New report highlights advances in campus IT, from research support to drama

The new 2017 Technology Highlights report presents stories about a few key developments in UC Davis IT, involving such areas as support for research, wireless access, and new approaches to information security.

If you enjoy the report’s online bonus game too, so much the better. It’s just in there to show that reports about technology don’t have to be dense.

The 12-page report from the office of Chief Information Officer Viji Murali is now available online, and a limited number of printed copies are being distributed to campus leaders and offices. It has articles on:

• A project to help UC Davis researchers meet increasingly strict security standards for protected data.
• How a distinguished professor uses UC Davis Canvas to engage “the four skills—reading, writing, speaking and listening,” to teach languages.
• The evolving Information Security Office.
• The future of the fast-growing wireless network, plus information on Amazon Web Services Direct Connect.
• An immersive game, Play the Knave, that expands the study of drama. It was created by Gina Bloom, associate professor of English.

There’s also a snapshot of how students use tech in 2017, plus a map with statistics from campus IT.

Some of the work is led by Information and Educational Technology (Murali is also vice provost of IET), and some originates in other areas of UC Davis. The common denominator is the campus, not any one department.

The ability to collaborate is crucial

In her introduction on page 2, CIO Murali says the stories show how information technology is making progress in the way it supports the UC Davis mission of research, teaching and service.

“As chief information officer, I’m keenly interested in how we can best amplify and extend this progress,” she says. “A crucial element is our ability to collaborate across the campus, identify common priorities and themes, and then work together to meet those needs. Synergy will help us achieve our shared goals.”

To make technology less opaque, the report focuses more on people than on things, includes features like the game, and makes ample use of visuals.

The photos include a striking image of a graduate who is smiling broadly as she waves, perhaps to a friend or family, during commencement for the College of Biological Sciences. The image is a reminder that campus IT is valuable not for its own sake, but because it helps such moments happen.

IET has not produced anything like this report for several years at least, and intends to make it an annual project. If you have questions or would like a printed copy (while supplies last), please contact vpiet-info@ucdavis.edu.