Tag: UF AI

Summer Training Opportunities are Plentiful with UFIT

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UF Information Technology (UFIT) is offering a robust training schedule this summer. Commit to enhancing your skillset over the quieter summer months! From May 13 through August 9, 2024, faculty and staff can select from many instructor-led, self-paced, and virtual workshops. There are options for using AI tools, improving Zoom meetings, understanding how DocuSign works, and learning Microsoft collaboration tools and applications. All UFIT training is free.

On the schedule this summer are three self-paced, introductory AI trainings:

  • AI in the Workplace
  • Introduction to AI Image Generator Tools
  • Prompt Engineering: Working with AI Text Generators and AI Image Generators

A two-part Qualtrics workshop series will also be offered twice, with participants who complete the series earning a Qualtrics certificate. For those looking to use non-research survey tools for administrative needs, registration is also open for Google Forms and Microsoft Forms web training.

UFIT Training provides year-round training on numerous topics to enhance the academic and professional skills and academic needs. Plan your summer training by starting with the IT service catalog listing: https://it.ufl.edu/services/it-training. Anyone with questions about our training or would like to discuss a custom training for their department is welcome to email ufit-training@ufl.edu.

Student Perspectives on AI (Live Event)

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UF Information Technology’s (UFIT) Tech Byte series continues this spring with a unique, student panel event. Current undergraduates from diverse majors will talk about their use of AI in coursework, how AI is showing up in their lives, and about AI’s impact on their career path and plans for the future.  UFIT will livestream this moderated panel on Thursday, April 18, at 2:00 p.m.  If you’d like to submit specific questions to be asked of the student panel, email Associate Director of Academic Technology Ryan Yang.

Register now to watch and listen in to this innovative panel: https://ufl.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwqc-irqzkjH9OO23WdTpgkIrMOhW1vdvuc#/registration

For further details on this event or on UFIT’s Tech Byte series, visit: https://citt.ufl.edu/workshops/tech-bytes/

2024 Tech Fair

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The annual Tech Fair is an opportunity for all students–undergrads, graduate, and professional students– regardless of major, to learn about IT services and support available to them during their UF career. The 2024 Tech Fair will be held on:

Wednesday, Feb. 28

10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Marston Breezeway – CSE Plaza

This year’s experiential event focuses on helping students utilize AI and online tools to get to the next level. Get information about a variety of tech as well as tech support (such as account questions or getting fast secure campus Wi-Fi on your phone) during the event. Have you thought about what it might take to get that coveted internship? Check out Tech Fair and see how managing your online portfolio or completing a LinkedIn Learning career path might get your name on the top of that internship list! You can also see some of the technologies available in Marston, get tips on setting up a great GitHub presence, and meet with a Career Connections Center rep who will answer your questions and show you how to use their online resources.

As always, Tech Fair also means prizes and this year UF Information Technology has several available! Stop by the welcome tent and learn how you could win Apple Air Tags, a JALL smart wakeup light, Beats, a JBL Bluetooth speaker, water bottles, and more. See you Feb. 28 on the plaza, Gators!

Second Annual AI Days at UF

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AI Days is back at the University of Florida from Oct. 16-20. All faculty, students, and staff are welcome to join UF’s AI2 Center for five days of competitions, faculty panels, and AI events.

Oct. 16 — Student Competitions

Students are invited to compete in three competitions that feature up to $60,000 in prizes. Registration deadlines and requirements vary. Visit ai.ufl.edu/ai-days/ for information about each competition.

Oct. 17-18 — AI Teaching & Research Symposium, Poster Presentations

This year’s AI Days includes a two-day symposium on various topics of AI teaching and research.  View the schedule here. Faculty, students, and staff are also invited to present posters featuring AI in their discipline. (Registration is required to present.)

Oct. 19 — AI Workforce Readiness

Thursday’s panel features experts on navigating an AI-integrated workforce and the new realities of conducting a job search with an AI perspective.

Oct. 20 — College-Specific AI Events

Departments across campus are hosting events to conclude the 2023 AI Days, including UFIT which is facilitating an NIVIDIA Deep Learning Institute (DLI) workshop on using the new Omniverse tool. The DLI workshop is titled, “Synthetic Data Generation for Training Computer Vision Models.”

AI Resources for Students Spotlighted at 2023 Tech Fair

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More than 2,030 student interactions were one outcome of the 2023 Tech Fair. Another outcome is that many students learned about some of the technology resources and services available to them at UFIT’s largest outreach event. Veronica Rams is a student who stopped by the event.

“GitHub Web Flow is so cool and useful when it comes to learning how to make a good website, since learning HTML was a bit hard,” Rams said.

This year’s Tech Fair focused on helping students utilize AI and online tools while completing their undergraduate degrees to help them achieve their academic and professional goals. Students learned how to use LinkedIn Learning’s Learning Paths, tried out new AI drawing software with the help of UFIT’s instructional designers, and got their tech issues solved from the expert staff in the UFIT Help Desk tent. Students also also learned how AI evaluates their resumes, courtesy of the Career Connections Center. Marston Science Library brought out 3D printers and rentable technologies available. Victoria Garcia, an Innovation Academy student, appreciated the display.

“I learned about 3D printing and where they have printers which are helpful for my classes.”

For any questions about Tech Fair, email UFIT Communications at it-comm@ufl.edu!

Tenth Anniversary of Tech Fair!

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Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Tech Fair, UFIT’s largest annual outreach event, features experiential activities that focus on helping students utilize AI and online tools.

Students can get advice and support on setting up their e-Portfolios, improve their digital literacy, meet with C3 staff to learn how AI programs evaluate resumes, and see what’s available in the Marston Science Library Makery. Students can also get assistance with campus tech such as help with Wi-Fi (eduroam), setting up GatorMail on their phone, and learning what software is available for free or at seriously discounted prices.

2023 Tech Fair
Wednesday, Feb. 22
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Tech Fair is held in Tech Plaza, the space created by Marston and the CSE Building. (Look for the tents!) In addition to getting help with campus tech that could boost your future plans, students could win a Tribit Stormbox Bluetooth Speaker or a Roku Ultra Streaming Device just for answering the Tech Fair survey. Students with questions about Tech Fair are welcome to email it-comm@ufl.edu. See you on Tech Plaza!

UFIT Awarded Contract with USDA

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UFIT was recently awarded a multi-year contract to collaborate with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) to deliver AI training. UFIT Research Computing staff will offer sessions using established AI Practicum training modules as as develop new modules in consult with ARS staff. This contract will enhance existing Practicum AI content and allow UFIT to more rapidly build online content for the UF community and beyond. The new modules developed with the USDA will also be available to UF faculty, staff and students, with particular benefit to the IFAS community.

Part of the contract’s funding will be used to hire a new AI training staff member, who will develop the new training modules, deliver in-person sessions, and produce online content for UF’s Professional Workforce Development site.

Eight new, four-hour, beginner and intermediate courses are planned. As well, and in consult with ARS and IFAS, some advanced AI topics are under consideration including areal image analysis, agriculture-specific computer vision, genomics, and agriculture-specific reinforcement learning for robotics.

Production of online content is underway. The in-person content already available to the UF community will be offered to ARS staff starting in Spring 2023. Anyone with questions about UFIT’s contract with the USDA is welcome to email Training and Biocomputing Specialist Dr. Matt Gitzendanner.

AI Learning Options and Club Activities

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Artificial intelligence is more than a buzzword: it is now an integral part of the UF  learning experience. With UF’s AI Initiative, students pursuing any major can gain valuable experience in machine learning through student AI certificates, academic courses, events, and organizations. Some of the Gator AI opportunities available, regardless of major, include:

Taking the “Frontiers in AI” Course
This 1-credit, online course (BSC2930) give students a high-level overview of artificial intelligence and machine learning terminology. Students will hear from guest speakers in a variety of science and non-science disciplines talk about how they are using AI. The course also includes lessons on AI fairness, equity, and ethics in AI.

AI Certificate
UF offers the Certificate in AI Fundamentals and Applications to undergraduates. All students can benefit from learning the basic applications of AI, and completing this 9-credit certificate is a great way to augment your degree-seeking program.

AI Clubs and Organizations
Students have networking and training opportunities in AI and high performance computing (HPC) through campus organizations like the GAITOR Club and Women in HPC and AI. Get involved with these AI-focused organizations to start or build on your AI journey.

UF and Nvidia Co-Hosting Hackathon

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UF and Nvidia, in collaboration with OpenACC, are jointly hosting the UF Hackathon from March 29–April 6, 2022. The deadline for teams to apply is
Feb. 21, with selected teams being notified shortly thereafter.

UFIT’s AI team, along with Nvidia AI staff, will serve as mentors to help teams parallelize and optimize code for GPU acceleration. UFIT is also providing HiPerGator AI as the work platform for the UF Hackathon. Teams from the University of Florida have priority during the application process, but teams from other Florida universities and all SEC universities are also able to apply.

The UF Hackathon is a multi-day, intensive hands-on event designed to help computational scientists and researchers port and optimize their applications using GPUs. It pairs participants with dedicated mentors experienced in GPU programming and development in AI, high performance computing, and data science applications. The event will utilize computing resources from HiPerGator AI, currently ranked as the 2nd most powerful supercomputer in U.S. higher education.

Participating teams will leave the event either with applications running on GPUs or a clear roadmap of next steps to leverage GPUs. Anyone with questions about the UF-Nvidia Hackathon may contact Ms. Ying Zhang, applications specialist and AI team lead for UFIT.

Build Your Online Profile with Free Expert Help

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Plan on attending the 2022 Tech Fair (Feb. 23-24, 11am-1pm). Whether you need to boost your LinkedIn, e-Portfolio, or GitHub profile (or all three!), UFIT and Career Connections Center (C3) experts will be available to help you. See you on Tech Plaza!

e-Portfolio
At the e-Portfolio tent, connect with UFIT’s technical experts to figure out which platform will be easiest for you to manage. C3 coaches will also be there to support you with:
• Organizing the content shared in your e-Portfolio
• Showcasing your experiences in a meaningful way
• Translating your past experiences to highlight your skills

AI and the Job Search
Career Connections Center staff will also be in the UF Informatics Institute to help you:
• Understand how AI is utilized in the job search process
• Customize your application materials to maximize your job search
• Explore strategies for interviewing through virtual and AI platforms

UFIT scientist and training lead Matt Gitzendanner will also be in the UF Informatics Institute. Leverage his expertise with Git and GitHub to maximize your GitHub profile!

LinkedIn
In the LinkedIn tent, get expert advice on courses to watch that can strengthen your market viability. Additionally, C3 staff can assist with:
• Completing your LinkedIn profile
• Maximizing your connections and build your network
• Exploring potential careers through the UF Alumni search and other LinkedIn tools