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Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs

2023

January

Arahmaiani's participatory “Flag Project” is among the works of 18 international artists and collectives featured in the touring exhibition “Actions for the Earth.”

Art, care and ecology are intertwined in ‘Actions for the Earth’

January 11, 2024 – from Northwestern Now
With the Block Museum of Art, our Climate Crisis + Media Arts Global Working Group is developing a series of screenings and talks related to the Block Museum’s forthcoming Actions for Earth art and ecology exhibition. The exhibition will run through winter and spring 2024 along with pop-up gardens around campus and film screenings. The exhibition’s opening conversation will feature Buffett Faculty Fellow Kimberly Marion Suiseeya.
Artificial Intelligence Blue Face Speaking

Deepfakes and international conflict

January 6, 2023 – from The Brookings Institution
Deceit and media manipulation have always been a part of wartime communications, but never before has it been possible for nearly any actor in a conflict to generate realistic audio, video, and text of their opponent’s political officials and military leaders. A research report co-authored by Northwestern Buffett Faculty Fellow, V.S. Subrahmanian, and Research Assistant, Chongyang Gao.

December

One day in July, there was a more than 20 degree difference between Rogers Park and Archer Heights. Why the Southwest Side is so hot will be explored by the city.

Southwest Side is hottest part of Chicago during summer, climate study finds

December 28, 2023 – from Chicago Sun-Times
On the afternoon of July 28, it was more than 20 degrees hotter on the Southwest Side than it was on the city’s Far North Side. The reason for such a discrepancy — and what can be done about it — will be studied in the coming months by the City of Chicago and Northwestern Buffett's Defusing Disasters Global Working Group.
Neighbors and kids play in the water from a fire hydrant in Albany Park as Chicago reached record-breaking high temperatures on Aug. 23, 2023.

Heat Watch Study Finds 'Disproportionate Impacts' Of Extreme Weather Across City

December 21, 2023 – from Block Club Chicago
A study that had Chicagoans attach sensors to their cars during a summer day found significant disparities in heat across the city. Northwestern Buffett's Defusing Disasters Global Working Group has released the results of Heat Watch 2023, which charted areas of the city most impacted by the extremes of climate change. Chicago was one of 18 cities participating in the national Heat Watch 2023 study.
One-day snapshot captures difference of 22 degrees in certain areas across the City

City of Chicago and Community Partners Release Heat Watch 2023 Findings

December 19, 2023 – from City of Chicago
Last week, the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Department of Environment, and the Northwestern University Buffett Institute Defusing Disasters Working Group—in collaboration with community partners—released findings from the Heat Watch 2023 Activation Day.
Graduate student on university-affiliated travel abroad riding a horse. She registered her trip in Northwestern University's International Travel Registry to receive  health and safety resources and reach out in an emergency abroad.

Northwestern International Travel Registry Tutorial

December 1, 2023
This video provides an overview of Northwestern University's International Travel Registry, developed by Northwestern Buffett’s Office of Global Safety and Security to support students traveling abroad. Undergraduate, graduate and professional students planning university-affiliated travel abroad are required to register before departure.

November

Alvaro Mena, a young Maya seed keeper in Hopelchen, Mexico, supports the confluence of regional Maya cooperatives representing the surviving Mayan governance systems. The Mayan word Hopelchen means “Place of the five wells,” referring to five centrally located wells that provided water to the area’s original Maya communities. Many towns’ traditional names in the region are associated with the uses of immense underground water reservoirs and their management across the entire Campeche region. However, today Maya people’s access to such wells is prohibited by the same regional authorities who have authorized Mennonite farmers to control the extraction and use of water resources—a control that was previously in the hands of the Indigenous communities in Hopelchen.

Maya Peoples’ Territorial Governance and Vulnerability in Climate Change Policy and Action

November 13, 2023 – from Cultural Survival
As the upcoming 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change faces the challenge of including Indigenous Peoples’ environmental stewardship, Buffett Faculty Fellow Reynaldo Morales and doctoral candidate Diana Elhard share insights into how ancestral Maya organizations and farmers in Campeche, Mexico offer a variety of potential solutions rooted in the affirmation of collective rights.
Kimberly Marion Suiseeya

Kimberly Marion Suiseeya pursues environmental justice by crafting relationships with interdisciplinary researchers and Indigenous intellectual leadership

November 8, 2023 – from Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
Kimberly Marion Suiseeya is a Buffett Faculty Fellow and co-lead of Northwestern Buffett's Disproportionate Impacts of Environmental Challenges Global Working Group. She talks with Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences about why scholars must reorient how climate research is done with Indigenous communities and redesign approaches to environmental governance accordingly.
A headshot of Wendy McMahon, CEO of CBS' news, stations and media ventures operations.

CBS Launches Fact-Checking News Unit to Examine AI, Deepfakes, Misinformation

November 7, 2023 – from Variety
CBS’ news-and-stations division will launch a new unit to examine misinformation and so-called “deepfakes,” or false videos that can often be generated via artificial intelligence. This unit will produce segments on its findings and explain to audiences how the information in question was determined to be fake or inaccurate. CBS cites a publication from the Northwestern AI & Security Lab on the growing concern of deepfakes for the international community, governments and the public.
Children practicing music and breathwork exercises with a teacher

Trauma, Music and the Breath Global Working Group Video

November 1, 2023
Young people need innovative, cost-effective approaches to alleviate mental health challenges and foster wellbeing. The Trauma, Music and the Breath Global Working Group opens a window into how music and breathwork can support children’s health and wellbeing. This video is an overview of their work.

October

NSAIL Head and Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian presents to an audience

Advancing AI Systems in Cybersecurity, Counterterrorism, and International Security

October 27, 2023 – from Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering
The Northwestern Security and AI Lab (NSAIL) team is one of the leaders of a growing multidisciplinary community developing and deploying AI technologies to address these global threats and protect against malicious actors around the world. On October 12, the Buffett Institute and the McCormick School of Engineering hosted the “Conference on AI and National Security” to showcase NSAIL’s work.
U7+ Alliance of World Universities Present Peace and Security Agenda to G7 Leaders

U7+ Alliance of World Universities Present Peace and Security Agenda to G7 Leaders

October 27, 2023 – from G7 Global Briefing Report
As the G7 prepares to convene in Hiroshima, the world faces significant challenges to peace and security. More than 75 university leaders from 16 countries convened at Keio University in Japan this week and called on G7 leaders to invest in peace and security education at all levels, incorporate the latest research into policy on peace and security, diversify the set of stakeholders involved in high-level policy discussions on peace and security, lower barriers to student exchanges that foster cross-cultural understanding, and defend academic freedom.
Screenshot

Northwestern University study is focused on helping tribes be more resilient

October 26, 2023 – from Sawyer County Record
Our Disproportionate Impacts of Environmental Challenges Global Working Group visited Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University to present on their project Strengthening Resilience of Ojibwe Nations across Gen­erations (STRONG), a tribally-driven research effort that aims to strengthen Ojibwe resilience by addressing the erosion of tribal sovereignty through social science and advanced sensing and data science methods.
Alice Thomas and Najia Mahmodi

Afghanistan: What's Next for Women and Girls

October 25, 2023
The Northwestern Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, Central Asia Institute and Northwestern Pritzker School of Law's Center for International Human Rights hosted a panel discussion on the current situation in Afghanistan, and the challenges facing Afghan women and girls, in particular.
Alice Thomas responds to a question from moderator Juliet Sorensen at the panel on women’s rights in Afghanistan at the Buffett Institute

Northwestern hosts panel on women’s rights in Afghanistan

October 25, 2023 – from The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern Buffett hosted a panel on the current state of women’s rights in Afghanistan. The event featured three prominent experts on women’s rights in Afghanistan – Najia Mahmodi, former Chief Prosecutor for Elimination of Violence Against Women; Martin Smith, PBS Senior Foreign Correspondent for “Frontline”; and Alice Thomas, Executive Director of the Central Asia Institute.
During his time at Medill, Mana will share his journalism experience with students across Northwestern.

Medill welcomes journalist fleeing Cameroon Haman Mana to faculty

October 19, 2023 – from The Daily Northwestern
Journalist Haman Mana fled Cameroon after fleeing journalist arrived at Northwestern University where he will serve as a journalist in residence. The Northwestern Medill School, in partnership with the Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, Northwestern School of Communication, the Holthues Trust and an anonymous donor, will fund Mana’s position for the upcoming year.
During his time at Medill, Mana will share his journalism experience with students across Northwestern.

Medill provides safe harbor for journalist fleeing Cameroon

October 17, 2023 – from Northwestern Medill School of Journalism
Journalist Haman Mana fled Cameroon in February and arrived at Northwestern University where he will serve as a journalist in residence. The Northwestern Medill School, in partnership with the Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, Northwestern School of Communication, the Holthues Trust and an anonymous donor, will fund Mana’s position for the upcoming year.
COP28 is in Dubai, UAE

Northwestern Sends Third Delegation to COP28

October 13, 2023
For a third year, Northwestern University is sending a delegation of faculty and graduate students to the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP28). The delegates plan to share and conduct research, gain insight into burgeoning technologies and solutions and connect with other experts investigating issues at the forefront of sustainability. Learn about the delegation.
Roberta “Bertie” Buffett Elliott

Making a Positive Impact: 2023 Northwestern Alumni Medal Recipients

October 10, 2023 – from Northwestern Magazine
Roberta “Bertie” Buffett Elliott's longtime support of international programs at Northwestern has transformed the University's global learning and research. In 2015, Elliott amplified this work through a visionary $101 million gift to Northwestern that created the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs. For these contributions and more, she has been awarded the 2023 Northwestern Alumni Medal.
Roberta “Bertie” Buffett Elliott

2023 Northwestern Alumni Medal: Roberta Buffett Elliott

October 10, 2023 – from Northwestern Alumni
Roberta “Bertie” Buffett Elliott is a visionary philanthropist and volunteer whose charitable giving and personal involvement bring people together and help expand our understanding of each other and the world in which we live. Elliott’s historic $101 million gift endowed the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, which is transforming global learning and research at Northwestern. Watch her remarks on her acceptance of the 2023 Northwestern Alumni Medal.
Kimberly Marion Suiseeya giving a keynote presentation

NU hosts launch of University of Toronto-Northwestern Decarbonization Alliance

October 4, 2023 – from The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy hosted a series of keynote presentations in October to launch the University of Toronto-Northwestern Decarbonization Alliance (TNDA). Leaders outlined how the TNDA would catalyze transdisciplinary research and ultimately work toward eliminating carbon dioxide emissions.
Hollande giving lecture

Former French President François Hollande Delivers Northwestern Buffett Lecture

October 3, 2023
François Hollande, the 24th President of France, visited Chicago and Evanston where he engaged the Northwestern University community in discussions on the upheavals that have led to today’s new world order and strategies for fostering global peace. Co-hosted by the Northwestern Buffett Institute and Villa Albertine, former President Hollande also delivered a public Buffett Lecture in Global Affairs delving into the challenges and opportunities of coordinating multilateral action during global crises and sharing his perspective on progress made toward peace and prosperity.
Kimberly Suiseeya and Ted Sargent answering audience questions

Roadmapping the Clean Energy Transition: The University of Toronto-Northwestern Decarbonization Alliance Launch Conference

October 3, 2023
The Northwestern Buffett Institute and Northwestern Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy hosted a series of keynote presentations from leading faculty at Northwestern University and the University of Toronto. These events marked the launch of the University of Toronto-Northwestern Decarbonization Alliance (TNDA), an innovation hub that aims to catalyze research and dialogue on progressive decarbonization.
Students on the trek

Trek to Chile Widens Northwestern Students’ Perspective

October 2, 2023 – from Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering
Nine Northwestern undergraduate students traveled to Chile in September to learn first-hand about Chile’s innovative energy storage technologies for minerals mining, as well as the environmental and social effects of mining operations. This immersive Global Engineering Treks Initiative was offered through McCormick Global Initiatives (MGI) in partnership with the Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy and the Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.
Though often seen as a dangerous tool, deepfake technology can be used for good. V.S. Subrahmanian is a faculty fellow at Northwestern’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs.

The Threat and Promise of Deepfakes

October 1, 2023 – from Northwestern Magazine
In recent years, deepfake videos—seemingly realistic digital representations created with sophisticated AI—have been used to demand ransom, disseminate misinformation and influence elections. Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian discusses his research on deepfakes and its new threats to and benefits for national security in Northwestern Magazine.

September

François Hollande, the 24th President of France

Northwestern Buffett Lecture Featuring François Hollande, 24th President of France

September 28, 2023
Northwestern Buffett and Villa Albertine hosted a lecture with François Hollande, the 24th President of France. During the lecture, former President Hollande shed light on the challenges and opportunities of coordinating multilateral action, shared his perspective on global affairs and crises as discussed in his recent book Bouleversements and spoke to the role of young people in empowering civil society through dedicated public service. Watch the recording.
Event marks launch of the University of Toronto-Northwestern alliance created to accelerate decarbonization

Press Release: Northwestern hosts dialogue on decarbonization Oct. 2-3

September 28, 2023 – from Northwestern Now
A series of keynote presentations on “Roadmapping the Clean Energy Transition” from leading faculty at Northwestern University and the University of Toronto Monday, Oct. 2 and Tuesday, Oct. 3 on the Evanston campus, will mark the launch of the University of Toronto-Northwestern Decarbonization Alliance, a global social innovation hub catalyzing dialogue and research on progressive decarbonization.
Students who participated in the trek to Chile.

Global Engineering Trek Chile: Student Reflections

September 25, 2023 – from Northwestern Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience
The Northwestern Center for Engineering Sustainability and Resilience launched its inaugural Global Engineering Trek in Energy Storage and Critical Minerals in September 2023, sending a group of nine students to Chile. The group was co-led by Professors Jennifer Dunn and Kimberly Marion Suiseeya, who together co-lead Northwestern Buffett's Disproportionate Impacts of Environmental Challenges group. As one of the world's largest lithium and copper producers, Chile is at the heart of global efforts to build green energy generation and storage systems. In this blog series, students reflect on meeting with mining and policy experts, touring facilities and delving into Chilean culture. This program is supported in part by the Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy.
University of Toronto Campus

Northwestern and University of Toronto to launch new decarbonization alliance

September 20, 2023 – from The Daily Northwestern
Northwestern and the University of Toronto will launch a new alliance focused on promoting research and dialogue about decarbonization. The University of Toronto-Northwestern Decarbonization Alliance will pool resources from the University of Toronto and the Northwestern Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy. Northwestern Buffett is hosting the two-day series of keynote presentations on October 2–3 that marks the launch of the alliance.
Muhammad Wasay Mir (Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in Qatar ’24) works with a local community organization in Jinja, Uganda during the 2023 Global Engagement Studies Institute (GESI) program facilitated by Northwestern Buffett’s Global Learning Office.

Northwestern Buffett Helps Prepare Undergraduates to Meet Pressing Global Challenges

September 20, 2023
At its core, Northwestern Buffett is a community of faculty, staff and students committed to making our world a better place through collaborative teaching, research and problem solving. Undergraduate students at Northwestern University are an important part of this community working to examine and contribute to addressing shared global challenges.
Technology company StemLoop designed this water test kit to function like an at-home COVID-19 test.

350 Chicago households will get free water testing kits for lead as part of Northwestern study

September 11, 2023 – from Chicago Tribune
Some Chicago-area residents will be able to test the water quality in their homes as part of a Northwestern study that will begin providing free test kits later this year. The pilot study will be led by the co-leads of Northwestern Buffett's Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group, Professors Julius Lucks and Sera Young.
Kohei Itoh Speaking

State-of-the-art Applications of Quantum Computing: Fireside Chat with Professor Kohei Itoh, President of Keio University

September 11, 2023
Northwestern Buffett hosted a fireside chat with Professor Kohei Itoh, President of Keio University, on state-of-the-art applications of quantum computing. He introduced new hardware developments and demonstrated the promising future of quantum computers based on current algorithm and software research that takes full advantage of the actual quantum computers available today.
Suneel's headshot

Announcing Northwestern Buffett’s New Board Chair, Suneel Kamlani

September 11, 2023
We are delighted to announce the appointment of Suneel Kamlani as Chair of the Northwestern Buffett Board of Advisors, a dynamic, creative group of thought leaders committed to the idea that universities can significantly impact the most complex global challenges by bringing the greatest thinkers together across institutional, national and disciplinary boundaries and by preparing the next generation of global leaders.
Overdose dashboard shows 'alarming' rises from 2019 to 2021

Overdose dashboard shows 'alarming' rises from 2019 to 2021

September 6, 2023 – from Crain's Chicago
Year over year, overdose deaths in Illinois are increasing with “no end in sight,” says the lead faculty member in charge of a new public dashboard detailing the extent of the accidental overdose crisis.
The work will focus on using environmental data from smart sensors in key lakes, rivers and wetlands to support tribal sovereignty by helping tribal leaders, agencies and communities integrate data into their resilience and manoomin governance strategies.

Researchers and Ojibwe to use environmental data to strengthen tribal sovereignty

September 1, 2023 – from Northwestern Now
A Northwestern University-led research team has received a $2 million grant over three years from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to further their research with Ojibwe tribes in the western Great Lakes region. This grant builds on work from Northwestern Buffett's Disproportionate Impacts of Environmental Challenges Global Working Group.

August

Most comprehensive data on fatal drug overdoses in Illinois released via new dashboard

Alarming increase in Illinois fatal drug overdoses among Black and older adults

August 31, 2023 – from Northwestern Now
Today, on International Overdose Awareness Day, Northwestern University scientists have launched a public dashboard containing the most comprehensive data on unintentional fatal drug overdoses in Illinois. The goal of the dashboard is to inform public health efforts to address the ever-increasing rate of overdose-related deaths in the state. It is funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Examining Effects of Extreme Heat in Chicago’s Black Communities

Examining Effects of Extreme Heat in Chicago's Black Communities

August 26, 2023 – from WTTW News
This week’s record-breaking temperatures were a reminder that even a city known for its punishing winters can still be blisteringly hot — and even deadly, as we saw during the heat wave of 1995 that killed more than 700 Chicagoans. Since then, the city has increased its efforts to keep people cool in dangerous heat.
Anto Mohsin's headshot

Mohsin selected as part of Buffett’s Faculty Fellows inaugural cohort

August 24, 2023 – from Northwestern University in Qatar
Northwestern Qatar Professor Anto Mohsin is joining the inaugural cohort of Northwestern Buffett's Faculty Fellows Program, which aims to foster an interdisciplinary intellectual community at Northwestern by facilitating scholarly exchanges and providing mentorship meetings between senior and junior faculty.
Chicago is also among the 18 cities where volunteers are mapping the urban heat island this summer. Officials set up five hubs for dispatching volunteers to collect heat data on July 28, 2023.

As cities sizzle, mapping projects pinpoint the perils of hot neighborhoods

August 10, 2023 – from WBUR
This summer the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provided grants to 18 cities to identify urban heat islands. The data could help city officials and community groups address extreme heat in the neighborhoods that need it most. In Chicago, the effort is being led by members of the Defusing Disasters Working Group at the Northwestern Buffett Institute.
Adding a drop of water to each tube in the testing mechanism sets off a network of reactions and interactions, ultimately causing the freeze-dried pellet to glow in the presence of a contaminant. By glowing green, the test provides an easy-to-read, visual result for the user.

Is our water safe? At-home test receives $3 million grant

August 8, 2023 – from Northwestern Now
Later this year, 350 Chicago-area households will receive hand-held, easy-to-use test kits to assess their home water quality. A pilot study will follow a phased roll-out. The initiative expands upon work that began within Northwestern Buffett's Making Water Insecurity Visible Global Working Group.
The working group, co-led by Julius Lucks, professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern Engineering, and Sera Young, associate professor of anthropology and global health at Weinberg, aims to provide access to at-home water tests for lead, copper, and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – also known as “forever chemicals” – and to measure the tests’ impact and use the knowledge gained to improve people’s daily lives.

Interdisciplinary Water Security Project Receives $3 Million NSF Grant

August 8, 2023 – from Northwestern McCormick School of Engineering News
An interdisciplinary Northwestern University team combining experts from the Center for Synthetic Biology, the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs, and the Institute for Policy Research has been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand their work making water insecurity challenges more visible and empowering citizens and communities to proactively test and understand the quality of their drinking water.

July

Northwestern University graduate student Elizabeth Koselka and Professor Laurence Marks each have received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar fellowship from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

Elizabeth Koselka and Laurence Marks receive Fulbright awards

July 26, 2023 – from Northwestern Now
Northwestern University graduate student Elizabeth Koselka and Professor Laurence Marks each have received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar fellowship. The prestigious fellowship enables scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. The Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs serves as the University’s Fulbright Scholar Liaison for faculty members.

June

Children playing in fire hydrant water

To prepare for extreme heat, let’s collaborate and learn from our communities

June 21, 2023 – from Chicago Sun-Times
The Defusing Disasters working group supported by the Northwestern Buffett Institute for Global Affairs published an op-ed on the importance of preparing for extreme heat through learning from and alongside communities—the focus of the group's Heat Watch 2023 campaign this summer.
illustration of diverse women

Empowering the Next Generation of Women Leaders

June 15, 2023 – from The Science of Personality Podcast by Hogan Assessments
Co-leads of a new Northwestern Buffett Global Working Group, Empowering the Next Generation of Women Leaders, discuss their collaborative effort aimed at empowering the next generation of women leaders on The Science of Personality Podcast by Hogan Assessments.
Oil Painting by Mezgebu Tesema

Webinar: The Future of the Ethiopian Social Contract

June 14, 2023
A new publication stemming from a convening of more than ​30 leading Ethiopian scholars in Addis Ababa illuminates possible paths forward for the Ethiopian state. This webinar convened a virtual discussion with some of the publication's contributors and others leading efforts to promote dialogue and peace in Ethiopia.
Hot sun

Chicago Has a New Way To Beat the Heat: Mapping the City’s Urban Heat Islands

June 6, 2023 – from WTTW
Defusing Disasters, a Northwestern Buffett Global Working Group, recently launched a heat-mapping collaboration called Heat Watch 2023 with the City of Chicago as a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Heat Watch Campaign, which aims to help cities identify specific neighborhoods where heat-mitigating interventions could save lives.
Press conference with Kyra Woods from the City of Chicago

Heat Watch 2023: Volunteers, heat sensors uncover Chicago's hottest spots

June 5, 2023 – from FOX 32
Defusing Disasters, a Northwestern Buffett Global Working Group, aims to create heat vulnerability indices to identify communities that are most at risk to extreme temperatures. To collect data for these indices, the group launched a heat-mapping collaboration with City of Chicago, Heat Watch 2023, as a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Heat Watch Campaign.
Students participating in the U7+ Student Challenge presentations

U7+ Student Challenge on Addressing Sustainable Development Goals hosted by uOttawa

June 5, 2023 – from uOttawa Faculty of Engineering
The Secretariat of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities is housed at the Northwestern Buffett Institute. The U7+ Alliance hosts an annual U7+ Student Challenge, this year at uOttawa, to enable students of U7+ member institutions to collaborate, research and propose solutions to a local challenge linked to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
Buffett Faculty Fellows cohort headshots

Announcing the inaugural cohort of the new Buffett Faculty Fellows Program

June 5, 2023
The Northwestern Buffett Institute recently expanded upon the Buffett Faculty Fellows Program to offer internal fellowships to Northwestern faculty. The new program aims to foster a robustly interdisciplinary intellectual community within the Northwestern Buffett Institute and the university writ large focused on the mutually enriching exchange of ideas, expertise and experience in service of individual and collaborative scholarship.

May

Soldier looking at a computer

The Case for a Deepfake Equities Process

May 24, 2023 – from Lawfare
Northwestern Buffett Faculty Fellow V. S. Subrahmanian, one of the world's leading experts on the role of AI in national and global security, co-authored this op-ed on the need for an interagency process to enforce a principled approach to the weaponization of artificial intelligence.
2023 Idea Incubation Showcase

2023 Idea Incubation Showcase

May 1, 2023
On May 1, 2023, Northwestern Buffett hosted a showcase of the research projects stemming from its 2022–23 Idea Incubation Process. The showcase featured faculty presentations on the interdisciplinary research projects Northwestern Buffett will support in the coming years as well as faculty updates from Northwestern Buffett’s existing Global Working Groups and their projects underway.

April

Photo of the group at the conference

Food and Water Insecurity: ‘A Borderless Topic’

April 27, 2023
More than 60 thought leaders gathered in Mexico City in April 2023 to discuss how better measurement can lead to global progress in public health. Sera Young, professor of anthropology at Northwestern, and Pablo Gaitán Rossi, director of Iberoamericana’s Research Institute for Equitable Development (EQUIDE), led the meeting. Both professors belong to the 'Making Water Insecurity Visible' Global Working Group at Northwestern Buffett.
An exploration of how film and TV portray mental health

An exploration of how film and TV portray mental health

April 26, 2023 – from Northwestern Now
Northwestern University’s Pritzker Pucker Studio Lab is hosting an inaugural Media and Mental Health Symposium from May 25 to May 27 on both the Evanston and Chicago campuses. The event is sponsored by the Northwestern Buffett Institute and organized by Northwestern Buffett Global Catalyst Grant Group 'Remaking Media and Mental Health Across Cultures.'
Microscopic image of bacteria

Northwestern Investigators Lead Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance

April 18, 2023 – from Northwestern Feinberg News
The Antibiotic Resistance Working Group, established in 2020 with faculty from Northwestern University's Feinberg and Weinberg Schools and supported by the Northwestern Buffett Institute, is an interdisciplinary, global effort to fully understand the issue of antimicrobial resistance and develop strategies to mitigate the impact.
Dr. D. Soyini Madison

Northwestern Fulbright Week 2023 Keynote Address

April 17, 2023
Watch Northwestern's 2023 Fulbright Week keynote address from Dr. D. Soyini Madison, Professor Emeritus of Performance Studies and Anthropology at Northwestern University, who lived and worked in Ghana as a Senior Fulbright Scholar conducting field research for her book Acts of Activism: Human Rights and Radical Performance.
D. Soyini Madison speaking

Alum D. Soyini Madison delivers keynote speech for NU Fulbright Week

April 13, 2023 – from The Daily Northwestern
Grantees and supporters of the Fulbright Program gathered at a reception at the Northwestern Buffett Institute to celebrate Northwestern’s Fulbright community on Tuesday, April 11. D. Soyini Madison (Communication Doctorate ’89), professor emerita of Performance Studies and Anthropology, delivered the keynote address.

March

Students look at their teacher in a grade school classroom

Real World Gender Equity Starts with Better Curricula

March 24, 2023 – from Diplomatic Courier
Gender inequality is deep rooted and pervasive-women receive around 10% of global income and own under 1% of all property. Solutions also need to dig deep-one approach is eliminating gender description from school curricula, write Rana Raddawi, co-lead of the Northwestern Buffett Language Curricula and Gender Equality Global Working Group, and Annelise Claire, Tomoo Nakayama and Farihah Fahmy.
A digital image of the globe with layers and lines connecting different points.

Call to deepen universities’ role in peace and security

March 21, 2023 – from University World News
The importance of strengthening the role of universities in fostering peace and security through engagement with governments was highlighted at a global meeting of more than 75 university leaders in Tokyo last week, convened by Keio University. The message will be conveyed to political leaders at the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) Summit of the world’s major economies, which will be hosted by Japan in Hiroshima in May.
U7+ leaders presenting Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida with their Tokyo Statement on Peace and Security.

Universities call on G7 leaders to prioritize and advance peace and security

March 17, 2023
The presidents of the U7+ universities formally committed to take action to support the G7 agenda and contribute to fostering a more peaceful and secure world through research, education and public engagement during the fifth annual U7+ Presidential Summit at Keio University in Tokyo, Japan.
The U7+ Alliance of World Universities logo.

U7+ Tokyo Statement on Peace and Security

March 17, 2023 – from U7+ Alliance of World Universities
'The Tokyo Statement on Peace and Security: Universities as Engines of Innovation for Peace and Security' is the 2023 U7+ Statement to the G7.
U7+ Alliance leaders at a press conference to announce their call for peace and security.

U7+ Alliance urges Japan's prime minister to invest in education for peace and security

March 17, 2023 – from Asahi Shimbun
Leaders of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities held a press conference in Tokyo on March 17, 2023 to announce their U7+ Tokyo Statement, detailing their commitments to peace and security. The statement was delivered to Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Wednesday March 15 in his capacity as 2023 host to the Group of Seven (G7).

February

Panelists on zoom from Northwestern's Buffett webinar on the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's War on Ukraine: Assessing the State of the Conflict One Year after Invasion

February 27, 2023
In recognition of the one year mark of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Northwestern Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs and Northwestern Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences' Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies Research Program (REEES) hosted an online panel discussion on the past year of war in Ukraine and the direction the conflict may be headed.
Three artificial faces next to each other with green computer background.

The Deepfake Dangers Ahead

February 23, 2023 – from The Wall Street Journal
Bots, trolls, influence campaigns: Every day we seem to be battling more fake or manipulated content online. Because of advances in computing power, smarter machine learning algorithms and larger data sets, we will soon share digital space with a sinister array of AI-generated news articles and podcasts, deepfake images and videos—all produced at a once unthinkable scale and speed. Co-authored by Northwestern Buffett Faculty Fellow V.S. Subrahmanian.
Andrew Gordon and Robin Means Coleman speaking at the Black History Month Global Week keynote address.

Andrew Gordon champions diversity in global learning at keynote speaker event

February 23, 2023 – from The Daily Northwestern
Andrew Gordon, CEO and co-founder of technological engagement company Includifi, spoke about intersections of race in study abroad experiences Wednesday as Northwestern’s Black History Month Global Week’s keynote speaker. Photo Credit: Samantha Powers, The Daily Northwestern Staffer.
Oona Hathaway speaking at the fireside chat.

Yale Law School Prof. Oona Hathaway speaks about legal implications of the Russia-Ukraine war

February 22, 2023 – from The Daily Northwestern
With no end to the Russia-Ukraine war in sight, legal scholars and policymakers worldwide debated how Russian instigators might be prosecuted for crimes against humanity. At an event hosted by the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs on Tuesday, Oona Hathaway, professor of international law at Yale Law School, spoke about solutions within international legal frameworks. Photo credit: Jonah Elkowitz, The Daily Northwestern Staffer.
Black History Month Global Week

Supporting Black students looking to study abroad

February 21, 2023
The Global Learning Office at Northwestern’s Buffett Institute for Global Affairs hosted a series of events aimed at supporting Black students thinking about travelling abroad for a learning experience.
Northwestern Buffett’s Disproportionate Impacts of Environmental Challenges global working group members collaborating with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission.

Northwestern recognized for internationalization amid high demand for global education

February 17, 2023 – from Northwestern Now
From the establishment of a Global Council created to drive internationalization, forming and funding interdisciplinary research teams to tackle complex challenges that can only be addressed from a global lens, and an ever-expanding list of global learning programs, Northwestern University strives to be a school of the world for the world. In recognition of these and many other innovations that have made research and study abroad more accessible, Northwestern is one of just four institutions receiving the 2023 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization.
Blue artificial face

Deepfake challenges ‘will only grow’

February 17, 2023 – from Northwestern Now
Although most public attention surrounding deepfakes has focused on large propaganda campaigns, the problematic new technology is much more insidious, according to a new report by artificial intelligence (AI) and foreign policy experts at Northwestern University and the Brookings Institution.
A group of students take a selfie in front of a red phone booth in England.

The World Is a Classroom

February 10, 2023 – from Northwestern Magazine
As international travel resumes, Northwestern sends students abroad for one-of-a-kind learning and research opportunities.