From Ideas to Impact: A Collaborative AI Strategy Session with robot

On August 19, leaders from the University of Rhode Island—including senior administrators, IT professionals, and business unit representatives—gathered for a half-day strategy session focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its role in advancing URI’s mission. The session, From Ideas to Impact, featured Mary Strain, Amazon Web Services (AWS) leader for AI and Machine Learning in Education. With over two decades of experience bridging technology and education, she helped spark a practical, forward-looking conversation.

Key highlights and outcomes

  • Shared vision: Participants connected AI opportunities directly to URI’s mission, identifying ways AI can enhance teaching, research, and operations—all while aligning with institutional values.
  • Real-world use cases: During collaborative working sessions, teams developed high-impact, URI-specific AI concepts—from increasing student engagement to strengthening data-informed decision-making.
  • Cross-campus collaboration: Faculty, staff, and administrators made new connections across disciplines, laying the groundwork for a unified AI strategy.

A shared realization

Attendees shared realizations that highlighted both the potential and the practicality of AI at URI. Learning from use cases at other institutions sparked creativity and confidence. Reflecting on URI’s own data—what it is and where it resides—emerged as a key first step in realizing long-term value.

Examples from the community

Participants shared examples of how AI is already creating value at URI:

  • One director shared how his team uses AI to convert customer conversations into functional requirement documents and automate standard documentation—saving hours of manual work.
  • A faculty researcher explained how AI tools help him write, verify, and refine code—accelerating research workflows.

Looking ahead

This session marks the beginning—not the end—of a campus-wide AI initiative. Grounded in shared insights and practical examples, it represents a key milestone in URI’s thoughtful approach to AI: collaborative, mission-aligned, and responsibly implemented. With clear priorities and growing engagement, URI is well positioned to turn ideas into measurable outcomes. The next steps will be shaped by our collective creativity, commitment, and action.

SPSS logo

SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) is a powerful statistical analysis tool used for data analysis, survey research, and text mining. While widely adopted in social sciences, its use is expanding into business, engineering, and other research fields. SPSS provides a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to conduct complex analyses without coding.

SPSS is available to URI faculty, staff, and students and can be accessed on Windows, macOS, or via the web through SPSS AppStream.

Executive Lead

Christian Vye

Technical Lead

Christian Vye
christianvye@uri.edu

Support Team

ITS Research Computing

About the Service:

Features

  • Code-Free Analysis – Perform statistical tests using an intuitive GUI.
  • Data Mining & Survey Analysis – Ideal for research involving structured and unstructured data.
  • Multi-Platform Support – Available on Windows, macOS, and web-based access (SPSS AppStream).
  • Widely Used Across Disciplines – Commonly used in social sciences, business, and engineering research.

Access

SPSS Licensing

Support and Training

Course Resources

IBM SPSS Resources

Get Help:

For assistance with SPSS, licensing, or research support, contact the ITS Service Desk or visit the ITS Research Computing (ITS RCS) website.

Unity is one of URI’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources, designed to support computational research, data analysis, and modeling. Managed by the ITS Research Computing team, Unity provides scalable computing power to facilitate advanced research initiatives.

The Unity platform is a collaborative, multi-institutional high-performance computing platform located at the Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center (MGHPCC).

Executive Lead

Guarav Khanna

Technical Lead

Kevin Bryan
bryank@uri.edu

Support Team

ITS Research Computing
itrcs-group@uri.edu

About the Service:

Features

  • High-Performance Computing (HPC) – Designed for complex research workloads.
  • Scalable Compute Resources – Supports parallel processing for large datasets.
  • Data Storage & High-Speed Networking – Optimized for research computing workflows.

Access

Eligibility

  • Unity is available to URI faculty, researchers, and research groups.
  • Researchers with compute-intensive workloads can apply for access.

How to Request Unity Access

  • New users should contact ITS Research Computing to discuss their needs.
  • Users must follow URI research computing policies for data security and compliance.

Policies & Security

  • Access is restricted to approved researchers.
  • Users must comply with university data policies regarding storage and security.
  • Read the full security statement in the official documentation.

Support and Training

HPC Documentation & User Guides

Technical Support

The ITS Research Computing team provides HPC consultation, troubleshooting, and performance optimization. Use the email above for general questions.

For help with specific jobs on the cluster, see the guide on asking questions for how and where to ask.

Get Help

For assistance with Unity HPC resources, contact the ITS Research Computing Team.

Research HPC - Andromeda with icon of hpc

The University of Rhode Island provides High-Performance Computing (HPC) resources to support research initiatives that require large-scale computation, data analysis, and modeling. Managed by the ITS Research Computing team, URI’s HPC infrastructure offers advanced computing power for existing research groups and new users through Andromeda.

The ITS Data Center provides a secure and reliable environment for hosting these services, with centralized cooling, security, fire suppression, and generator backup to ensure uninterrupted operation.

This service is being transitioned to Unity.

Executive Lead

Guarav Khanna

Technical Lead

Kevin Bryan
bryank@uri.edu

Support Team

ITS Research Computing

About the Service:

Features

  • High-Performance Computing (HPC) – Advanced computing resources for research applications.
  • Scalable Infrastructure – Designed to handle computationally intensive workloads.
  • Secure & Reliable Hosting – Located in the ITS Data Center with redundant power and cooling.
  • Data Storage & Networking – High-speed interconnects for efficient data processing.

Access

Eligibility

  • HPC resources are available to URI faculty, researchers, and research groups.
  • Existing research groups should use Bluewaves, while new users should request access to Andromeda.

How to Request HPC Access

  • New HPC users should apply for access to Andromeda.
  • Contact ITS Research Computing for guidance on selecting the appropriate HPC environment.

Policies & Security

  • Data Center Access is restricted to authorized personnel only.
  • Users must comply with URI research computing policies regarding data security and usage.

Support and Training

Technical Support

Contact ITS Research Computing for assistance with HPC setup and optimization.

Get a centrally hosted, managed database for your department or application. Three enterprise platforms are supported — MariaDB, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server — all maintained by the ITS Cloud & IT Infrastructure team.

These services are designed for departmental and application-level use, providing a secure, reliable, and professionally managed alternative to self-hosted or ad hoc database deployments. Departments with existing database-driven applications or new projects requiring database hosting are welcome to reach out to discuss options. Managed database hosting is commonly paired with ITS’s Web Hosting service for full web application stacks.

Contact: its-citi@uri.edu (ITS Cloud & IT Infrastructure)

Databases with icon of databases

Features

  • Centrally hosted and managed database infrastructure maintained by ITS
  • Supports three platforms: MariaDB (a nearly 100% drop-in replacement for MySQL), Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server
  • Suitable for online transaction processing (OLTP), data warehousing, and application backends
  • Encryption at rest and encryption in transit
  • High-availability clustering available for SQL Server and MariaDB
  • Available in production and development configurations
  • Managed backups, patching, and availability monitoring by ITS
  • Pairs well with Web Hosting for full web application stacks

Access

Database hosting is available to URI departments and application owners with a legitimate university business need. Access is provisioned on a per-project or per-application basis following a consultation with ITS.

To request database hosting or to discuss a new or existing database need, please email its-citi@uri.edu. We welcome inquiries at any stage of a project, including early planning.

Support and Training

ITS manages the underlying database infrastructure, including availability, backups, patching, and platform-level maintenance. Application-level database administration (schema design, query optimization, stored procedures, etc.) is the responsibility of the requesting department or application owner.

Departments needing web hosting to complement their database can also request Web Hosting from ITS.

For infrastructure-related issues or questions, contact us at its-citi@uri.edu.

The Center for Computational Research (CCR) has officially transitioned into the Institute for AI & Computational Research (IACR)—uniting CCR, ITS Research Computing, and the URI AI Lab into one collaborative entity.

This change reflects URI’s growing investment in artificial intelligence, data science, and advanced computing. It also recognizes the Institute’s expanding role across the University and its partnerships with external research institutions and industry.

Why the Institute Designation Matters

  • Elevates the University’s standing in regional and national research communities
  • Encourages cross-college collaboration around high-impact computing projects
  • Streamlines research support and infrastructure under one organization
  • Signals strategic investment in AI as a pillar of URI’s academic mission

How It Benefits Faculty

The IACR aims to support faculty and researchers in every discipline. Whether you’re modeling climate systems, analyzing language data, or building AI-driven tools, the Institute provides:

  • A growing network of AI-focused resources
  • High-performance computing infrastructure
  • Technical expertise and research support
  • Opportunities for interdisciplinary projects and external funding
Visit the New Institute Website

Explore the Benefits of Gartner Research at URI!

Gartner Research offers students, faculty, staff, and leaders at the University of Rhode Island access to world-class IT insights and tools, empowering them to innovate, collaborate, and excel.

Leverage Gartner’s extensive resources—research papers, webinars, and expert analysis—to stay ahead of trends, solve challenges, and achieve your goals, whether academic, operational, or strategic.

Executive Lead

Karen Lokey

Technical Lead

Karen Lokey
karen_lokey@uri.edu

Support Team

Innovation

Features

Tailored Insights for Every Role:

  • Students: Prepare for careers with insights into emerging technologies, industry trends, and real-world project support.
  • Faculty: Enhance curriculum and research with cutting-edge IT data, case studies, and benchmarking tools.
  • IT Staff: Optimize operations, align initiatives with institutional goals, and access diagnostics for problem-solving.
  • Administrative Staff: Streamline workflows, make data-driven decisions, and improve risk management strategies.
  • University Leadership: Shape strategic decisions, future-proof the institution, and network with industry leaders.

Access

Log In:

  • Visit the MyApps portal and click the Gartner square (blue square with a white “G.”)

Troubleshooting:

  • For issues, contact the ITS Service Desk at 401-874-HELP or submit a ticket through the Service Portal.

Support & Training

For issues, contact the ITS Service Desk at 401-874-HELP or submit a ticket through the Service Portal.

Cloud Research Computing with icon of cloud and three desktops

The University of Rhode Island’s strategic plan highlights the need for high-performance computing to advance data analysis and applications across disciplines, supporting faculty and student research through centralized, efficient, and secure resources.

As part of this strategy, a dedicated manager of HPC systems administration will oversee the research computing environment, which includes cloud-based and local systems. This centralized facility will enhance resource availability, improve support, and reduce costs through economies of scale and energy efficiency.

If you have questions or issues relating to access controls please contact the IT Service desk and open a request for consultation.

Executive Lead

Gaurav Khanna

Technical Lead

Chi Shen
cshen@uri.edu

Support Team

ITS Research Computing