU global locations introduces students to the history and culture of their new home through exciting programming. Additionally, students receive important academic information to set them up for success during their time away. 

NYU Abu Dhabi

A student surfing down a hill of sand as other students wait for their turn.

NYU Abu Dhabi welcomes more than 120 study away students from New York City and Shanghai. Staff members love to introduce them to the Emirates with a weekend trip to Dubai and a cultural day in Abu Dhabi.

NYU Florence

Students sitting in the amphitheater as they learn from an authority figure.

New students at NYU Florence attend a session about community values in the amphitheater on the beautiful 57-acre estate of Villa La Pietra.

NYU Madrid

A group of students gathering with a professor on the street in Madrid.

NYU Madrid orientation week features great academic activities like Mapping Madrid, a series of five tours in five city locations led by five NYU Madrid professors. This location is Tetuán, a barrio of contrasts where many cultures mix.

NYU Paris

Four students posing for the camera with the Eiffel Tower visible in the background.

Fall 2022 students enjoy Paris on a boat cruise along the Seine during Welcome Week.

NYU Prague

A trio of students surveying the front of the Municipal House.

Students admire the Municipal House, where the independent Czechoslovakia was established in 1918. During orientation at NYU Prague, they walk around the historical center of Prague while asking questions about Czech history.

NYU Sydney

A student role playing at parliament, while other students are sitting in rows behind them.

At NYU Sydney, students visit the New South Wales Parliament House, the oldest house of parliament in Australia. Students role play as speaker of the house, government members, or opposition members.

NYU Tel Aviv

Students and faculty members gathering in the NYU Tel Aviv courtyard for an orientation event.

Students, staff, and faculty convene at the traditional faculty panel and welcome dinner during orientation week at NYU Tel Aviv.

NYU Washington, D.C.

A professor lecturing in front of a projection screen.

Professor Vicky Kiechel leads a Washington 101 session for students during orientation week at NYU Washington, DC.

The Career Benefits of Studying Away

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As graduation approaches, NYU students who are preparing to enter the workforce meet with recruiters to discuss their academic achievements, internship experiences, and extracurricular activities. Another thing recruiters are sure to ask them about: their study away experience.

According to Jonathan Martinez, assistant director of global academic planning at the Wasserman Center for Career Development, students develop an invaluable skill set when they study abroad.

A seated woman turning to look at a colleague

An NYU Washington, DC, student talks to a coworker at their internship at the Mexican embassy.

They learn how to connect with different people, adapt to new environments, and solve difficult problems. They acquire non-English language skills, develop a more nuanced understanding of the world, and transform into culturally sensitive adults. With these abilities, NYU students tend to emerge as top candidates in the workforce.

“Many students have told us their study away skills and experiences have been critical in professional settings,” says Martinez. “Our study away administrators and Wasserman coaches also coach students on how to translate their study abroad experiences into vivid examples that showcase their adaptability, openness to new experiences, ability to work independently, and facility for cross-cultural dialogue.”

The Role of Wasserman in the Global Career Experience

Every semester, Wasserman hosts a career week to provide students with global professional development opportunities, whether they’re interested in internships or postgraduation careers.

This past spring, the Global Career Week was virtual and featured an array of events including a workshop on personal branding, a discussion on the global job search, and a session on volunteering with the Peace Corps. Students heading abroad for a semester, year, or summer have the unique chance to seek out internships that align with their interests and professional goals while gaining global experience, and, regardless of their destination, students can work with Wasserman to find the right opportunity. If students want to head abroad for work after graduating, the Wasserman team can help them

  • secure an international work permit
  • obtain or renew their passport
  • find a place to live
  • connect with a career coach
  • find a country-specific job or internship
  • network with alumni
A student and an adviser seated at a table

Students can consult Wasserman career coaches to learn how to leverage their global study experience.

Study Abroad Resources from the Office of Global Programs

Much like the Wasserman Center for Career Development, NYU’s Office of Global Programs has a range of resources students can use to make the study abroad experience more accessible.

“The Office of Global Programs is committed to breaking down any perceived or actual barriers students may face when submitting interest for study abroad,” says Martinez. “Providing extra funding for students is one thing we do because a financial burden holding students back from studying away is the last thing we want to happen. All students are eligible for the Global Pathways Scholarship, and, in some cases, students can use funding for up-front costs like plane tickets. We also offer many cohort-based programs like the Study Away Internships in which enrolled students are guaranteed an internship!”

Written by Samantha Jamison

Modern Dissent in Prague

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In the late 1980s, revolution was stirring in Communist Czechoslovakia, and Jan Urban was at the center of it. While reporting for Radio Free Europe and the BBC, he was also secretly working with underground newspapers and leading a fledgling dissident network called the Eastern European Information Agency. His efforts helped bring the country to the 1989 Velvet Revolution, a nonviolent uprising that toppled the Communist regime and brought democracy to his homeland. Because of his pivotal role in the revolution, Urban became the leader of the Civic Forum, a political, anti-communist movement he helped found.

Jan Urban gesticulates to his class

Professor Jan Urban giving a lecture

In the first free elections in June 1990, the public turned its attention to Urban as a natural choice for prime minister, but he declined. The reason? He says, “I was too good at giving speeches and mobilizing crowds. It was frightening to have such power, and I gladly gave it up.”

Teaching from Personal Experience

Urban turned away from politics and spent several years as a war journalist in the former Yugoslavia and Iraq. He began teaching courses about political dissent and civil disobedience at the Czech Republic’s Charles University. At NYU Prague, too, he teaches its most popular course, Modern Dissent in Central Europe: The Art of Defeat. In the classroom Urban uses his personal history as a case study.

Students, seated in desks, listening to Professor Urban

NYU Prague students in the Modern Dissent in Central Europe course

He knows it’s far more compelling to experience a personal account of what happened than to read about it in a textbook. His goal is to help students understand how civil disobedience led to positive changes for the people of the Czech Republic—and what it can also do for movements like Black Lives Matter and Occupy Wall Street.

“To act outside of what is mainstream and fashionable is more important today than ever before, and political dissent is a tool we can use to dismantle ideas that no longer work. Sometimes it’s our civic responsibility to be different.”  —Jan Urban

Students Explore Obedience and Resistance

In class discussions students work through topics like obedience and dissent, the media and propaganda, and government and civic responsibility. Urban challenges them to think by being the dissenters in the room. “Young people often say what they’ve been taught without questioning it deeply, so it’s necessary to provoke them, expose their prejudices, and destroy their ready-made conclusions,” he says. Though he makes his students uncomfortable at times, he also broadens their thinking. “Television has changed our lives and democracies into entertainment and emotional games,” Urban says.

Repurposed from NYU Global Notebook. 

NYU Anthropology and Journalism Major Lands Internship at Haaretz

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When Anthropology and Journalism major Andrew Califf decided to spend a semester at NYU Tel Aviv, he thought he might get the opportunity to gain direct experience in social media management or land a general journalism internship. What he actually achieved, in just a few months, was the publication of multiple articles in Haaretz—the Israeli equivalent of the New York Times. This incredible experience helped bring him closer to his dream career.

From Internship to Mentorship

Andrew Califf

Andrew Califf

The third-year College of Arts and Science (CAS) student was no stranger to studying abroad. He had already spent a semester in Shanghai, wanting to take full advantage of the global campus that inspired him to enroll in NYU in the first place. But this time, he was determined to immerse himself in his passion for archaeology through NYU’s program in Tel Aviv. Israel, with its proximity to diverse Middle Eastern cultures and its incredible wealth of ruins, seemed like a perfect fit. And when he realized the opportunities Haaretz presented, it sealed the deal. “I met with an internship coordinator from Haaretz when I was in Nicaragua at an archaeology field school this summer,” Andrew says. “She had seen some of the fieldwork I was doing on my website, and the first thing we talked about was the archaeology department there. I didn’t even know that was a possibility!”

And what a treasure trove of possibilities it was. Though the newspaper’s archaeology section is widely read, publishing high-profile stories that attract the attention of the Smithsonian and National Geographic, the department is very small. Editor Ruth Schuster—whom Andrew would come to work directly with as he learned the ropes and mastered the tools of the trade—writes a large portion of the articles. “At first, I was in over my head,” Andrew admits. “I had to learn very quickly—to be able to take a step back from failure and figure out how to breeze through that part of the editing process the next time.” But before long, Andrew moved from simple listicles to features and news stories. “Ruth is one of the best archaeological journalists there is,” he says. “She saw my talent and desire to succeed, and because of her help and support, I’m gaining exponentially more than I ever thought I could from this experience.”

The city of Tel Aviv behind the Jaffa Clock Tower

The city of Tel Aviv behind the Jaffa Clock Tower

Opportunities Abroad

Beyond Haaretz, the region has much to offer Andrew during his time abroad. At NYU Tel Aviv, he has found a great circle of peers driven by excellence and committed to making a difference. “This is a very healthy environment for me,” he says. “I’m writing about people who have been dead for thousands of years, but I’m surrounded by people with such passion for things that are afflicting the world today. People come here to help refugees, teach English, and work in conflict resolution. Working amid that energy is just incredible.” In his free time, Andrew ventures beyond the city, traveling to other parts of Israel as well as Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Tunisia.

Andrew Califf standing in a rock crevice

Photo of Andrew Califf by Rishi Dhir

When he’s not out exploring, Andrew relies on interviews to connect to those out in the field he hopes to join someday. “Archaeologists and anthropologists have time for you, and they love talking about what they’ve found,” Andrew says. At the same time, he uses his journalistic skills to zero in on unique findings, to make his work stand out from other publications covering the same story like CNN and National Geographic. “Being able to tell good stories while conducting good fieldwork is so important,” Andrew emphasizes. “If you go out and discover incredible places and incredible artifacts, you shouldn’t hide that in a boring abstract and a boring background with hundreds of footnotes. The combination of work I’m pursuing—it feels like I’m doing what I’ve always been called to do.”

Thinking about the future, Andrew has his sights set on an internship with National Geographic. He also hopes to do fieldwork in Mongolia, another step on his path toward specializing in journalism and archaeology in remote areas. He’s excited for his upcoming senior year and wants to pursue honors in both anthropology and journalism.

Written by Sarah Bender

United for Ukraine

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By Leah Gaffen, Special Project Manager, NYU Prague

NYU Prague students get involved in local aid efforts

As the war rages in Ukraine, Czechs feel a strong sense of solidarity with their Slavic neighbors. The Czech Republic has received over 250,000 refugees since the war began, and the refugees have been generously welcomed here. There are piles of flowers and collections of candles supporting Ukraine on Wenceslas Square—the very place where Russian tanks fired on buildings in 1968 and Czechs gathered to overthrow the Communist government in 1989—and in recent weeks, tens of thousands of Czechs have gathered there to demonstrate solidarity with Ukraine.

Many NYU Prague students joined these efforts by making financial donations to local organizations or contributing canned food, hygienic goods, and other supplies to campus collections. Several even decided to get more involved. Below are some of the initiatives students have participated in so far.

Assembling Protective Gear

Putting together bulletproof vests was not a skill any NYU student expected to pick up during their semester abroad. But that is exactly what many NYU Prague students have learned to do as they support the efforts of Post Bellum, a nonprofit organization that has raised over $5 million to supply protective equipment for soldiers in Ukraine. Enlisting the help of volunteers is the fastest way for the Prague-based organization to assemble and transport bulletproof vests.

NYU Prague students joined the first volunteer brigade last Tuesday, which took place at the Czech Senate. Olivia Puntenney, a sophomore prehealth student majoring in Instrumental Performance, was one of them. “We arrived at the Czech Senate, where a room was set aside for us. Then the iron plates that go into the vests arrived in a truck, and we formed an assembly line to get them inside,” she says. The leaders and volunteers figured out how to put the protective material inside the vests, including the heavy metal plates, making a material “sandwich.” The vests, which weigh over 22 pounds when completed, can protect someone from the most common weapons used by the Russian army.

Since then, the organizers moved to a warehouse in the Prague suburbs that can accommodate more volunteers. However, NYU Prague students, along with students from other local universities and high schools, continue to participate. Within the first week, Post Bellum took truckloads of over 2,000 vests to the border. They plan to send at least 10,000 more, and the volunteer brigades will continue.

“It was such a strong experience. And so humbling as we spoke to volunteers whose families were in Ukraine,” says Olivia. “It felt good to be able to donate our time and do as much as we could.”

Students for Ukraine Livestream

On March 3, NYU Prague students rolled out of bed at 4:30 a.m. (CET) and onto the tram. Their destination? The National Theatre, where they were part of a 72-hour nonstop livestream organized by Students for Ukraine, a Prague-wide network launched by local Prague Academy of Performing Arts university students. They galvanized students, artists, activists, Czech TV film crews, and the National Theatre’s production department to raise awareness and money through this livestream, entitled Wake Up for Ukraine.

Olivia, a violaist who organized Music For Change concerts when she was in high school, knew she had to be a part of this event. She recruited several other students who weren’t afraid of performing in front of a camera—or setting their alarm clocks early enough for the 6:15 a.m. (CET) call time.

A group of students smiling

NYU Prague students in front of the Czech Senate on the first day of the volunteer brigade

Undergraduate Mason Bleu stayed up most of the night before writing a poem titled “We Ask,” which he performed during the livestream. Hannah Butts and Sasha Jones, both part of NYU’s ballet company for nonmajors, dusted off their dance shoes and debated whether or not it was appropriate to perform to Russian music.

“Because we arrived so early in the morning it was so cold, but the organizers greeted us with coffee and tea. It was so professionally run, with incredible cameras. I was amazed students had put this together in two days,” says Olivia. The NYU Prague students joined dozens of other students and artists who expressed their horror at the violence in Ukraine through singing, concerts, live painting, dance, discussion, experimental theatre, and more. The goal was to bring people together to express support for Ukraine in the midst of Russian aggression while raising money for the humanitarian organization People in Need.

Below is Mason’s original poem, “We Ask,” which he performed at Wake Up for Ukraine.

We Ask
By Mason Bleu

we ask
for peace and love spread through the clouds
instead of smoke from fighting making ears ring loud
when times are hard and there’s no redress
                                      (and even in this time of stress)
we ask for peace and quiet to lay youth to rest
from broken trust that can’t be mend
solidarity placed in neighbors who disguised themselves as friends
we ask for pain to be relieved
battlefields turned into trees
for life is lost in times of war
where protectors pass for the lives of more
we ask that life return to those lost in fight
through memory we ask to always keep their light
their hearts so pure intentions right
the goal of freedom always in sight
we ask that things can change tonight
and for freedom we ask; it is your right
Ukraine with you we’ll always stand
with you we rise and take a chance
with you we fight hand in hand
we ask that they get off your land.

NYU Named Gilman Top Producing Institution

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Benjamin A. Gilmn International Scholarship logo

The Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a program of the US Department of State with funding provided by the US government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education (IIE).

In recognition of the large number of Gilman Scholars NYU has produced, the US Department of State named the University one of the highly regarded program’s 20 large Top Producing Colleges and Universities in 2021. NYU was the only private research university in the large category to receive this distinction, announced last fall by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

“Gilman’s mission is to make study abroad more accessible and inclusive by providing scholarships to outstanding US undergraduate students,” says NYU Office of Global Programs assistant director of student services Nyoka Joseph. “As a top-producing institution, NYU is recognized for its support of equity, diversity, and accessibility in study abroad through the programs it offers and the culture it has created with regards to studying or interning abroad for any student who wants the experience.”

Helping Students Fulfill Their Study Abroad Dreams

Since its foundation in 2001, the Gilman Scholarship Program has partnered with US higher education institutions to make study abroad more accessible for underrepresented students, including first-generation college students, students who are of historically marginalized ethnicities, students with disabilities, and students attending historically Black colleges and universities.

Students receive up to $5,000 in funding to study abroad for a full semester or academic year, and they are eligible to apply for an additional $3,000 in aid if they plan to study a critical need language (a language deemed critical to national security).

Each year, Joseph and her team host informational sessions to review the Gilman application process and teach students how to write strong essays. With three Gilman advisers on board, Joseph says they can mentor more than 35 student applicants each semester.

For Mika-Elle Metellus, a College of Arts and Science senior pursuing a double major in French and Politics, the Gilman advisers played a critical role in her Gilman success story.

“Thanks to the NYU Gilman advisers, my application process ran smoothly,” she says. “In the beginning of the spring 2019 semester, I attended a Gilman Scholarship information session at the StudentLink Center. I was then paired with an adviser who simplified the process for me by creating personal deadlines, reviewing all my essay drafts, and motivating me along the way.”

The Lasting Impact of a Gilman Scholarship

According to Joseph, students benefit from the Gilman Scholarship in many ways. One of the immediate benefits, she says, is the reduction of their financial burden. The scholarship allows them to focus on their studies while fully experiencing their new international environment. This was true for Mika-Elle, who studied abroad at NYU Paris in the fall of 2019. “I became fully integrated into the French culture and language,” she says. “My biggest takeaway from studying at NYU Paris was the language immersion that no classroom setting could ever provide.”

The Eiffel Tower

A view of the Eiffel Tower

When students complete their term abroad, Joseph says they gain access to the Gilman Scholar Network (a national alumni network), become a Gilman ambassador, and complete a service project for their NYU peers or their local community. They also qualify for at least 12 months of noncompetitive eligibility hiring status within the federal government. This allows US federal government agencies to hire eligible exchange program alumni outside of the formal competitive job announcement process.

Overall, Joseph says the Office of Global Programs at NYU regularly promotes the Gilman Scholarship because it continues to be an invaluable funding opportunity for students who might not otherwise have the means to study abroad. In the past 20 years, 307 NYU students have received a Gilman Scholarship. With Gilman they’ve been able to explore a new culture, study a diverse language, and acquire critical skills for their personal and professional development.

For more information about the Gilman Scholarship application process, please visit the Studying Abroad Gilman Scholarships page on NYU’s website.

Written by Samantha Jamison

Environmental Studies Abroad

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NYU global faculty teach a range of courses on environmental studies. At NYU Shanghai, for example, faculty discuss the government’s response to environmental challenges. At NYU Sydney, faculty consider the impact of literature on environmental action. And at other NYU sites, faculty study the evolution of US environmental policy on everything from climate change and invasive species to land management and fracking. Below, we outline several environmental studies courses offered at NYU’s global academic locations.

A professor and students squat in the forest to discuss the soil

NYU London’s Climate Change course on a class trip to Highgate Wood

Finding Your Focus at NYU London

In Dr. Lisa Weber’s Climate Change course, students acquire a multifaceted understanding of climate change while studying in a global center of policy, business, and research. They learn how the climate system works and how human activities influence greenhouse gas emissions. They also explore projections about past and potential future climate change on Earth.

Before her time at NYU London, Mahima Kakani, Class of 2021, was pursuing a Business degree at the Stern School of Business with concentrations in finance and business economics. But after taking Weber’s Climate Change course, she changed her second concentration to sustainable business. “By thinking about how businesses can remain profitable while also doing good, we can contribute to a better environment while creating significant economic opportunities for communities,” she explains.

Mahima was particularly inspired by the class discussions they had on European companies and their response to climate change regulations. For example, her class discussed Airbus’ efforts toward zero-emission flight. After graduation, Mahima hopes to work on sustainability in the private sector.

Students and a professor seated at a table covered in maps.

Students meet with their professor in NYU Berlin’s Urban Greening Lab course.

Exploring Community Activism at NYU Berlin

NYU Berlin lecturer Sigismund Sliwinski teaches a course called Urban Greening Lab, which provides a comprehensive look at Berlin’s urban ecology and approaches to urban planning. In Sliwinski’s course students discuss the intersection of Berlin’s built structure, urban nature, and culture. They also attend workshops and visit local neighborhoods and sites, such as an indoor market called Markthalle Neun, the ufaFabrik cultural center, and an urban farmland called the Princess Gardens, to understand Berlin’s history of urban change along with the processes that turned it into a global green icon.

For Nina Lehrecke, Class of 2021, taking Urban Greening Lab gave her the confidence to pursue a concentration in infrastructural ecologies at the Gallatin School of Individualized Study. The class trips especially influenced her outlook. “It was affirming,” Nina says. “I’m focused on how community-based movements and activism shape cities, and the class was all about visiting alternative communities that are sustainable in some way.”

Students walk along a green and rocky coast

NYU Sydney students walk along the coast.

Witnessing the Effects of Climate Change Up Close at NYU Sydney

Over the years, lecturers at NYU Sydney have taught students how to report on environmental issues in a country directly experiencing the climate crisis. In Australia concerns about climate change and its effects on society can be found in the media every day, as was evident in the case of the wildfires from late 2019 to early 2020. The environmental journalism courses at NYU Sydney—which is scheduled to reopen in its new home this fall after its closure in spring 2020 due to COVID-related border restrictions—help expose students to some of the most important environmental issues of our time.

As part of an environmental journalism course he took while studying at NYU Sydney, Nicolas Mendoza, Class of 2020, learned about the effects of climate change on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. In particular, he learned about the 2016 mass bleaching event that wiped out approximately 30 percent of shallow-water corals.

On a diving trip in Cairns, Nicolas witnessed these effects up close. But he also encountered people trying to save the reef, which gave him hope. “Even though the reef is clearly damaged, the people who are looking after it really do care,” he says. “We’re all there because we want to get some actual experience with these issues so we can try to protect other ecosystems.”

Overall, in their environmental studies courses, NYU global faculty teach students how to address the consequences of climate change and other environmental threats. Their coursework also sheds light on the global activism related to these issues.

Content adapted with permission from NYU Global Notebook by Samantha Jamison

What’s in a Date?

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NYU researchers use “resurrection genomics” to sequence genome of extinct date palms germinated from 2,000-year-old seeds

In a recent study for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from NYU Abu Dhabi’s Center for Genomics and Systems Biology—along with their research colleagues in Israel and France—used a technique called “resurrection genomics” to successfully sequence the genome of 2,000-year-old date palms. This study marks the first time researchers sequenced the genomes of plants from ancient, germinated seeds. The research team, led by NYU biology professor Michael Purugganan, germinated date palm seeds that were radiocarbon-dated from the 4th century BCE to the 2nd century CE to yield new, viable plants that they could, in turn, use to conduct whole genome sequencing.

Date palm

A date palm germinated from a 2,200 year old seed growing in Israel
Photo credit: Marcos Schonholz/The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies

What Did They Learn?

By examining the genome of a species called Phoenix dactylifera that thrived millennia ago, Purugganan and his team determined how these previously extinct Judean date palms evolved over time. Between the 4th century BCE and 2nd century CE, they observed that date palms in the eastern Mediterranean region showed increasing levels of genes from another species, called Phoenix theophrasti, which grows in Crete and other Greek islands as well as southwestern Turkey today due to the hybridization between species. The team concluded that the increasing levels of genes from P. theophrasti during this time signifies the increasing influence of the Roman Empire in the eastern Mediterranean region.

New Possibilities with Resurrection Genomics

Resurrection genomics is an alternative approach for sequencing DNA that is particularly useful for studying ancient and extinct plant species, the researchers note. Ancient plant DNA can be tricky to study, as it easily degrades without the protection of material like bone and only small quantities are usually found. But regrowing the whole plant offers new possibilities.

“We are fortunate that date palm seeds can live a long time—in this case, more than 2,000 years—and germinate with minimal DNA damage in the region’s dry environment,” says Purugganan, who is also affiliated with NYU Abu Dhabi and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World. “This ‘resurrection genomics’ approach is a remarkably effective way to study the genetics and evolution of past and possibly extinct species like Judean date palms. By reviving biological material, such as germinating ancient seeds from archaeological and paleontological sites or historical collections, we can not only study the genomes of lost populations but also, in some instances, rediscover genes that may have gone extinct in modern varieties.”

To read the full study from Purugganan and his team, titled “The genomes of ancient date palms germinated from 2,000 year old seeds,” head to pnas.org.

Content adapted with permission from NYU News by Samantha Jamison.