24-25 April 2025, Las Vegas
Our first Nevada Research Technology Strategy Workshop is 24-25 April 2025, hosted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. We’re excited to have faculty members, staff, students, and leadership contribute to planning our technology futures in Nevada’s higher education!
Hosted by the NSF-funded NV-DICE planning group, this workshop brings together researchers, educators, IT leadership, and cyberinfrastructure professionals. The packed agenda includes:
- Keynotes by national research computing community leaders
- “State of Nevada Research IT”
- National Science Foundation funding opportunities & strategy
- Listening sessions with researcher presentations
- Working sessions on campus assessments, needs, and plans
Workshop Registration
Agenda
DAY 1: Research Technology Support Overview, Thursday April 24, 2025
8:00 am
Registration opens
9:15 am
Welcoming remarks: Beginning the Research IT (“Cyberinfrastructure”) Strategic Journey
Dr. Scotty Strachan, Principal Research Engineer, Nevada System of Higher Education
9:30 am
Keynote: Planning Regional Research Technology Ecosystems
Lauren Michael, Research Engagement Strategic Consultant, Internet2
What is research information technology (“cyberinfrastructure”)? How do organizations align stakeholders within themselves and across regional partners to collectively advance their technology-driven research and research education capabilities?
10:00 am
Break
10:10 am
Panel 1: National Science Foundation Funding for Cyberinfrastructure Development
Dr. Amy Apon, NSF Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CC*) Program Director
Dr. Dana Brunson, Executive Director of Research Engagement, Internet2
Dr. Toolika Ghose, Assistant Director for Research and Teaching Cyberinfrastructure, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Dr. Scotty Strachan, Principal Research Engineer, Nevada System of Higher Education
11:00 am
Break
11:10 am
Research Talks: Technology-Enabled Research: “Tales from the Lab”
Researchers and educators in attendance will share stories of technology-enabled enhancements to their research capabilities, outcomes, and collaboration capital.
12:00 pm
Catered lunch
1:00 pm
Workshop Brainstorm Session 1: Community Resources for Research IT
Role-based breakout groups of participants (e.g. researcher/educator, campus IT, campus leadership, etc.) will be facilitated to list known research IT resources available to organizations in the region, and to share these with the room as input for later discussions.
1:50 pm
Break
2:00 pm
Panel 2: Adapting Nevada’s Institutional Information Technology for Research-Driven Education
Dr. Anne Milkovich, Chief Information Officer, Nevada System of Higher Education
Kivanc Oner, Vice President for Digital Transformation & Chief Information Officer, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Brandon Peterson, Assistant Vice President for Information Technology and Research Computing and Chief Information Officer, Desert Research Institute
Dr. Sasi Pillay, Vice President for Information Technology & Chief Information Officer, University of Nevada, Reno
3:00 pm
Break
3:10 pm
Workshop Brainstorm Session 2: Collaborative Brainstorming – Visioning and Opportunities
Campus-based breakout groups will brainstorm desired technology-enabled research and education capabilities to motivate strategic assessment and engagement opportunities in Day 2.
4:15 pm
Nearby Happy Hour – continue the conversation!
DAY 2: Focused Planning Session, Friday April 25, 2025
Beverly Rogers Literature and Law Building Room 101
9:00 am
Welcome and Strategic Planning Objectives
Dr. Scotty Strachan, Principal Research Engineer, Nevada System of Higher Education
Lauren Michael, Research Engagement Strategic Consultant, Internet2
9:20 am
Campus Cyberinfrastructure (CI) Assessment and Strategic Planning
An introduction to strategic planning approaches, including community-aligned tools for capturing current cyberinfrastructure (research IT) capabilities, gaps, and development priorities, and the importance of engaging input from stakeholders across campus (e.g. researchers/educators, campus IT, campus and unit leadership, external collaborators, etc.).
9:50 am
Developing a Cyberinfrastructure Plan
After a game of scoring example Cyberinfrastructure (CI) Plans, participants will break out in groups by campus/type to draft a CI Plan outline (from template) for their own campus, leveraging input from the full range of stakeholders at the workshop.
10:45 am
Campus Gaps and Priorities
An introduction to using the CaRCC Capabilities Model for capturing existing campus cyberinfrastructure that informs strategic development priorities.
11:30 am
Campus Stakeholder Engagement
Participants will align by campus and/or campus type to brainstorm stakeholders to engage for desired future CI assessment, planning, and potential regional coordination, including researchers/educators with significant uses and needs, campus IT, campus and unit leadership, external collaborators, etc.
12:00 pm
Working Lunch: Regional Priorities, Opportunities, and Next Steps
Collective brainstorming of near- and longer-term engagement modes to enable ongoing inter-campus experience-sharing and strategic coordination, leveraging reflections from all prior workshop sessions.
1:00 pm
Workshop Adjourns