UAPs as a Data-Driven Reality: Insights from a CUNY Graduate Center Panel
To the point
An interdisciplinary panel at the CUNY Graduate Center, featuring Joel Christensen, Jordan Flowers, and Leslie Kean, argued that UAPs are real, data-driven phenomena with broad implications for science, security, and society, and called for ongoing transparent research, policy action, civilian reporting channels, and international collaboration.
A panel at the CUNY Graduate Center brought together scholars, policymakers, and researchers to explore UAPs as a real, data-driven phenomenon with wide implications for science, security, and society. Joel Christensen opened by situating the topic within the center’s mission to treat knowledge as a public good, weaving personal anecdotes about belief and curiosity into a case for rigorous inquiry. Jordan Flowers of the Disclosure Foundation outlined three pillars—policy research, legal support, and education/advocacy—and stressed that even in Washington there is a sense that a reality to UAP exists and deserves transparent handling. Leslie Kean then traced a 25-year arc from early French studies and post-2000 reporting to the 2017 New York Times exposé that revealed a U.S. Defense program (AATIP) studying unidentified phenomena and releasing credible videos like the Gimbal and Tic Tac cases. The ensuing years saw congressional hearings, legislation like the UAP Disclosure Act, and agency efforts such as AARO and NASA investigations, alongside whistleblowers like David Grusch and Lou Elizondo expanding the public and policy conversation. Kean emphasized that the 2021 ODNI report confirmed the existence of real, physical UAP and highlighted ongoing questions about origins, rejecting simple foreign-technology explanations while acknowledging more complex possibilities. The discussion also engaged philosophical questions about secrecy and sovereignty, drawing on Alexander Wendt’s ideas and considering how consciousness, perception, and spirituality intersect with hard data. Audience questions touched on evidence vs. inference, disinformation risks, and the need for robust civilian reporting channels and international cooperation beyond national security. The session ended with a call for continued research, transparency, and collaboration across media, academia, and civil-society groups, alongside films like The Age of Disclosure to illuminate what is known and what remains uncertain.
Source: youtube.com