Current NYU Shanghai Global Research Initiatives Fellows

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (July 7 - July 25):

Professor Zhihua An’s research project studies the crystal bending in melt-processed coumarin derivatives. Coumarin 102 is a coumarin derivative with a donor, bridge and acceptor moieties synthesized as an excellent low-cost alternative to conventional photovoltaics. Growing melt-processed thin crystal films of coumarin 102, we have observed the toroidal bent crystals formed on the spherulitic, or radially grown, straight crystals by polarized optical microscopy.  The crystal structure was determined as P21/c by X-ray powder diffraction. The temperature dependence of the crystal structure and the size of the toroid was investigated. The growth behavior and the optical properties were also observed under polarized optical microscope and Mueller matrix microscope. These toroidal bent structures of coumarin 102 exhibit opposite bending directions with 50% going clockwise and counterclockwise randomly. Moreover, we have discovered that the fluorescence intensity of the bending crystal fibers is nearly twice stronger than the straight crystal fibers. These observations suggest that studying crystal bending beyond a single crystal may be another strategy to reveal crystallization mechanisms and develop new functional materials with structures that can improve the performance of optoelectronic devices.

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (June 23 - July 25):

By some estimates, a near majority of migrant children in Shanghai do not hold Shanghai registration, or hukou (??), and therefore legally cannot access academic high school in the city (Cherng and Han, 2018)1. As a result, migrant families will often send their children to their rural homes of registration to continue their schooling. In recent years, it is not uncommon to find children as young as eleven, who were born and raised in Shanghai, enrolling in rural boarding schools without the company of their parents. This transition is often tremendously harmful for children and their mental health and few interventions/programs exist that explicitly address these issues.

Professor Hua-Yu Sebastian Cherng proposes to build on an intervention created and launched in 2021. The NYU Shanghai College and Career Lab (NYUSH-CCL) is a free two-week summer program that is designed to serve rural migrant children in three ways using drama therapy and play. First, the program provides them with social and emotional skills to forge and maintain strong relationships with peers and adults to help many with their transition back to rural areas, which is necessary for them to continue their high school education and beyond. Second, it teaches different learning strategies to help children acclimate to their new school systems. Third, the program has guest speakers and activities that span various disciplines and industries to help children find and articulate their academic and career interests and passions. NYUSH-CCL has partnered with two large community-based organizations that provide after-school activities for migrant children, as well as Disney Asia and Shanghai Disney Resorts. The expansion in summer 2024 will focus on better supporting parents in helping them navigate educational options for their children. As Shanghai increasingly funnels students into vocational education (as opposed to academic high schools), it is important that parents discuss these options with their children.

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (May 26 - July 25):

During his summer GRI fellowship, Professor Mingzhen Lu will collaborate with Prof. Kangning Huang to investigate the spatial mismatch between China’s rapidly growing urban populations and their built environments—a phenomenon marked by both “ghost towns” and overcrowded urban villages. The project involves three core objectives:

1. Mapping Urban Infrastructure and Population:

They will map building volumes in 100 Chinese cities by processing remote sensing data from sources like Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, PALSAR, VIIRS, and SRTM. A machine learning model (Random Forest regression) will estimate building heights, validated against real-world data. In parallel, they will use mobile phone signal data to construct probabilistic maps of population distribution via a Voronoi tessellation approach. Overlaying these layers will reveal mismatches between infrastructure and population density.

2. Analyzing Temporal Trends:

By extending the mapping techniques over multiple years, they will create time series analyses that capture changes in building age-structure and track population migration patterns. These dynamic maps will help model trends in material flows, highlighting how urban development imbalances have evolved—exemplified by rising Gini coefficients in building volumes.

3. Developing Predictive Ecological Models:

They will adapt ecological models to urban building demographics, establishing age cohorts and determining survival and maintenance rates. This framework will simulate future urban trajectories, predicting construction demands, demolition waste, and related emissions. These predictions aim to guide policy on waste management and sustainable urban planning.

Ultimately, their work will produce openly accessible maps, novel analytical tools, and multiple academic publications, while enhancing our understanding of urbanization dynamics with broad applications for cities undergoing rapid growth.

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (June 9 - July 4):

Professor Juan Pinon will be doing an approximation of the characteristics of the Chinese Media landscape. For that purpose Professor Pinon will be doing a general survey of the media offering in Shanghai or China in general. First, to get a list of the Broadcasting TV channels, Cable TV channels, SVOD Digital Platforms, Music Platforms, Film Theatrical Newspapers, Radio stations and magazines. In this context, as a general survey of the most important production entities, either private, public or state owned. Shanghai, as a media city, would offer a revealing example of the way media is organized, which are the main media companies as producers, and distributors. From there to trace preferred theme oriented channels, as well as media formats, media genres, themes and narratives. When it comes to television it would be key to see the kind of production and narratives forged to describe the local, the regional, the national and the global. 

In the context of regional, transnational or global media flows, it would be important to see the kind of media interrelations are forged from China to the world, and the world to China. This reflected in the tracing the position and visibility of transnational and global media presence in the Chinese media offering. To see a particular or special relation with a particular country or a particular region, and the industrial, institutional, or cultural reasons for that. In this context to see what kind of content from overseas is accessible or preferred in the Chinese media landscape. If there any particular foreign media formats adopted by the Chinese industry for local consumption. At the same time to recognize the strategies of internationalization pursued by the Chinese Media Industries, and their reach or success outside China. Particularly, what kind of genre/formats/narratives are prioritized to reach global audiences. In this context which are considered formulas of success for that purpose.

Synopsis of Research in Shanghai (May 28 - June 27):

Professor Xin Wang will be conducting a 3-4 week summer research project at NYU Shanghai, focusing on curriculum development and experiential learning. Professor Wang’s research emphasizes emerging pedagogical trends and the integration of new technologies such as AI and 3D printing, aiming to connect academic learning with industry practice by enhancing both classroom and laboratory education. The project will collect feedback from students, faculty, and industry partners, covering various NYU campuses and top global institutions. Professor Wang is particularly interested in NYU Shanghai's Community-Engaged Learning Office (CELO), and is eager to understand its approach to integrating real community engagement into academic learning. While gaining experience, Professor Wang will also communicate with local scholars, schools, and businesses to promote exchange and learning opportunities in China for students from NYU's Engineering School.