March 12, 2014
UC San Diego
UCSD is home to two extraordinary technology centers – Calit2 and the San Diego Supercomputer Center. Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla, an electrical and computer engineer, is very interested in leveraging technology to even further enhance UCSD’s powerhouse research capabilities.
I had a great visit with campus leaders talking about how technology can support their campus strategic plan. First I met with CIO Min Yao and Thomas Leet, Assistant Vice Chancellor – Human Resources, to begin discussing technology roadmaps within the HR function and how to disseminate campus best practices to other locations.
Larry Smarr, Director of Calit2, and I discussed their initiative called the UCSD Big Data Freeway. Larry is a real visionary and played a role in the start of the public Internet back in the 1990s. We have been exploring the idea to expand the Big Data Freeway systemwide, creating the next big technology advantage for UC and helping to enable researchers secure grants in an increasingly competitive environment.
Director Jeff Henry of Academic Computing and Media Services took me on a tour of several technology-equipped classrooms, including the television studio, to see how professors are incorporating more advanced technologies into their teaching styles and student experiences. They even let me play with one of their newest innovations called the Learning Glass. Check it out.