TECHTalks
Monthly sessions presented by and for employees across UC San Diego and Health with technical information and updates.
You're Invited!
TECHTalks are Tech Education for the Community, our take on TEDTalks, where members of the technical community talk about current projects, programs, apps or tools of interest to UC San Diego and Health. These 50-minute sessions start with a speaker, AMA session or panel discussion, leaving time for your questions and comments.
TECHTalks are held every third Wednesday of the month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., sometimes on campus, but always online at this Zoom meeting.
Find the topics and speakers for 2024 by month below, and recordings of past talks on the TECHTalk Archives page.
What Do You Want to Know More About?
Tell us about topics or speakers you'd like to see from a TECHTalk. Or get your team together to talk about your own projects, tools or topics! The TECHTalk team is here to support you.
Email us your ideas or reserve a TECHtalk for yourself at Tech-Feedback@ucsd.edu.
TECHTalks Zoom Meeting Series for Your Calendar
Be sure not to miss a TECHTalk. Download this TECHTalk .ics file then open or import into your calendar app to add the meeting to every third Wednesday.
TECHTalks in 2024
January 17: Identity Management Roadmap & Shib Upgrade
Leo Munduruca and Allan Kim from the Office of Information Assurance provide updates on upcoming projects and work happening in security in 2024.
Topics Covered
- Roadmap for Identity & Access Management
- Rollout of the DUO Universal Prompt
- Support for the Enterprise Systems Renewal (ESR) Student Information System (SIS) project
- Upgrade of Shibboleth
February 21: Data Integration Services DBAs; Systems & Tools
The IT Services Data & Integration Services (DIS) Database Admin (DBA) team members talk about the systems and tools they support, as well as answer your questions.
Topics and Team Speakers:
- IT Services DIS Team & the Platform Engineering Concept - Nathalie Gholmieh
- Data Platforms & DBA Services – Leandro Herrera
- SAP HANA for Activity Hubs – Nethaji Tummuru
- Data in the Cloud (AWS Relational Database Service) - Victor Kalchev
- Enterprise Grade Support & More – Suzanne Papp
- SQL Server Clusters & Database Admin services – Qian Sun
- IBM DB2 Platforms – Mark Mapes & Gerry Luna
March 15: TritonGPT Overview
UC San Diego has been developing and piloting TritonGPT, a large language model chatbot capable of answering a wide range of questions about the university.
Join AI Solutions Architect Jack Brzezinski, Tony Nava from the Office of Operational Strategic Initiatives (OSI) and Jeremy Wiles from IT Services as they present:
- Overview of TritonGPT capabilities and rollout schedule
- Architecture and user feedback for improvement
- Comments on privacy / security pros and cons using TritonGPT vs commercial AI services
Learn about TritonGPT, its capabilities, intended audiences and uses.
April 17: The Lived Name Project
Viet Truong from the IT Services Lived Name project talks about implementing the option for students to use a name other than your legal name in university systems.
May 15: Data & Voice Network Updates
In May, Senior Director of Enterprise Network & Voice Services James Seddon talked about all things network at UC San Diego. Watch the presentation and Q&A here:
June 26: Live & Online! Meet New Chief Information Security Officer Arlene Yetnikoff
NOTE June TECHTalk Date, Time and Location Changes
The June 2024 TECHTalk will be moved to the fourth Wednesday, June 26, due to the Juneteenth holiday on June 19.
Put the new date on your calendar and plan to join us in person, if you can, as we welcome new Chief Security Information Officer (CISO) Arlene Yetnikoff!
This month, our presenter will be live in the Price Center's Room 203, Red Shoe Room! Cookies and drinks will be available. Enjoy conversation with peers and greet Arlene before the presentation begins.
Can't make it to campus? We'll be live on the TECHTalk Zoom channel at 11:25.
Wednesday June 26 Details
- Attend In Person
Price Center, La Jolla Campus
- Attend Online
Log into the TECHTalk Zoom.
Add the monthly TECHTalk meeting series to your calendar! Download the TECHTalk .ics file then open or import into your email client.
July 17: No Session Scheduled
TechTalks are on a brief summer break. No session on July 17!
August 21: No Session Scheduled
No TechTalk scheduled. This date coincides with the Process Palooza conference at Price Center. We hope to see you there! Free for staff. Learn more and register.
September 18: No Session Scheduled
October 16: Secure Connect
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) Arlene Yetnikoff discussed the Secure Connect program, UC San Diego's response to the systemwide information security investment plan. Arlene elaborated on the program's objectives and implementation from the campus perspective. She also answered questions already submitted by our technical community and those submitted live in the Q&A module. Check out the recording below to learn more about Secure Connect!
Presentation Resources
November 20: NameCoach
Grace Fuller, Manager of International Experience and Engagement at the International Services and Engagement Office (ISEO), discussed NameCoach, a new name pronunciation tool. The ISEO recognizes the interconnectedness between name and identity, so they were excited to share info about Name Coach and how it is being used at UC San Diego.
Presentation Resources
December 18: Cancelled
Find recordings of past TECHTalks on the TECHTalks Archive page.
Contact tech-feedback@ucsd.edu with questions, comments or topic suggestions.