Josh Simon, LSA Technology Services

Josh is a member of the Michigan IT Newsletter working group and the Michigan IT Tech Showcase & Social Event planning committee. He works for LSA Technology Services as a senior systems administrator and communicator. Contact him at jss@umich.edu.

Digitizing 1.7 million specimens at the U-M Herbarium with AI

The University of Michigan Herbarium is home to some of the finest botanical collections in the world. Founded in 1837 and growing ever since, their 1.7 million specimens of vascular plants, algae, bryophytes, fungi, and lichens, combined with the expertise of the faculty-curators, students, and staff, provide a world-class facility for teaching and research in systematic biology and… Read More »

LSA Technology Services staff win major collegewide awards

The College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) celebrated its annual Staff Achievement Awards, spotlighting the exceptional contributions of its staff. This year, LSA Technology Services stood out by winning two of the four collegewide awards, reinforcing the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as outstanding leadership. Sanam Aldag Wins Robin Sarris Outstanding Supervisor Award… Read More »

LSA Technology Services partners with ITS to migrate load balancing services

Over the past several years, LSA Technology Services (LSA TS) has had to be nimble and spin up new services that could perhaps be better accommodated and scaled centrally. In late 2022, LSA TS opened discussions with Information and Technology Services (ITS) about migrating the LSA TS-managed load balancing services to ITS-managed hardware. Load balancing refers to efficiently… Read More »

LSA Technology Services partners with faculty to develop MacromoleculAR research application

In May 2023, LSA Technology Services launched a new application, MacromoleculAR, that provides an interactive augmented reality (AR) experience for users to view various molecular models.  The app was developed for Randy Stockbridge, an associate professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB). And it’s not only great for the students in her course, but… Read More »

AV Community of Practice hosts certification training for audiovisual specialists

John “JJ” Jahn, a project engineer lead with LSA Technology Services, firmly believes in continuing education for audiovisual (AV) people on campus. That’s why he asked the Michigan IT AV Technology Community of Practice in May if there was interest in a course to prepare for the Audiovisual and Integrated Experience Association (AVIXA) Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) professional… Read More »

Four Michigan IT CIOs were finalists for the 2021 ORBIE® Awards

Since 1998, the CIO ORBIE Awards have recognized technology executives for leadership, innovation and excellence in this rapidly growing, CIO-led national professional association. The Michigan CIO of the Year® ORBIE® Awards honors chief information officers who have demonstrated excellence in technology leadership. CIOs are typically recognized in multiple categories, based on the size and scope of their organization… Read More »

Home for the holidays? (Of course you are…)

Normally, we’d remind you about conserving energy and securing your desk and office before you leave campus for Winter Break. However, because many if not most of us are already working from home, we’re changing it up a bit this year. (But if you’re still in the office, check out last year’s article for details on what to… Read More »

Amy Peters named director of research computing and infrastructure, LSA Technology Services

LSA Technology Services is pleased to announce that Amy Peters has been named our new director of research computing and infrastructure services, and joins the LSA Technology Services leadership team effective Monday, December 7. Peters was selected for the position from a competitive and diverse candidate pool after a comprehensive search that began in February 2020, but was… Read More »

LSA Technology Services enables hybrid teaching for fall 2020 and beyond

Since late June, when the university announced its decision to have students on campus and enable a combination of in-person, hybrid, and remote classes, LSA Technology Services quickly took action to enable an unprecedented delivery of the LSA liberal arts mission. In two short months, we’ve invested, improved, and implemented technology and services to not only meet the… Read More »

LSA Technology Services shines in the midst of pandemic prep

Technology professionals do their best every day to deliver reliable and innovative services to faculty, students, and staff. Sometimes they work on their own, sometimes as a team, and often in collaboration with other campus IT units. The LSA Technology Services team rose to new heights in response to changes in the last half of March, from the… Read More »

iClicker Cloud now available for LSA faculty and students

Back in March, we reported about the iClicker Reef (AKA iClicker Cloud) pilot in LSA. Students in the pilot classes could access Reef through an app on their own mobile device instead of a dedicated iClicker remote to answer an instructor’s prompted questions. In addition to handling multiple choice questions, Reef allows students to write short responses and… Read More »

LSA Technology Services launches new website

A year ago, LSA formed LSA Technology Services to: Provide faculty, students, and staff easier access to service and support. Enhance existing services and provide new services that meet college needs. Offer more opportunities to improve LSA Technology Services staff skills and support professional advancement and development. As part of that effort, we recently revised and relaunched our… Read More »

LSA Technology Services announces new directors

LSA Technology Services continues to evolve in how it provides integrated solutions and technology services to faculty, staff, and students. On July 1, the organization was restructured to better achieve its strategic goals. As part of that effort, LSA CIO Cathy Curley announced a new leadership team: Mark Bacon, Operational Effectiveness Pat Belden, Web and Application Development Services Monika… Read More »

Introducing LSA Technology Services

On August 23, 2018, the College of LSA announced the creation of LSA Technology Services, a new organization that unites the LSA Information Technology, Instructional Support Services, Management and Information Systems, and Web Service teams into a single, cohesive unit. Andrew D. Martin, dean of LSA, and Cathy Curley, chief information officer of LSA, made the announcement. “This… Read More »

Beyond the classroom: ISS has deep roots in the Ann Arbor community

LSA Instructional Support Services has a professional staff of 53 full-time employees that strives to provide exceptional and professional support for the integration of new technologies, methods, and content into courses across LSA. ISS is also responsible for the audio/visual, computing, and technology needs of all of LSA’s classrooms, auditoriums, and event spaces, as well as most of… Read More »