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The Helix Center for Interdisciplinary Investigation

Where Disciplines Converge
and Ideas Emerge

A university without walls – drawing together Nobel laureates, MacArthur Fellows, and pioneering thinkers from every discipline for unrehearsed intellectual exchange.

Since 2012, The Helix Center has hosted more than 500 of the world's most distinguished scholars, scientists, artists, and public intellectuals for free interdisciplinary roundtable discussions at the The Marianne & Nicholas Young Auditorium on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Every event is free, open to the public, and archived on our website.

Watch our latest Roundtable

Attend or Stream an Upcoming Roundtable

Sat
Apr 18th
2026

Attend

Stream

Medicine and AI

This roundtable examines how AI is transforming medicine, from genomic modeling to clinical tools used in healthcare systems. It focuses on challenges of trust, evidence, and equity, including how to evaluate AI, ensure fairness, and responsibly integrate data-driven decisions into patient care.

Sat
May 16th
2026

Attend

Stream

Reading and The Brain

This roundtable explores the power of words across brain development, medicine, and community, while highlighting the importance of critical thinking in the age of AI and screens.

Recent Roundtables

Sat
Mar 7th
2026

Watch

Where Have All the Isms Gone?: On the Evolution of Knowledge

This roundtable explores how traditional intellectual movements and paradigms have fragmented in the postmodern era, challenging the idea of coherent disciplinary progress. It considers how the internet, social fragmentation, and AI are reshaping how knowledge is organized, produced, and understood.

Sat
Feb 21st
2026

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Why We Write

This roundtable explores the motivations and purposes behind writing, challenging the idea that words simply convey facts. It examines how writing can express ambiguity, emotion, intention, and persuasion, shaping both meaning and experience.

Sat
Nov 8th
2025

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Fail Again, Fail Better

This roundtable explores the meaning and value of failure, examining whether persistence leads to growth, success, or its own kind of reward. It considers how cultural, psychological, and philosophical perspectives frame failure as an essential part of the human experience.

Sat
Oct 4th
2025

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See Memory

This roundtable explores how memory, neuroscience, and storytelling intersect, highlighting memory as a dynamic process that shapes identity, healing, and self-understanding. It examines how art and science together can help us reinterpret and reshape our personal narratives.

Sat
Sep 20th
2025

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Resurgence of Freud

This roundtable explores the resurgence of psychoanalysis, examining its enduring appeal despite scientific criticism and changing therapeutic practices. It considers how Freudian ideas continue to influence therapy, the humanities, and contemporary debates in the age of AI.

Sat
May 10th
2025

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Neurodiversity

This roundtable explores the concept of neurodiversity – recognizing variations in neurological function – challenging conventional notions of deficit and considering empathetic approaches to support individuals with diverse cognitive experiences.

See All Roundtables

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