TEDxNYUShanghai hosted its 8th annual conference on April 19, bringing nine inspirational guests on stage. Speakers shared ideas on the theme of “emergence,” illustrating how coming together through small actions and united voices prepares us for tomorrow’s challenges.

• On April 18, Center for Career Development (CCD) and S-Tron China co-organized the second TechTrek, taking 25 students to XNode, Zhangjiang AI Robot Valley, and ABB. From innovation to AI robots, students explored cutting-edge technologies right in the city we study and live in.

• On April 21, NYU Shanghai Chief Financial Officer Helen Hu and Lee Miller, Bloomberg senior editor and professor at Tsinghua University, convened for a dialogue: “Behind the Trade War: Tracking Policy, Power & Business Impact with Bloomberg,” exploring policy shifts, tariffs, and trade tensions. Attendees learned how journalists and analysts use real-time financial data and news to trace the impact on companies, industries, and governments.

• Spatial Shanghai, a 24-hour immersive hackathon organized by Jesse Yu (RITS) and Will Yeh ’25, challenged participants from eight universities to build augmented and virtual reality experiences (AR/VR) using Unity Tuanjie Engine and Meta Quest 3/3S on the theme of  Campus Connections: Reimagining College Life Through VR. Hackers were given Meta Quest 3s and Rokid AR Glasses, backed by Unity Tuanjie and Rokid, to develop their concepts. Deepsleep (Shanghai Jiaotong University and NYU Shanghai students) took home the First Place and the Best Teamwork awards for their project: “The Blooming Library.” Check out VR footage from the hackathon. 

• On April 18, NYU Shanghai’s Center for Teaching and Learning—together with the Library and Writing Program—hosted the Education in the Age of Generative AI Showcase | Back to Basics, welcoming 150 educators from NYU Shanghai, its global network, and other Sino-foreign universities. Renowned neuroscientist Dr. Mary Helen Immordino-Yang offered a powerful lens on the emotional and social foundations of deep learning. Through classroom-tested strategy presentations and a candid faculty-student dialogue, the event underscored the vital role of foundational skills and the power of human relationships in creating emotionally resonant learning environments in an increasingly AI-mediated world.

• On April 20, the AY24-25 NYU Alumni Executive Mentor Program, jointly organized by the Center for Career Development and the NYU Global Alumni Programs, held its Year-End Event, bringing together 38 current mentees (sophomores), 19 alumni mentees (seniors), and 16 NYU alumni mentors to celebrate their shared journey. The event opened with an inspiring speech by Professor David Atwill, Dean of Arts and Sciences, who highlighted that the true value of education lies not only in acquiring job-ready skills, but in preparing for a lifetime of learning and meaningful engagement with the world. Mentors and mentees reflected on their experiences and welcomed new voices into the ever-growing community.

• The Third Annual Adoptee Symposium brought together adoptees from China and Korea for four days of sessions exploring adoptee identity, belonging, and community. This year’s symposium added a Chinese cooking class and How Far Can We See Within, an art exhibition at the M50 art district exploring themes of diaspora, dissonance, and memory.

“Our lives are multidimensional, and what we often call ‘balance’ is actually a state of constant flux. Maintaining relationships is always a process of ongoing negotiation. Through that communication, with the people that we value in our lives and the communities that we’re part of, we find ways to change and negotiate the way that we're interacting with each other as times and situations change.”

- Global Writing and Speaking Fellow Annabel Zhao, speaking on a panel about women's empowerment 

On the morning of April 25, the Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Embassy Sarah M. Beran visited NYU Shanghai’s New Bund Campus. The delegation met with Chancellor Tong Shijun, Vice Chancellor Jeffrey Lehman, and Provost Joanna Waley-Cohen. 

•Joanna Waley-Cohen’s Lifetime Engagement with China

IP Shanghai and Chinese Studies reported on the newly opened exhibition featuring photos Provost Waley-Cohen took during her first trip to China in 1973, as well as images reflecting her journey at NYU Shanghai.