The University of Utah's Office of the Vice President for Research Security Office hosted a two-day workshop on May 27-28 to introduce researchers to secure cloud technologies and artificial intelligence tools designed for data-intensive academic research.
Workshop goals and focus
The event, held in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), focused on helping faculty and IT professionals use AI to automate workflows while meeting federal compliance requirements. Dr. Erin Rothwell, the vice president for research, noted that as research becomes more data-intensive and collaborative, it also becomes more highly regulated.
Transitioning to cloud infrastructure
The workshop highlighted the university's transition toward cloud-based infrastructure through its partnership with AWS. Research security officer Lisa Young said the move was necessary to protect important research and meet security expectations. According to Young, the university inherits 143 of the 287 required controls from AWS's existing infrastructure.
Exploring AI-powered research tools
Attendees explored AI-powered tools such as Amazon Quick, which AWS Principal Solutions Architect Dr. Claudiu Farcas demonstrated. Farcas showed how the tool can act as a research assistant and data analyst but cautioned that researchers must use environments where they maintain control over sensitive information to prevent unauthorized data use.
Training on advanced AI services
The workshop also provided training on Amazon SageMaker Unified Studio and Amazon Bedrock, covering topics like cost optimization and AI-assisted data management. Young stated the goal of the event was to ensure researchers can write future proposals with confidence despite increasing regulatory complexity.
