by Meredith Ehrenberg | Jun 24, 2025 | Technology Stories
Students don MetaQuest headsets to experience dorm life during Celebrate UCI 2025. Tony Hwang/UCI
June 24, 2025
By Antu Nguyen
At this year’s Celebrate UCI, hundreds of admitted students stepped into the future of campus life through the new Digital Innovation Showcase. Hosted by UCI Enrollment Management in partnership with the Office of Data and Information Technology, and with support from collaborators at Dawdle Labs and SimInsights, the event introduced cutting-edge extended reality (XR) technology to enhance how prospective students connect with the university.
With UC Irvine students admitted from almost every state and more than 70 countries, XR is a fantastic option for offering glimpses of campus long before they arrive for their first day of class. This year, dorm tours were made available via XR, allowing newly-admitted students to explore campus housing virtually. Over 400 visitors engaged in immersive, virtual dorm tours and interactive meeting simulations, providing a peek into the possibilities of student life and academic collaboration at UCI.
“Many of the students and their families had never experienced anything like this before,” said Derick Barrientos, Computer Science 27, one of the XR interns who supported the event. Positioned at the exit of the XR feature, Barrientos welcomed feedback, answered questions about the technology, and helped guests navigate the experience and additional resources. These observations echoed the larger impact noted by Tony Hwang, Executive Director in the Office of Enrollment Management, who shared that witnessing prospective students and their families so energized and engaged with the AI and XR technologies was incredibly rewarding.
The showcase exemplifies UCI’s commitment to digital innovation in student outreach and education. Hwang played a key role in connecting enrollment strategy with these emerging technologies. He added, “This showcase was more than just a demonstration of technology; it was a clear illustration of our commitment to student success by providing a dynamic and forward-thinking learning environment.” His insights underline how thoughtful applications of XR can support informed decision-making for prospective students and their families.
The success of the event was made possible through the efforts of XR interns and the support of industry partners including Dawdle Labs and SimInsights, who helped develop and deliver the interactive experiences. While they were behind the scenes, their contributions helped bring the virtual environments to life in a way that resonated with students and families alike. “We wanted students to leave feeling like UCI offers something truly unique,” said Barrientos. “Not every school uses technology like this. We saw how much that stood out.”
As a highlight of Celebrate UCI, the Digital Innovation Showcase demonstrates the University’s full commitment to building meaningful, future-focused experiences for the next generation of students.
by Meredith Ehrenberg | Jun 4, 2025 | Technology Stories
SoCal K-16 Leaders Gather to Strategize A New Data-Driven Educational Journey
On May 20, educational leaders from over 30 Southern California schools, colleges, universities and organizations gathered at UC Irvine for the inaugural BRIDGE SoCal Summit. The day centered around addressing a critical challenge: how to create a more seamless, data-informed educational journey for all students.
Co-hosted by UC Irvine’s Office of Information Technology, The Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and The Center for Educational Partnerships (CFEP), the day began with an inspiring keynote from Michael Matsuda, Superintendent of Anaheim Union High School District. Matsuda challenged attendees to rethink traditional metrics of student success in the age of AI. “Are we measuring what we truly value, or simply valuing what we know how to measure?” he asked. Matsuda shared how his district has shifted focus to “leading indicators” like student engagement, creativity, and problem-solving skills, rather than relying solely on traditional test scores.
Another highlight of Matsuda’s talk was the success of the “Anaheim Pledge,” which emphasizes student voice and civic engagement. Through strategic partnerships and dual-enrollment programs, AUHSD students are gaining early exposure to college-level work in fields like IT, game design, and AI. The results have been remarkable, with many low-income students not only enrolling in universities but outperforming their peers during their tenure as college students.
The keynote set the tone for a day of collaborative discussions and innovative thinking. A panel on “Building on Strengths” showcased how different institutions are leveraging data to drive collective action. Amy Kwon from AUHSD described their decade-long focus on the “five C’s” (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and compassion), which has led to improved college retention rates for their graduates.
The ‘Building on Strengths’ panel included leaders from UC Irvine, Santa Ana College, CSUF, AUHSD and SAUSD.
Dr. Annebelle Nery, President of Santa Ana College, shared how data-driven decision-making has fueled their rapid growth, making them the fastest-growing community college in the state. Dr. Emily Wolk of Santa Ana Unified School District emphasized the importance of having a centralized data hub for cross-institutional collaboration, while Dr. Elizabeth Zavala-Acevez from Cal State Fullerton highlighted how strategic partnerships across educational institutions have strengthened their enrollment pipeline.
A fascinating discussion on “The New World of Sharing Data” featured experts from Amazon Web Services and Slalom, who pushed attendees to think beyond traditional data models. They explored emerging concepts like representing knowledge in multidimensional AI spaces and the potential of codifying skills at scale.
One of the day’s most anticipated presentations came from Mary Ann Bates, Executive Director of California’s Cradle-to-Career Data System. Bates unveiled the state’s progress in creating a comprehensive, longitudinal data system that tracks Californians from early childhood through their careers. She demonstrated new tools that allow researchers, educators, and families to access aggregated data on student pathways, emphasizing the potential for evidence-based decision-making to build more equitable futures.
Throughout the day, attendees grappled with challenging questions: How can we break down data silos between institutions? What are the ethical considerations in sharing student data? How do we ensure that increased data collection translates to better support for students, especially those from underserved communities?
In a session on dealing with organizational resistance and change, leaders shared strategies for bringing reluctant colleagues on board with data-sharing initiatives. Bob Martin, Senior Director for Performance Excellence at UC Irvine emphasized the importance of identifying early adopters who can effectively communicate the mission and vision to others. Mary Ann from the Cradle-to-Career initiative stressed the value of “breaking down the long-term vision into smaller wins that can be celebrated,” suggesting that incremental goals and tangible early successes can help build momentum.
As the formal sessions concluded, Dr. Stephanie Reyes-Tuccio, Vice Provost for Educational & Community Partnerships at UC Irvine, offered her observations from the day. She highlighted the recurring emphasis on learner-centered approaches and the importance of preparing students for long-term life and career success. “Today, we’ve seen that the technology and the will exist to transform how we support students throughout their educational journeys,” she said. “Our challenge now is to turn these insights into action.”
The BRIDGE SoCal Summit 2025 represented a significant step forward in reimagining education in Southern California. By bringing together diverse stakeholders and fostering open dialogue about data sharing and student success, the event laid the groundwork for a more collaborative, student-centered approach to education. As attendees left UCI’s campus, there was a shared sense of possibility – and responsibility – to leverage data in ways that truly empower students to reach their full potential.
by Meredith Ehrenberg | May 22, 2025 | Technology Stories
May 22, 2025
By Kristen McIntyre
In the world of museum collection management, the task of cataloging and keyword assignment has long been a labor-intensive process. However, a new collaboration between the Jack and Shanaz Langson Institute and Museum of California Art (Langson IMCA), ZotGPT, and an Information and Computer Science (ICS) student is changing the game. This innovative partnership has opened up a new world of possibilities for AI-powered solutions in collection management.
Langson IMCA, UC Irvine’s art museum, with a collection of over 4,700 California artworks, faced a significant challenge. Amy Lim, Senior Director, Collections and Exhibitions Management, explains, “It took two full-time staff members over six months just to inventory and catalogue about 1,300 artworks. Manually assigning multiple keywords to our entire collection would have taken years.”
This time-consuming process involved unpacking, photographing, measuring, and documenting each object. Moreover, without comprehensive keywords, searching the database was limited, making it difficult for those unfamiliar with the collection to find specific types of artworks.
Enter Connor Tintorer, a UCI undergraduate studying Information & Computer Sciences (ICS). When the idea was thrown around to possibly utilize AI for assigning keywords, Tintorer jumped at the opportunity and ran with it. Utilizing ZotGPT API, part of UCI’s homegrown AI platform, and under the guidance of Jehan Tillekeratne, Langson IMCA’s Data Analyst, Tintorer single-handedly developed an AI-powered program that transformed the museum’s cataloging process. The program was designed to analyze images of artworks and generate relevant keywords. They faced several challenges, including converting image files into a format acceptable by the ZotGPT API and managing server-based processing issues. Despite these hurdles, a robust system capable of processing thousands of images was ultimately created.
Fishwives’ Quarrel, Brittanywas analyzed using Tintorer’s AI-powered program, generating relevant keywords. Notably, the program was able to tag the word “boat” despite the masts being in the background. Graphic edits by Theresa Phan/UCI.
The implementation of this innovative approach proved to be quite successful. In a single night, the AI program processed 3,356 images of Langson IMCA’s collection, generating an average of 44 keywords per artwork. The AI’s ability to identify subtle details in artworks that might be overlooked in a quick manual review has significantly enhanced the museum’s ability to search and categorize its collection. Tillekeratne explained that they were surprised at some of the subtleties it picked up like “identifying small details a human might overlook in a rush. For example, the keyword ‘boat’ was correctly tagged on the work Fishwives’ Quarrel, Brittany by Elsie Palmer Payne, even though only the masts of the boats are visible in the background.” He also emphasizes the accuracy and usefulness of the AI-generated keywords, stating that the AI was correct well over 90% of the time for the keywords they manually reviewed.
The impact of this AI-powered solution extends beyond mere efficiency. It has also improved the searchability and accessibility of the collection. Previously, searching for a term like ‘woman’ would only yield results where the word appeared in the artwork’s title, missing many relevant pieces such as untitled sketches of women. With the AI-generated keywords, the search capabilities have been exponentially expanded, making the collection more accessible to researchers and curators.
Interestingly, the project has also revealed current limitations of AI technology. The system performs better with certain images and more basic keywords. Tintorer says, “Another thing we had to keep in mind was, what can the AI actually understand? Because some categories we noticed were too abstract or complex for the AI to produce accurate results. Like tonalism, for example, the AI didn’t flag anything as tonalism because it was too complex a concept. We worked with our curators to ensure keywords were being applied appropriately and to understand how we could better train the AI to identify certain attributes.” This insight helps the museum understand where AI can be most effectively applied and where human insight is irreplaceable.
Tintorer’s work has also sparked a shift in perspective regarding the role of AI in collection management. Lim notes, “This project has opened our eyes to the potential of AI as a valuable tool in museum operations, particularly in collections management. It’s not about replacing human expertise, but rather augmenting our capabilities to work more efficiently, especially with limited resources. But I’m thrilled with the results we’ve seen so far.”
Looking to the future, Langson IMCA has ambitious plans to leverage this technology further. The museum is actively digitizing its collection and developing an online platform to make its artworks easily searchable, with the hope of eventually providing convenient access for the public as well as UC Irvine faculty and students for research purposes. The success of this collaboration between Langson IMCA, ZotGPT, and one of UCI’s talented ICS students serves as a compelling example of the potential for interdisciplinary partnerships in solving complex challenges. It demonstrates how academic institutions can leverage their diverse resources and expertise to drive innovation and create practical solutions for real-world problems.
By embracing technology while continuing to value human expertise, institutions can enhance their ability to preserve, study, and share our cultural heritage more effectively than ever before.
Tom Andriola, UCI’s Chief Digital Officer adds, “This project not only showcases the power of AI in art cataloging but also highlights the importance of collaboration between different disciplines in driving innovation. As we move forward, it’s clear that the intersection of technology and art will continue to open new possibilities for museums and art institutions worldwide.”
by Meredith Ehrenberg | Mar 25, 2025 | Technology Stories
March 25, 2025
By: Antruong Thuy Nguyen
As generative AI is transforming business and education worldwide, UCI is at the forefront of this development, ensuring that faculty and staff have the knowledge and resources to integrate AI into their work in the most relevant ways. Led by Dominic Slauson, Business Systems Analyst for ZotGPT, ZotGPT Academy is a hands-on training program designed to upskill the UCI community in generative AI. The academy provides structured learning to equip faculty and staff with knowledge on how to explore generative AI and use it for their own work and research.
Making AI Competency Attainable For All
While AI tools are more accessible than ever, understanding how to use them effectively is key.; Many faculty and staff are aware of AI but either haven’t experimented with it or aren’t comfortable enough to know how to utilize it to enhance their work productivity. The academy provides a controlled space to ease into AI usage while emphasizing ethical considerations and a human-in-the-loop approach. The modules are broken into concise, 30-minute segments, ensuring learners can complete the courses at their own pace at times that fit into their busy schedules.
“Our UCI community is fortunate to have access to a comprehensive suite of AI tools in ZotGPT,” says Slauson. “But these tools really don’t mean much if our community doesn’t have the knowledge to leverage them properly. ZotGPT Academy bridges this gap, ensuring users can confidently experiment with AI and integrate it into their daily lives.”
ZotGPT Academy features three interactive 30-minute modules. These flexible, digestible modules allow participants to start based on their needs.
- Foundational AI Literacy – Learn AI basics and fundamental capabilities.
- Prompt Engineering – Craft effective prompts for better AI responses.
- AI in Action – Explore real-world applications for faculty and staff.
Introducing the ZotGPT Prompt Library
In addition to the release of the ZotGPT Academy learning modules, UC’s ZotGPT team also launched a prompt library for the campus community to utilize as they continue exploring AI. The ZotGPT Prompt Library offers curated, ready to use prompts to help faculty and staff unlock the potential of AI in their day to day work processes. The library provides practical examples to streamline AI interactions whether it be for lesson planning, research assistance, administrative tasks, and more.
The prompt library was made with the purpose of simplifying this process by providing structured examples that users can even customize to their own needs. Dominic explains, “My goal in creating the academy was to provide a space where faculty and staff could ease into experimentation through practical examples that resonate with our community and the kind of work they do.”
The prompt library does just that, offering guidance to help users see what’s possible with AI. The library will continue expanding as ZotGPT evolves, ensuring that UCI’s community stays ahead.
Looking Ahead
The Academy has already seen promising interest from the Anteater community, with over 300 learners taking a course in its first month of availability. ZotGPT Academy also supports UCI’s broader AI literacy and innovation goals and adds to an already robust suite of resources for the community.
“As the technology landscape keeps rapidly evolving, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure our faculty, staff and students have access to the training and tools they need to remain competent and thriving,” says Chief Digital Officer Tom Andriola.
The three current modules available in ZotGPT Academy are just the beginning. Future plans include advanced AI topics, video tutorials, and interactive workshops.
Both the The ZotGPT Academy and the Prompt Library are available now for faculty and staff to explore on the ZotGPT website.
by Meredith Ehrenberg | Mar 19, 2025 | Technology Stories
March 19, 2025
As AI continues to reshape our digital landscape, UC Irvine is taking bold steps to ensure the security of ZotGPT Chat, our signature generative AI solution. A novel collaboration between ZotGPT and Cyber@UCI, a student-led cybersecurity club, is setting new standards for AI security testing and student engagement in real-world cybersecurity challenges.
A Unique Partnership
UC Irvine’s artificial intelligence team quickly realized they required additional resources to further secure ZotGPT. Unlike large corporations that have budgets to routinely employ red team consultants, UC Irvine currently depends on automated security testing tools and does not have dedicated full-time employees to perform targeted security testing.
Jeff Picco, Security Engineer and a member of the AI Work Group, formulated a plan that would recruit the assistance of Cyber@UCI. He envisioned a mutually-beneficial partnership that would give the students real-world experiences. For Picco, this effort with ZotGPT could signify the beginning of a greater endeavor that would recruit the services of Cyber@UCI to test other campus services. To that end, Picco connected the club to Chris Price, AI Architect and Lead AI Developer.
“It’s important to highlight the efforts of OIT Information Security and Cyber@UCI in helping us secure ZotGPT,” said Price. “We hope to set the stage for similar collaborations here at UC Irvine and encourage other UCs to evaluate the same.”
The collaboration grants students access to staging environments for pre-release code testing, a rare opportunity for undergraduate students, especially in a cutting-edge field like generative AI. This opportunity will prove to be valuable as the students involved progress in their field and seek internship and employment opportunities.
Meet the Cyber Sleuths
Leading the charge in this initiative is Drew Levy, a junior transfer student with a passion for ethical hacking and offensive security. Levy’s journey into cybersecurity began with security competitions and an ethical hacking class at his community college. Now, he’s at the forefront of testing UCI’s AI systems, focusing on web interfaces and attempting to “jailbreak” language learning models (LLMs).
“AI security testing is especially challenging due to the technology’s novelty and the lack of well-defined testing methods. With AI chatbots only recently gaining prominence, ethical hacking approaches for AI have not been fully developed, with most learning resources not addressing such topics.” Levy noted.
Despite these challenges, Levy and his team have made significant headway in identifying potential vulnerabilities.
Unveiling the Vulnerabilities: Key Findings in AI Security
The student team’s efforts have already yielded important findings that will soon be formalized as a penetration test report. This report will not only serve as a crucial document for UCI’s cybersecurity efforts but also as a testament to the students’ growing expertise in the field.
The testing methods employed by the Cyber@UCI team are comprehensive. They include:
- Testing input boundaries by entering unexpected values
- Attempting to extract system prompts from chatbots
- Exploring web application security while researching AI-specific vulnerabilities
- Testing unique ID vulnerabilities and character limit constraints
- System Prompt Injection to receive sensitive information from chatting with the AI
“We’re not just looking at traditional web security,” Levy emphasized. “We’re exploring the unique vulnerabilities posed by AI systems, such as the ability to extract sensitive information purely through prompts – a skill that requires little technical expertise to pull off.”
Beyond the Code: The Impact of the Collaboration
The partnership between ZotGPT and Cyber@UCI is proving to become a transformative educational experience as students gain hands-on experience in penetration testing.
Steven Ngo, a Ph.D. student involved in managing the collaboration and President of Cyber@UCI, noted the delicate balance they’re striking.
He said “We are used to learning through completing cybersecurity challenges that are designed to have vulnerabilities and have a ‘flag’ that always exists for us to find – when trying to test real-world systems, there is no guarantee that there is a vulnerability. The real value in this opportunity is giving students a unique opportunity to learn how to work within real-world systems while still learning without having that on-the-job pressure to find vulnerabilities.”
Among the project supporters is Professor Josh Garcia, Ngo’s Ph.D advisor. Garcia is acknowledging the significant educational value of this initiative by supporting Levy and the team with independent study units. He also advises Ngo on how to best support and guide Levy and his team.
Garcia said: “I’m excited to support the Cyber@UCI students and OIT in helping to provide security and privacy assurance for OIT’s generative AI solutions. It’s always an honor working with smart and passionate students like Steven [Ngo] and Drew [Levy] on this endeavor. Beyond simply applying existing approaches to hacking, breaking, or assessing gen-AI solutions like ZotGPT, this endeavor further allows the team to identify deficiencies in existing approaches to analyzing generative AI solutions, opening further research opportunities to expand the capabilities of the testing and analysis of such solutions.”
The Road Ahead
As AI continues to evolve and integrate into our daily lives, the collaboration between the UCI ZotGPT team and Cyber@UCI is an example of proactive security measures and innovative education.
“What makes this partnership truly special is the dual benefit it provides. On one hand, we’re strengthening our AI systems against potential threats, which is crucial as we continue to expand our use of this technology across campus,” said Tom Andriola, Chief Digital Officer at UC Irvine. “On the other hand, we’re offering our students invaluable, hands-on experience in one of the most critical and rapidly evolving fields in tech. By involving students in securing our AI systems, we’re not only enhancing UCI’s technological infrastructure but also cultivating the next generation of cybersecurity leaders.”
This partnership serves as a model for how universities can address emerging technological challenges while providing unparalleled learning opportunities for their students. As we look to the future, it’s clear that UCI is not just keeping pace with the AI revolution – it’s helping to secure it.
Students interested in joining Cyber@UCI can join the group’s Discord.
by Meredith Ehrenberg | Mar 11, 2025 | Technology Stories
March 11, 2025
The Office of Data and Information Technology has announced the launch of its new AWS Credits Portal, providing students and faculty with free access to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud computing resources. This initiative aims to enhance educational opportunities, support research, and foster innovation across the campus.
The AWS Credits Portal, which launched in February 2025, allows eligible UCI community members to access sandbox AWS accounts pre-loaded with $25 in credits. These accounts offer a wide range of cloud services, including computing power, storage solutions, and advanced tools for machine learning and data analytics.
“This new portal democratizes access to cutting-edge cloud technology,” said Chief Digital Officer Tom Andriola.”We’re equipping our students and researchers with the tools they need to excel in an increasingly cloud-centric world.”
How It Works
Accessing the AWS Credits Portal is straightforward. UCI students and faculty can log in using their existing UCI credentials. Upon login, users are automatically provisioned with a delegated AWS account containing the free credits.
These credits can be applied to a variety of AWS services, enabling users to:
- Launch virtual servers for computing tasks
- Store and analyze large datasets
- Develop and test software applications
- Explore machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities
The credits are valid for 12 weeks, providing ample time for users to engage in coursework, research projects, or personal experimentation. Users can request an extension and more funds if necessary.
Impact of the Portal
Students across various disciplines will now have hands-on experience with industry-standard cloud technologies, enhancing their coursework and providing valuable career experiences.
“Cloud computing skills are in high demand across industries, especially with the popularity of AI. AWS is the most popular cloud provider, so most likely your company will be using AWS” noted AWS student ambassador Tyler Yu, a fourth year computer science student. “This portal can help students gain a competitive edge in the job market by allowing them to work with the same tools used by leading tech companies.”
Additionally, the portal is expected to catalyze innovation on campus. Startups incubated at UCI and student entrepreneurs can now leverage professional-grade cloud infrastructure to develop and test their ideas without significant upfront costs.
Usage Guidelines and Support
While the AWS Credits Portal offers considerable flexibility, users should be aware of certain limitations. The credits are restricted to the delegated AWS accounts and cannot be transferred to personal AWS accounts. Some high-cost or specialized services may also have usage restrictions.
To help users navigate the platform, UCI’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) has prepared a comprehensive FAQ and a beginner’s guide to AWS services. Technical support for the portal is available through OIT, while AWS provides extensive documentation for its individual services.
“We encourage all eligible members of the UCI community to take advantage of this resource,” said Ryan Foland, Director of the ANTrepreneur Center. “Whether you’re building a start-up, creating a side hustle, or working on a class project, the AWS Credits Portal is an excellent starting point.”
Looking Ahead
As cloud computing continues to shape the future of technology, initiatives like UCI’s AWS Credits Portal play a crucial role in preparing the next generation of innovators and researchers.
For more information, including sign-up instructions and usage guidelines, visit the AWS Credits Portal website. The UCI community is encouraged to log in and start exploring the possibilities of cloud computing today.uci.edu.
