On Friday, NYU Shanghai honored colleagues who reached service milestones by the end of 2025, recognizing their long-standing dedication and contributions to the community. A total of 36 colleagues marked their 10-year anniversaries, while 50 colleagues celebrated five years of service.

• Associate Professor in Psychology Katie Aafjes-van Doorn gave a talk on Thursday on how clinicians can work better together with patients who report suicidal ideation. Working with suicidal individuals is challenging even for highly trained clinicians, she said, because clinicians are often more concerned about their own anxieties then the patients' underlying distress. She shared the results of a proof-of-concept study which illustrates the feasibility of AI-driven suicide risk screening in real-world settings and its potential to enable earlier identification and intervention.

• On Wednesday, NYU Shanghai Reads held an interactive workshop led by Senior Lecturer of English for Academic Purposes Sarah Warfield. Students, faculty, and staff reimagined menus and reflected on how language, culture, and technology shape what we call authentic food. Participants used AI to generate text, design menus in Canva, and share their creations with the group. Digital Chop Suey: Reimagining Menus through AI was inspired by Chop Suey, USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America, this year’s NYU Shanghai Reads selection.

"Our brain is one of the most powerful and wonderful things that we possess. It keeps us safe and warm: it's constantly scanning for any problem that we may encounter. But it is not designed to keep us happy! It is simply not the way it functions. So the next time you feel the sun, or see a friend, taste some good food, or notice the wind moving through your hair, take a moment, take a pause. Let your body, let your brain, feel the little joy that is presented to you right here, right now."

- Ali Motamedzadeh, MSW ’27 speaking at a Center for Student Belonging event on what actually makes us happy

Senior Chinese Lecturer Gu Beilei’s Shanghai Architecture for Chinese Language Learners course took a trip to Yongjia Road Shenchengli Shikumen Lane Area ahead of the Spring Festival holiday. The neighborhood is connected to the former residences and visits of influential Chinese writers such as Lu Xun and Xiao Hong and is a well known area for film and drama productions. 

• Entrepreneurial Rules for Future Leaders in the AI Era

Associate Professor of Practice in Business Raymond Ro sat down with Hurun Report to talk about how AI should be a strategic partner that amplifies human insight, tech fluency, and global ambition, not a replacement of entrepreneurship.