World Food DayOn Oct. 30, an organic market and environmental awareness event was held at NYU Abu Dhabi in celebration of World Food Day. The event was a collaboration between NYU Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health and Safety, the Student Interest Group Ecoherence and a host of local organic vendors.The event aimed to educate students on environmental consciousness, and students were able to buy several organic food products.

Sexual Respect Awareness Week From Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, REACH, the Student Interest Group for peer-to-peer support and counselling at NYU Abu Dhabi, collaborated with the Health Promotion Office to organize the Sexual Respect Awareness Week. The program included four different sessions on consent, geared toward specific gender identities. NYUAD professors Joanne Savio and Scandar Copti presented documentaries detailing global impacts of sexual harassment and assault. REACH also organized bystander intervention training and a discussion on cybersexism in collaboration with the Women’s Leadership Network. A major driver behind the event was to raise awareness regarding resources and support available on campus and to create an environment of mutual sexual respect.

Día de MuertosOn Nov. 2, an event celebrating Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead, was organized at NYU Abu Dhabi. The Mexican holiday was commemorated with a festive altar decorated by the Latinoamérica Student Interest Group, and traditional food and beverages were offered. The event was attended by the Ambassador of Mexico to the UAE.

Flag DayNYU Abu Dhabi celebrated UAE Flag Day on Nov. 3 with a gathering under the palm trees. The program began with a speech from Student Government vice president Maitha AlMemari on the significance of the event, followed by remarks from NYUAD Vice-Chancellor Al Bloom. Bloom expressed great pride in the contributions from Emirati students, staff and faculty to the university. After the speeches the flag was raised to the sound of the UAE’s national anthem, as students from the Abdulla bin Otaiba and Al Asayel Schools stood proudly saluting in military uniform. The event rounded off with dance performances from the female students, much to the delight of the assembled crowd. The school joined UAE residents around the country in organizing patriotic events and raising the UAE flag. The public holiday was created to mark the swearing-in of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al Nahyan as President of the UAE in 2004.

Public Health Think TankOn Nov. 4 and 5, more than 110 participants from eleven universities across the UAE participated in the Public Health Think Tank (PHTT) at NYU Abu Dhabi. The third edition of this conference challenged participants to reduce the prevalence of road traffic incidents among youth in the country. PHTT is a student-led and interdisciplinary initiative designed to catalyze public health innovation in the UAE; previous conferences have attempted to tackle the tobacco crisis and obesity in adolescents. The event also featured a series of morning talks by public health experts and medical practitioners including Dr. Johnathon Ehsani, Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.This article was written by Thomas Justin Klein. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch.Photo Credit: The Gazelle