The 2022 Michigan IT Symposium was the ninth annual event that provided sessions to create connections between community members while showcasing the innovation occurring across our four U-M campuses. It was open to all University of Michigan IT and technology professionals and advocates and was sponsored by the office of the VPIT-CIO. The annual symposium is one of several activities organized by the Michigan IT Steering Committee to build community and encourage collaboration among U-M’s 2,700 IT professionals. The 2022 symposium was held on November 16 and November 17 and was co-chaired by LSA Technology Services’ own Dush Fernando, Director of Support Services.
LSA Technology Services was well-represented in the symposium’s planning committee. Raine Baker and Chris Taylor supported the event as AV coordinators. Alyssa Longo, the broadcast coordinator, managed the volunteers who ensured that the virtual attendees were able to ask questions and actively participate in the sessions. Last year, the event was held completely virtually, and this year there was a large turnout for the first hybrid symposium with a total of 630 registrations.
Longo highlighted several new features this year. “This year was unique. It was the first hybrid event in the symposium’s history.” While the first day of the symposium was exclusively virtual, consisting of poster presentations, the second day was held in the Michigan League with AV set up to allow both in-person and virtual attendees to participate in various presentations. Volunteers stepped up to serve in a new role where they served as moderators between those attending in-person and those joining remotely, allowing for all participants to contribute to Q&A sessions. The two days were filled with a variety of sessions. “We had 35 proposals submitted for the symposium this year. In the end, there were 13 posters presented and 19 presentations,” Longo noted. Ravi Pendse, vice president for IT and CIO gave a Leadership Presentation, there was a Keynote presentation by Dr. Tazin Daniels, and the Spotlight Speaker, Bhargav Sri Prakash, gave a presentation on digital vaccines.
Josh Simon, also from LSA Technology Services, was a part of the planning committee for the symposium, having joined the event when it was first held in 2014. He put his experience to good use as a member at large. ”When we're planning the symposium, I provide historical perspectives about what things have and haven't worked that we've tried, and why we decided not to try other things.” He also spreads the word on social media. “If I'm not too busy during the symposium itself I have also sometimes tweeted about individual sessions, using candid shots of the hallways or sessions.”
Simon values meeting other IT professionals and learning what they are doing on campus. “I've met people outside of LSA who are doing interesting and challenging work, some of which may be applicable to my own work. It's also great to hear directly from the people doing the work and [to] be able to ask questions, as opposed to just reading about it in [an] email.”
Members of LSA Technology Services participated in different areas of the symposium outside of the planning committee as well. Teri Horton presented a poster titled Bubble Sheets Beat Out Scantrons for Robust Data, which discussed how bubble sheets allow instructors to analyze test results and tailor their teaching to better meet students’ needs. Fernando not only co-chaired the event, but also moderated a breakout session titled New Normal - Pandemic Changed the Expectations. The session discussed the new changes facing different units across the university in the face of the accommodations that have been adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cathy Curley, LSA Technology Services CIO, served as chair of the Michian IT Steering Committee, which plays a major role in organizing this annual event. Curley also presented a breakout session titled Learn about the Community You are Part of - Michigan IT in which she highlighted the events, activities and programs that are available to all Michigan IT community members, and how individuals can contribute to the community.
Fernando has attended every Michigan IT Symposium since joining LSA Technology Services in 2019. In 2021 he participated in a panel discussion, and then in 2022 he was a co-chair and breakout session moderator. Panelists from Fernando’s session included faculty, staff, and students, representing a variety of perspectives, which was crucial to answering the questions at the heart of the panel: What are we doing well and what can we improve?
Networking is the most important aspect of the symposium for Fernando. Due to the change in environment with more remote and hybrid work, there haven't been as many opportunities to interact with ITS or other IT staff outside of LSA Technology Services as there have been in the past. “We use the services [that ITS] delivers on a regular basis…to be able to build those relationships is one of the highlights to me,” said Fernando. He echoed Simon’s sentiment that working with people outside of LSA Technology Services is a rewarding part of the symposium, stating that community building at the symposium gives “the opportunity to learn from many of the other departments and units on what they’re doing and how they’re doing it…It was [also] an opportunity to showcase some of the good work we have been doing.” This year, acting as co-chair allowed Fernando to develop deeper connections than years prior. “When you participate, you meet people, but they’re relatively short interactions. Being part of the planning committee, I got to work with them for a longer period of time. We worked together for months leading up to the event. It was a much deeper working relationship.”
Volunteers are always sought for the Michigan IT Symposium, with positions ranging from the planning committee, to presenting, to assisting guests as wayfinders and more. It’s an easy way to get connected to the broader IT community on campus, and Fernando could not recommend it enough. “It’s a good way to network and build your community.”
