Breakout Sessions – Unformatted

Title: Empowering Innovation: Technovation and MakerSpace at UMass Boston

Category: AI, Innovation, and Emerging Technologies

Presenter: Zack Ronald, Mgr. Innovative EdTech, UMass Boston

Presentation Type: Presentation – Individual

Session Description: 

What is The Technovator and the MakerSpace at UMass Boston? Explore the transformative impact of The Technovator and MakerSpace at UMass Boston. Discover how these initiatives foster creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning, empowering students to become innovative thinkers and problem solvers. 

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Title: Sometimes The Old Ways Are Best 

Category: IT Professional’s Success: Balancing Technology, Productivity, and Well-being

Presenter: Jeff Coburn, Senior Manager Web and Technology, UMass Boston

Presentation Type: Presentation – Individual

Session Description: 

We’ve spent the last decade or so “moving fast and breaking things”. Perhaps it’s time to slow down and revisit a few technologies and techniques that still haven’t been bested. 

Topics covered:

• Using Static Site Generators to defeat bots and DDOS
• Owning your own content with POSSE (Publish Own Site, Syndicate Everywhere)
• The return of RSS
• Email is okay
• Using the humble pen and paper to improve cognition

Category: Enterprise, Strategy, Data, and Infrastructure

Presenters: 

1. Scott Szajna, Manager, Digital Integration, UMass President’s Office
2. Stephen Battisti, Enterprise Architect, UMass Amherst
3. Lee Moua, Director, Data Integration, UMass Boston
4. Tony Viveiros, Systems & Data Integration Engineer, UMass Dartmouth
5. Sushma Srikanth, Systems & Data Integration Specialist, UMass Dartmouth

Presentation Type: Presentation – Group

Session Description:

Discover how UMass is strengthening cross-campus collaboration with Boomi, the unified integration platform used across all five campuses and the central office. Learn how real-time data exchange and robust, low-maintenance processes drive modernization, streamline operations, and enhance service delivery for students while reducing administrative overhead. Join us to discover how UMass is transforming its IT infrastructure with smarter integration strategies—and how you can leverage them for your own initiatives.

Category: Teaching & Learning

Presenters:

1. Keri Green, Director of Instructional Technology, UMass Dartmouth
2. Ryan Scott, Sr. Canvas Administrator, UMass Amherst
3. Leeanne Porta, Senior Instructional Technologist/Designer, UMass Lowell
4. Rrezarta Agimi, Lead Online Learning Designer, UMass Boston

Presentation Type: Birds of a feather – Facilitated discussion

Session Description: 

Join us for a facilitated discussion on the UMass system’s transition to Canvas. This session provides a collaborative space for LMS administrators, instructional technologists, instructional designers, and other support staff to share insights, challenges, and efficiencies gained during the migration process. Participants will engage in discussions at breakout tables covering key areas of Canvas, including LMS administration and system configuration, LTI tools, training, Canvas Credentials, Canvas Impact, and Accessibility. This is an opportunity to exchange experiences, troubleshoot challenges, and develop strategies to optimize Canvas for your institution.

Category: Enterprise, Strategy, Data, and Infrastructure

Presenters: 

1. Christopher McGee, Sr. Network Engineer, UMass Lowell
2. Andrew Alfano, Principal Classroom Tech Spec, UMass Lowell

Presentation Type: Presentation – Group

Session Description:

In summer 2023, UMass Lowell IT Networking was asked by the athletics department to help upgrade the campus infrastructure at the Cushing Complex fields on North Campus. These fields are home to the university’s Division I soccer and lacrosse teams. At the same time, UMass Lowell partnered with ESPN3 to begin live-streaming athletic events. This required installing high-definition cameras along the fields, with direct connections to the media production facilities at the Tsongas Center.

Category: Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Risk Management                  

Presenter: Alison Murray, Senior Information Security Specialist, UMass Boston

Presentation Type: Birds of a feather – Facilitated discussion

Session Description: 

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into university campuses’ security operations presents a transformative opportunity to enhance cybersecurity measures and increase effectiveness, productivity, and response times, especially within small teams. As educational institutions increasingly rely on digital infrastructure for academic and administrative functions, the need for robust cybersecurity protocols becomes paramount. With the AI tool landscape expanding at unprecedented rates, it can be hard to navigate the options and implementations in real time to meet the needs of each campus and its individual ecosystem. This facilitated discussion aims to explore the multifaceted role of AI in safeguarding university networks, data, and intellectual property from cyber threats from the perspective of each campus in the university system.

Category: Enterprise, Strategy, Data, and Infrastructure

Presenter: Peter Tierney, Director, Application Management and Support, UMass Boston

Presentation Type: Presentation – Individual

Session Description:

Explore how UMass Boston used the 25Live tool, X25 Analytics, to support campus scheduling. This session highlights key differences from the legacy system, demonstrates how to set up X25 Analytics for a semester, and shows how it has helped answer real operational questions.

Category: AI, Innovation, and Emerging Technologies

Presenters: 

1. Daniel Cannity, Manager of Learning Technology Support, UMass Amherst
2. Timothy Sheaffer, Learning Technology Support Specialist, UMass Amherst
3. Jia Zhuang, Learning Technology Support Specialist, UMass Amherst

Presentation Type: Hands-on

Session Description: 

This interactive session invites participants to explore generative AI tools through a guided, station-based experience designed for beginners. In the AI Prompt Crawl, attendees will rotate between computer stations, each featuring a different AI tool paired with structured prompts and scenarios to introduce the tool and its strengths. 

The session addresses a key challenge faced by many people: how to start building familiarity with rapidly evolving AI technologies in ways that are safe, engaging, and relevant to their lives. Whether attendees support instructional technologies, provide technical support, or manage systems, they’ll find applications and conversation starters that resonate with their daily work. Importantly, the session emphasizes a critical approach to AI—recognizing if, when, and how AI tools may be appropriate for a given task and context. 

After a brief introduction to prompting, participants will rotate to different stations and interact directly with an AI tool. After a set interval, they will move to a new station and interact with the new tool. Facilitators will be available to answer questions during the rotations. We will wrap up with debrief and give participants a chance to share their takeaways.

Category: Other: Research Technology        

Presenter: Anaheed Zaki, Manager, IT Research Technology, UMass Chan Medical School

Presentation Type: Presentation – Individual

Session Description: 

Discover how UMass Chan’s Research Technology team supports the research community with a wide range of innovative solutions. This session will highlight the team’s Hybrid Cloud strategy and the suite of research laboratory services they provide. Join us for an engaging discussion on how these technologies are enabling cutting-edge research across the institution.

Category: Other Project Management Success 

Presenters: 

1. Marcie Byrd, Sr Network Engineer, UMass Lowell
2. Steve Hall, Associate CIO, UMass Lowell

Presentation Type: Presentation – Group

Session Description:

Rolling out Network Access Control (NAC) isn’t just about securing the network—it’s about securing campus-wide adoption. This session explores how the UMass Lowell team prepared faculty and staff for a major shift in wired network access. Learn how they gained attention, built buy-in, and led a culture shift—without flashy campaigns, just strategy, relationships, and persistence.

Category: Enterprise, Strategy, Data, and Infrastructure

Presenters: 

1. Georgia Stuart, Research Computing Facilitator, UMass Amherst
2. Connor Kenyon, Research Computing Facilitator, UMass Dartmouth

Presentation Type: Birds of a feather – Facilitated discussion

Session Description: 

While the UMass system has significant resources for research computing, including the collaborative Unity Research Computing Platform, maximizing return on our investment in research computing infrastructure requires intensive user support and education. This session explores research computing support strategy to meet the needs of researchers at a variety of technical abilities and resource requirements. 

Title: Implementing a cloud-based scheduling and workforce management software tool at UMass Dartmouth

Category: Student Success 

Presenters: 

1. Natalie J Ferreira, Manager of IT Service Center, UMass Dartmouth
2. Scott Lynch, Technical Services Coordinator, UMass Dartmouth
3. Gregory Paciulan, Event & Technical Services Manager, UMass Dartmouth
4. Michele Hathaway, EDP Computer Operations Supervisor, UMass Dartmouth

Presentation Type: Presentation – Group

Session Description:

Discover how UMass Dartmouth implemented the Humanity Timekeeping System to streamline scheduling, attendance, and resource management for IT Student Assistants. This session will highlight key features of the platform, including its user-friendly interface, efficient reporting tools, and ability to improve transparency and operational workflows. You’ll get an overview of the implementation process, see a live demo, and hear how the system supports campus support operations. Perfect for teams looking to modernize and simplify time and attendance tracking.

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Title: Bringing AI to IT: Our IVY.ai Chatbot Journey

Category: Case Management and Support Tools

Presenters: 

1. Peggy Dias, Executive Director, IT Service Assurance, UMass Dartmouth
2. Andy Adler, Assistant Director of Project Management, UMass Dartmouth
3. Natalie Ferreira, Manager of IT Services, UMass Dartmouth
4. Keri Green, Director of Instructional Technology, , UMass Dartmouth

Presentation Type: Presentation – Group

Session Description:

Learn how UMass Dartmouth is implementing the IVY-AI system to improve IT support by automating routine tasks and providing more responsive service for faculty and students—especially during evenings and off-hours. This session will share why IVY-AI was selected, how it integrates with existing systems, and the steps taken to tailor it to campus needs. You’ll see a live demo and hear early insights from the pilot phase, including initial feedback and operational improvements. Ideal for anyone interested in using AI to enhance IT support without replacing human staff.

Category: Enterprise, Strategy, Data, and Infrastructure  

Presenters: 

1. Daniel W Nelson, Assistant Director IT Infrastructure Systems, UMass Amherst
2. Brandon Hartshorn, IT Cloud Engineer, UMass Amherst

Presentation Type: Presentation – Group

Session Description:

In the era of cloud-native technologies, organizations face the challenge of integrating containerization into their existing IT infrastructures. UMass Amherst has successfully navigated this landscape by implementing a sophisticated on-premises container environment using HashiCorp’s Nomad. This presentation delves into the architecture and deployment of our container ecosystem, designed to enhance scalability, resilience, and operational efficiency.

Category: Enterprise, Strategy, Data, and Infrastructure  

Presenters: 

1. Daniel W Nelson, Assistant Director IT Infrastructure Systems, UMass Amherst
2. Brandon Hartshorn, IT Cloud Engineer, UMass Amherst

Presentation Type: Birds of a feather – Facilitated discussion

Session Description:

Roundtable discussion to share ideas and practices related to automation and Infrastructure as Code best practices. 

Category: Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Risk Management

Presenter: Adam Sylvestre, Information Security Operations Analyst, UMass Boston

Presentation Type: Presentation – Individual

Session Description: 

This session will go over the Security Operations Center at UMass Boston. This includes what we do to keep the University safe on a daily basis, what tools we use, and what threats we are faced with. It will also cover how we employ students to help us manage the SOC while providing them with invaluable career skills to jump right into the Cybersecurity field after graduation.

Category: Other Accessibility / Inclusion

Presenters: 

1. Linda Sudlesky, Senior Learning Designer, UMass Boston
2. Eva Grouling Snider, Educational Technologist, UMass Boston
3. Leanne Santos, Student Employee / Graduate of Instructional Design Program, UMass Boston

Presentation Type: Presentation – Group

Session Description:

In this three-part presentation, we will cover what Inclusive Design is and why we do it, who benefits from Inclusive Design, and practical strategies for implementing Inclusive Design into your everyday work. This will include definitions of terms and disability law overview, examples of people who benefit from accessibility and 5 tips for creating accessible content. You will walk away with a toolkit of practices that you can implement to improve the accessibility of materials you create.

Category: Project Management Success

Presenters: 

1. Allison Bamforth, Project Portfolio and PMO Manager, UMass President’s Office
2. Michelle Hart, Associate Director Project Management Office, UMass Amherst

Presentation Type: Birds of a feather – Facilitated discussion

Session Description

Please join your fellow UMass system Project Managers for an interactive roundtable discussion on the evolving landscape of project management. 

Come ready to engage, learn, and network with peers who understand the complexities of driving projects to success.

Category: Enterprise, Strategy, Data, and Infrastructure

Presenters: 

1. Shahriar Panahi, Senior Director, Enterprise Data and Analytics, UMass President’s Office
2. Brian Morante, Director, Informatics & Analytics, UMass Chan Medical School
3. Thomas Beraldi, Assistant VP & Chief Data Strategist, UMass President’s Office

Presentation Type: Presentation – Group

Session Description:

The UMass shared platform for data management and analytics has gone through a significant modernization in the last few years.  This cloud based collection of best of breed advanced capabilities, allow campuses and the president’s office to develop data and analytics solutions and share them at scale with their constituents in a secure way.

The presentation will feature an overview and use cases from Chan Medical School’s ACES team and President’s Office Academic Affairs.

Category: AI, Innovation, and Emerging Technologies

Presenter: Kiran Guntupalli, Deputy Managing Director, Solutions Engineering & Operations

Presentation Type: Presentation – Individual

Session Description: 

ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan leverages world-class expertise and deep experience to create transformational solutions across the health and human services system, from payment and financing to clinical practice and information management. They collaborate closely with healthcare partners to think big about how they can do what they do, better—for themselves and the people they serve. Learn more about how ForHealth Consulting’s operations and services support larger University’s mission, and Digital Solutions role in enabling it through technology.