As part of the TEDx series, a program that brings the spirit of TED’s mission of ideas worth spreading to local communities around the globe, NYU Abu Dhabi’s (NYUAD) student organized TEDxNYUAD returns for its fifth edition on Saturday, April 13 under the theme In Plain Sight.
Taking place in The Red Theater at the Arts Center at NYUAD this year’s event will feature a diverse line-up of ten speakers who will lead a series of talks about concepts hidden in plain sight.
Centered on the idea of advancing social thought and bringing about positive social impact, the fifth edition of TEDxNYUAD will offer a range of topics pertaining to social science, psychology, art, engineering, and culture, among others.
The event will feature speakers from across the world, including NYUAD Graduate Academic and Engagement Manager Karl Kalinkewicz, who will present the talk Rock and Roll is Dead: Who Committed the Crime and Will There Be Justice? Kalinkewicz will explore how music consumption has changed throughout the last few decades, and how it affects society through the lens of his own personal journey as a 34-year-old living right in the middle of its evolution.
Exploring the diversity in today’s locker rooms, NYUAD Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Athletics Peter Dicce will discuss The Sports Majilis: Why it’s Essential to our Collective Future, shedding light on sport activism, and the sport locker room’s potential to be a powerful platform for social change.
Continuing the conversation on sport is NYUAD Class of 2021 Maitha AlSuwaidi, a student of Political Science who will address issues that impact women from the Gulf seeking to pursue sport at a professional level as part of her talk Where Are the Female Arab Athletes.
NYUAD Class of 2019 student Jagan Subramanian will present How Buildings Perform – The Invisible Actor. Subramanian will draw on the related fields of neuroscience, phenomenology, and semiotics to see how buildings have historically contributed to the formation of social codes and how, if used correctly, it could serve as a way to undo social hierarchies and create more inclusive communities in the 21st century.
The Slippery Slope of Everyday Horror talk will be led by NYUAD Director of Spiritual Life and InterCultural Education Alta Mauro, where she will question what would happen if more individuals were willing to see, hear, and acknowledge the inhumane ways that some of us are disregarded, misrepresented, or manipulated, and whether it will ease the thought of neglect, abuse, and death.
With a strong passion for the environment, NYUAD Class of 2019 student Rastraraj Bhandari will highlight the unseen impact of accelerated glacial melting in the Himalayas and the importance of taking immediate action in his talk What Climate Activists are Doing Wrong?
NYUAD Class of 2019 student Abraham Hdru will give a talk titled Conscious Guide to Gentrification. Hdru will focus on the need to equip people with a better understanding of the nuances of gentrification, how it is caused by individuals embedded in a larger socio-economic condition, and ways to mitigate these effects in the future.
We need to Start Telling Americans They are Ignorant will be delivered by NYUAD Class of 2019 student Emma Tocci. Tocci will reflect on her own experience navigating her feelings of ignorance when she began her undergraduate studies in Abu Dhabi and why it should matter to non-Americans.
In When Being Strong is the Easy Way Out, NYUAD Community Outreach Coordinator Tala Hammash will discuss the misconception around strength and how and why it is courage, and not strength, that is the main ingredient of growth.
High school student Imen Masmoudi will draw on her personal experiences to highlight the importance and effect of deciding to be veiled at a young age in her talk I Am A Child Hijabi – My Decision or My Parents?
TED Talks are renowned around the globe for their empowering subjects, focusing on themes such as innovation, perspective, and alternative thinking. Founded in 1984, TED has been established as a global platform for people across the world to share their ideas and stories with their local communities.
For further information on TEDxNYUAD and to register for your tickets, please visit this website.
