4 CULTURE 9 OPINION Meet the LS Sophomore Calling Confronting the Contradiction For Fat Liberation of NYU Abu Dhabi 7 ARTS 10 SPORTS ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’: A Wrestling Team Claims UAA Masterful Exploration of Love Championship VOLUME LIV | ISSUE 4 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020 NYUAD Anniversary Riddled With Controversy MEG NAKAGAWA | WSN The Arts Center for NYU Abu Dhabi houses several studio spaces, workshops, and classrooms available for students. NYU Abu Dhabi as a whole recently celebrated its tenth anniversary. By AARUSHI SHARMA tween NYU and Abu Dhabi’s gov- neering, science and social sciences, US universities have taken their own NYUAD has launched its Staff Writer ernment. This has led to growing in addition to several minor and spe- steps in global higher education, concern among the NYU communi- cialization options. The university proving its appeal and reaffirming milestone project to celebrate NYU Abu Dhabi is brimming ty about NYUAD’s autonomy as a employs over 300 people and received the value for higher education of with activity as the university pre- private university since grants from more than 14,000 applications for preparing students to be leaders in the university’s first decade, pares to celebrate its 10-year anni- the United Arab Emirates govern- the class of 2023; the administration this global century,” Hamilton said versary, but the milestone offers a ment make up about 99% of NYU- plans increase enrollment by 40 per- in a press release. “As we celebrate despite controversy over chance to reflect on its legacy. AD’s total revenue. cent over the next five years. NYU NYU Abu Dhabi’s first decade NYUAD opened in 2010 as Abu The campus welcomed 148 stu- President Andrew Hamilton spoke with pride, we look forward to its academic freedom and labor Dhabi’s first liberal arts and science dents its opening semester and to- on the university’s achievements. many achievements and contribu- institute administered by an Amer- day boasts 24 undergraduate majors “In the wake of NYU Abu Dha- tions yet to come.” law violations. ican university — a joint effort be- spanning arts and humanities, engi- bi’s resounding success, other major CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 2 Washington Square News TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2020 [email protected] NEWS Edited by LISA COCHRAN and EMILY MASON NYUAD Anniversary Riddled With Controversy CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Xinyi Zou said it had been her dream community,” Westermann said in laborers working on the construction detainment of Durham University Since 2010, major universities in- school since her freshman year of high a press release. of the Saadiyat Island campus were doctoral student Matthew Hedges. cluding Duke Kunshan University, school, citing its diverse community. While NYUAD boasts innovative subject to labor rights abuses un- Incoming first-year Mauricio University of Utah and the American “I can’t think of any other school research, student achievements and der the supervision of subcontrac- Lamoyi — who plans to NYUAD College have established campuses where I can sit down at any random a growing faculty, the site’s com- tors hired by NYU. in the fall — said his decision to at- around the globe including locations table with people speaking eight dif- mitments to NYU values have been Two years later, the NYU Journal- tend was influenced by his admira- in China, South Korea and Spain. ferent languages,” Zou said. questioned over the years by faculty ism Department boycotted the cam- tion for the UAE’s culture. He stat- To celebrate the anniversary, the NYUAD Vice Chancellor Mariët members and students amidst issues pus after two professors’ visa applica- ed that he is concerned about these NYUAD campus and the extended Westermann said the Abu Dhabi of violating labor laws and denying tions to teach there were denied. controversies, but they have not NYU global community will be put- campus offers a glimpse into the fu- visas to faculty members on grounds The following year, New York changed his decision. ting together an archive of students’ ture of global higher education. of religion. Most recently, NYUAD professors hosted a forum to discuss “I don’t know if they are true or and faculty members’ personal mem- “NYUAD has shown that higher has faced criticism for compromising what they saw as the university’s fail- not, but I see attending NYU Abu ories of NYUAD. The multimedia education can simultaneously in- academic freedom. NYUAD and its ure to hold the UAE responsible for Dhabi as an opportunity for students project will be available to view on tegrate the best of the old and the affiliates have previously refrained upholding academic freedom. The fo- to make a difference,” Lamoyi said. the NYUAD website later this year. new, advance human creativity and from acknowledging these claims. rum was designed to deal with previ- Recounting her decision to accept societal development, and address In 2015, an independent investiga- ous grievances against NYUAD, and Email Aarushi Sharma her admissions offer, NYUAD junior the challenges facing the global tive firm found that 10,000 of 40,000 more immediately address the UAE’s at [email protected]. Three Professors Granted Prestigious Sloan Awards zo said. “Right now the situation is and the most interesting, and that that these kinds of tools require a lot freedom, I think, is part of why we’re of expertise.” being recognized at this moment.” But Panozzo wants these simu- lations to be available to a wider Anna Choromanska population. He and his group hope Choromanska’s research centers to develop tools for those without around machine learning, large data mathematical expertise to simulate analysis and optimization, as they ap- how geometric shapes are formed. ply to innovations in artificial intel- Panozzo echoed the sentiment of ligence and self-driving car systems. the other two recipients, that he ap- She said the Sloan award was a rec- preciated the recognition that came ognition of efforts for research she with the award and added that the has been exploring since her post- grant would continue to support his doctoral degree. The grant will allow group at the Geometric Computing her to investigate and develop algo- Lab — an embodiment of all of his rithms for what she refers to as “loss efforts — to continue research. functions,” the properties of which A third-year computer science she said have previously not been doctoral student Yixin Hu, who is well understood. part of Panozzo’s team and was one She did her postdoctoral research of his first doctoral students, said at Courant and has been faculty at his work in the field of geometry Tandon since 2017. Choromanska merited the grant. cited her success to resources provid- “I would say his work is really solid ed to her through NYU as well as the so I think he deserves the prize,” Hu outgoing nature of other faculty. said. “I’m surprised because it’s hard “The NYU environment is ex- CHELSEA LI | WSN to get the fellowship.” tremely supportive and inspiring,” Daniele Panozzo, Christine Constantinople and Anna Choromanska received the Alfred P. Sloan award this year. Choromanska said. “It’s very easy to Christine Constantinople collaborate, to discuss ideas.” Constantinople bears a degree in Third-year doctoral student Shi- By LISA COCHRAN systematic understanding of the a discipline that works on figuring neuroscience from the College of hong Fang, who currently works News Editor forces of nature and society, when out how to realize tools for modeling Arts and Science. While she went on with Choromanska, said her accolade applied inventively and wisely, can geometry and rendering geometry to get a doctorate from Columbia was well deserved. Three NYU assistant professors lead to a better world for all.” how to convert a mathematical rep- University and post-doctorate from “She cares a lot about her students received prestigious awards from the To receive a fellowship, researchers resentation of the world into imag- Princeton University, Constantino- and she always says she’s my ‘academ- Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, granting must first be nominated via a senior es,” Panozzo said. ple returned to NYU around a year ic mom,’” Fang laughed. them $75,000 for research endeavors department member or researcher of Panozzo said his technology could ago to start her lab supported by the Choromanska said her initial across a span of two years. the nominee’s respective field. Only help people more easily design essen- NYU Center for Neural Science. reaction to the news was to rec- Tandon School of Engineer- one to three grant nominations are tial structures, such as tables or even Her research aims to under- ognize those who supported her ing professor Anna Choromanska, allowed per department. Recipients airplane wings by allowing them to stand value-based decision-mak- research efforts. Center for Neural Science profes- are chosen based on their creativity, create digital simulations of the ob- ing and how neural circuits facili- “A lot of my success comes from a sor Christine Constantinople and research advancement and potential jects to test how they would behave if tate the process. lot of people who have been believ- Courant Institute of Mathematical within the scientific community, the built in the material world. “We’re interested in where in the ing in me and providing support and Science professor Daniele Panozzo website states. “That was historically used for brain we assign value to actions and good advice,” Choromanska said. are among 126 others named Sloan Founded in 1934 as a New York movies and [video] games, but as the to outcomes,” Constantinople said. “This was my first reaction really, Research Fellows across the U.S and City-based non-profit, it bears the field proceeds, it turns out that many Much of her research on behavior [...] to make sure that those people Canada in 2020.