The IT@UofT 2025 conference will offer many opportunities to learn and network with the tri-campus IT@UofT community, including keynote presentations, breakout sessions and more.

IT@UofT 2025 information desk

If you have questions during the conference, visit the information desk to speak with our volunteers and conference organizers.

May 6

7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Atrium

May 7

8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Atrium

Sponsor expo

Visit our sponsors to learn about their latest products.

May 6

8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Atrium

May 7

9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Atrium

May 7, 2025

Time

Location

Activity

9 – 9:50 a.m.

Breakout session block 1

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1160

Safeguarding international travel: The University of Toronto’s Loaner Device Program (LDP)
Speakers:
  • Natasha Reis, Research Security Advisor, Division of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation (VPRI)
  • Michael Laurentius, Research Information Security Specialist, Information Security, Information Technology Services (ITS), St. George

What happens when your research becomes the target, and your devices serve as the gateway? The University of Toronto’s Pilot Loaner Device Program (LDP) is here to answer that question. Designed to enable researchers, faculty and staff when travelling to areas of high digital risk, the LDP provides a fleet of secure laptops and mobile devices to protect against unauthorized access. The LDP serves as a frontline defence, protecting sensitive research, university networks and personal information, allowing researchers, faculty and staff to continue growing international collaborations with security in mind.

In this session, we will discuss the program’s development, key benefits and lessons learned from its implementation.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1200

AI hallucinations in practice: Tools and techniques for reliable generation
Speakers:
  • Keshav Raina, Administrative Officer/Data Analyst, Planning, Governance & Assessment (PGA), Information Technology Services (ITS), St. George
  • Terry Spratt, Client Care Tech Support, Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI), ITS, St. George

Generative AI has rapidly become embedded in all areas of higher education IT, but while these tools offer speed and save effort, they don’t always lead to reliable outcomes.

We’ve all been warned about AI hallucinations: generative AI may get some things wrong and we should always “verify.” But what are hallucinations, exactly? Can we get AI to hallucinate less? How can we tell what information is trustworthy and what is hallucinated? In this presentation, we will demystify AI “hallucinations” by clearly defining them. Drawing on current research, we’ll explore strategies for identifying hallucinations and reducing their frequency.

The heart of this presentation is to demystify hallucinations and share practical approaches that can be implemented immediately. This session will involve slides, handouts, audience engagement, a Q&A and a live web browser demonstration of prompting and the reduction of hallucinations.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1210

Redefining trust: OISE’s shift to zero-trust architecture
Speakers:
  • Dinushy Elamurugan, Technology Adoption Consultant, Cybersecurity and Data Management, Education Commons, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)
  • Laize Bacay, Technology Adoption Consultant, OISE

Trust is a vulnerability. Implicitly trusting any user, device or network by default creates gaps that attackers can exploit. OISE adopted zero-trust architecture to secure its network and systems, leveraging Microsoft’s cyber security suite and other technologies across managing identities, endpoints, cloud apps and networks.

This session will trace zero trust principles:

  1. Identity and access management (including cloud-only ID models, multi-factor authentication and role-based access control).
  2. Endpoint protection (including device management, encryption and monitoring for compliance as well as remote wipe capabilities).
  3. Network (e.g., Connected device authorization, secure and isolated network segments and network monitoring for detection and alerts of suspicious activity).
  4. Cloud apps and resources (e.g., Application migration to prevent threats and attacks, end-to-end encryption and cloud monitoring for real-time threat protection).

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1240

Empowering generative AI users: A tool navigator for informed decision-making

Speaker: Naz Torabi, Collections Coordinator, Sciences, Collection Development Department, University of Toronto Libraries (UTL)

Since the proliferation of AI-powered search tools and generative AI tools that come with library licensed material, librarians have been trying to understand how best to guide users through these tools for research and teaching. In response to this, UTL formed its Collections AI Response Team to convene expertise across collections, e-resources licensing and scholarly communications units to communicate the strengths and pitfalls associated with these multifaceted tools while avoiding the potential stifling of their innovative uses. Efforts have focused on five areas:

  1. Working with vendors (e.g., participating in beta testing whenever possible and requesting demos and Q&As).
  2. Conducting outreach to librarians, instructors and researchers via workshops and consultations.
  3. The creation of our GenAI Tool Navigator to gather and proliferate information.
  4. The development of Scoping Decision Tree for paid AI-powered search tools to evaluate if the library can license the AI tool.
  5. Identification of units and groups across the university to share and collaborate in refining GenAI Tool Navigator.

This presentation will outline the insights we gained from this project and future directions. The session will provide ample opportunities for questions and dialogue between the presenter and participants.

Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Room 360

Empowering content editors: Offering more flexibility in the design and structure of webpages
Speakers:
  • Adie Margineanu, User Experience Lead, Information and Instructional Technology Services (IITS), University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC)
  • Sebastian Toncu, Senior Analyst – Web Operations, IITS, UTSC

This presentation will explore how the UTSC Web Team strategically addressed the challenge of balancing editorial flexibility with usability, accessibility and brand adherence. Through close collaboration with content editors (including one-on-one interviews and usability testing) and dedicated training, we introduced flexible pages that revolutionized how content is designed and managed across UTSC websites.

Discover the strategic insights, client-focused processes and measurable outcomes that made this project a success. This presentation is perfect for leaders, strategists, project managers and user experience designers looking to innovate their web platforms and strengthen client relationships.

9:50 – 9:55 a.m.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Atrium / Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Break

9:55 – 10:45 a.m.

Breakout session block 2

Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The Lee & Margaret Lau Auditorium (Myhal 150)

The power of inclusion: Amplifying women’s voices in tech

Moderator: Dr. Donna K. Kidwell, Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Panelists:
  • Saira Mall, Manager, Educational Innovation and Academic Initiatives, University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC)
  • Ravneet Kaur, Director, Strategy and Business Transformation, UTSC
  • Aisha Maywandi, Information Technology Specialist, Information & Instructional Technology Services (IITS), UTSC
  • Ammena Ajaz, Business Analyst, Information & Instructional Technology Services (I&ITS), University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM)
  • Maddie Osei, Information Security and Business Analyst, Information Security, Information Technology Services (ITS), St. George

This year’s conference is co-chaired by Dr. Donna K. Kidwell and Professor Susan McCahan, making it one of the first times in the conference’s history that it is led by women. To celebrate this milestone, this panel discussion will bring together women’s voices from across the U of T community to share career journeys, discuss challenges in the field and explore ways to drive meaningful change to better support women in tech.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1200

Enhancing course creation with Google AI Studio: Supporting professors and instructors with AI tools

Speaker: Dr. Ryan Lahti, Technology Adoption Consultant, Education Commons, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE)

This session comprises three parts.

Part 1: Lecture
Demonstration of leveraging Google AI Studio to create high-quality courses. This session will show examples of how Google AI Studio can be used in every aspect of course development and design, including course planning, content creation, assessment and student engagement.

The session will also highlight how AI enhances instructors’ expertise, allowing them to dedicate more time to fostering critical thinking, guiding student engagement and designing meaningful learning experiences. While AI streamlines and automates aspects of course development, educators remain the driving force behind effective teaching and learning.

Part 2: Hands-on demonstration
Requirements will be: A smartphone or laptop and a personal or educational Gmail account.

Part 3: Q&A
Discussion of Google AI Studio and other AI tools (such as Microsoft Copilot) at U of T.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1210

To certificates and beyond: Enhancing Secure Socket Shell (SSH) security using Step CA, Keycloak and multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Speakers:
  • Andy Foster, Senior Software Engineer, University of Toronto Libraries Information Technology Services (UTL ITS)
  • Roman Zupancic, Systems Administrator – Devops, UTL ITS

This presentation will demonstrate how UTL ITS has enhanced the security of their SSH endpoints by implemeting SSH host certificates and 24 hour SSH user certificates, issued through Active Directory credentials and MFA. The presentation will be followed by a demonstration and a Q&A.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1240

How the security of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud helps you build creative solutions

Speaker: Mark Nunnikhoven, Principal, Office of the Chief Information Security Officer, AWS
This session is brought to you by AWS, a gigabyte sponsor.

Designing a solution to any problem is an exercise in choice. Will using this approach help boost performance? Does a different strategy allow more flexibility? What aspects of the solution do I have to balance to achieve my goals? How can I safely evolve this solution as my customer’s needs change?

In this talk, the presenter will explore the security of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud and how design choices help customers to innovate safely and securely. This session covers the core security concepts of the AWS Cloud and how they come together to enable the wide range of architectures and solutions that customers build to meet their goals. Attendees will learn some of the patterns and design principles that can help them find the right balance for architectures, no matter what is being built.

10:45 – 11:05 a.m.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Atrium

Refreshment break

11:05 – 11:55 a.m.

Breakout session block 3

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1160

Managing information risk at the University of Toronto
Speakers:
  • Kanupriya Kejriwal, Information Security Risk Manager, Information Security, Information Technology Services (ITS), St. George
  • Kalyani Khati, Associate Director, Information Security Strategic Initiatives, ITS

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, effective risk management is crucial for safeguarding institutional integrity and ensuring operational resilience. This talk will provide a comprehensive overview of risk management practices, with a particular focus on U of T’s journey. This talk aims at providing the following:

  1. A better understanding of the importance of risk management in today’s interconnected world.
  2. Insights into the structure and roles of an effective risk management team and the various risk initiatives undertaken at U of T for making risk-based decisions.
  3. A look ahead to emerging trends and future challenges in risk management.
  4. Engagement with speakers in an interactive session to address questions and share insights.

Join the presenters for an enlightening and interactive session that will equip attendees with practical knowledge and strategies to enhance risk management practices within their own units or organizations.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1180

Flight Rules: In a crisis, the first procedure is to take your own pulse

Speaker: Marden Dov Paul, Director, Planning, Governance & Assessment, Information Technology Services (ITS), St. George

The nature of inevitability is that it’s inevitable. Imagine you’re far away and phones, the internet, StarLink, courier pigeons, planes, trains and automobiles are knocked out… and the same storm takes down your department’s applications and servers. What will you do? NASA has a concept called Flight Rules. These are documented procedures for what to do in a certain event. In this session, we’ll translate the Flight Rules for our local world.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1200

Optimizing space management with Accruent Event Management Software (EMS)
Speakers:
  • Peter Sverko, Manager, Client Support Services, Digital Workplace, Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI), Information Technology Services (ITS), St. George
  • Justin Charlick, Accruent EMS Coordinator, EASI, ITS

The University of Toronto is implementing Accruent EMS to drive improvements in space management. This presentation will cover the software’s key features: real-time availability, automated reporting and analytics. These tools simplify the booking process and help administrators make better decisions about their spaces. Presenters will showcase how the platform enables:

  • Efficient booking workflows, reducing administrative burden.
  • Strategic resource management, aligning space allocation with evolving institutional needs.
  • Integration with existing university systems to create a unified user experience.

By leveraging these capabilities, U of T is creating a more agile and responsive environment for administration. This session will illustrate how Accruent EMS is a key driver in institutional efforts to optimize space resources and adapt to evolving needs.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1210

Accelerating discovery: Building next-generation data centres for AI-driven research and education at the University of Toronto with the Dell AI Factory
Speakers:
  • Nikki Matarazzo, Artificial Intelligence Sales Executive, Dell Technologies
  • Jim Pond, National Complex Compute Specialist, Dell Technologies

This session is brought to you by Dell Technologies, a gigabyte sponsor.

As a hub of groundbreaking research and innovative education, U of T requires robust and scalable computing infrastructure to support its ambitious endeavors. This session explores the transformative potential of next-generation data centres, powered by the Dell AI Factory and Dell’s cutting-edge computing solutions, in accelerating scientific discovery and enhancing higher education learning. Presenters will delve into how these advanced architectures address the ever-growing demands of AI, machine learning and data-intensive research, enabling researchers, faculty and students to tackle complex challenges with unprecedented efficiency.

Join the presenters to discover how U of T can leverage the Dell AI Factory and Dell’s advanced computing infrastructure to build a future where data-driven innovation thrives and learning is transformed.

Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Room 360

University of Toronto Advanced Planning for Students (UTAPS) under the hood: A walkthrough of the estimation model and calculations
Speakers:
  • Sandeep Akkinapelli, Senior Developer and Database Analyst, Office of the Vice-Provost, Strategic Enrollment Management (VPSEM), University Registrar’s Office (URO), Student Financial Systems
  • Michael Kwan, Senior Programmer Analyst, VPSEM/URO IT Services

In 2024, URO introduced the Need Navigator’s Financial Need Assessment application form for students, alongside modifications to the administration of UTAPS. During this session, the URO IT team will provide attendees with a comprehensive walkthrough of the Need Navigator application available on the URO Hub. The presenters will also offer an in-depth explanation of the model used to estimate student financial need and review the calculation process for deriving UTAPS.

11:55 a.m. – 12:55 p.m.

Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship, Lobby and Lee & Margaret Lau Auditorium (Myhal 150)

Lunch

12:55 – 1:45 p.m.

Breakout session block 4

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1160

Leveling up: Practical approaches to making digital spaces more accessible and inclusive
Speakers:
  • Belinda McKay, Executive Assistant, Office of the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Information Technology Services (ITS), St. George
  • Jess Goldson, Education and Awareness Officer, Education, Awareness & Culture, ITS
  • Lillian Hogendoorn, Web Project Manager and Content Strategy Librarian, University of Toronto Libraries (UTL)
  • Samantha Chang, Faculty Liaison Coordinator, Teaching, Learning & Technology, Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI)
  • Laura Klamot, User Experience Designer, Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI), ITS

This lightning round panel will feature short presentations from UTL, CTSI and EASI. Each unit will showcase their latest design process innovations that are enhancing accessibility and inclusivity in teaching, learning and IT infrastructure. Attendees will learn about a range of practical approaches to improving user experience when they are engaging with digital resources.

  • UTL will discuss their use of the Fable platform to acquire real-world insights and feedback on digital products from a diverse community of testers. New library directory features that allow staff to describe themselves, including languages, pronouns and pronunciation, will also be featured.
  • CTSI will showcase their 30-minute story-based learning sessions designed to lower barriers to implementing strategies to improve accessibility, and will present their new educative PowerPoint template that guides the creation of accessible digital resources.
  • The UX Design Unit in EASI will demonstrate their User Interface Library and Design System, which features reusable UI components that ensure consistent and accessible application functions.

The session will close with a Q&A.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1170

Enhancing cyber security awareness: The Information Security website journey
Speakers:
  • Maddie Osei, Information Security and Business Analyst, Information Security, Information Technology Services (ITS), St. George
  • Kalyani Khati, Associate Director, Strategic Initiatives, Information Security, ITS

This presentation will showcase the transformation of the Information Security website at the University of Toronto, from its initial challenges to the launch of an improved, user-friendly and accessible platform. We will discuss the project’s goals, key enhancements and the collaborative effort between Information Security, the UX Design Unit in Enterprise Applications & Solutions Integration (EASI) and the ITS Communications teams. Attendees will gain insights into the design and content strategy, accessibility compliance and the integration of new features that support the university’s cyber security initiatives. Presenters will share lessons learned and talk about their experience building the website as well as showcasing some key features of the website and what led to their creation.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1200

Real-time classroom tech support: The power of Tech2U Jarvis
Speakers:
  • Natalie Wallace, Manager, Classroom Planning & Technology Services, Learning Space Management, University Registrar’s Office (URO)
  • Steven Bailey, Director, Learning Space Management, URO
  • David Yan, AV Technology Lead, Learning Space Management, URO
  • Anna Menezes, Student Experience Coordinator, Learning Space Management, URO

Managing classroom technology across 280+ classrooms and 34 buildings is a challenge. Tech2U Jarvis is an innovative intercom-based support system for real-time assistance with in-classroom technology. Leveraging the Talkmaster Operator Console app and Crestron Fusion for AV system monitoring, Tech2U Student Classroom Ambassadors (CAs) and Classroom Technical Co-Pilots (COs) provide immediate, remote support.

Tech2U Jarvis ensures that classroom technology issues are resolved swiftly, minimizing disruptions. Staff monitor AV system health, detect potential failures  and streamline troubleshooting. Staff have also developed a robust knowledge base, enabling operators to access step-by-step troubleshooting guides, past incident resolutions and best practices. This dynamic repository improves response times and builds long-term institutional knowledge. Tech2U Jarvis includes data-driven incident trend analysis and enhances classroom readiness while providing students with technical and problem-solving experience.

This presentation will explore the operational framework of Tech2U Jarvis, its knowledge base and key lessons from its implementation. Attendees will gain insights into intercom-based support, strategies for optimizing incident response and student-led technical assistance in improving learning environments.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1210

AI in user experience design: Can the usage of AI tools augment creativity during the design process?

Speaker: Amy Guo, Undergraduate Student at the University of Toronto

The usage of AI tools has increased in the domain of digital product development (websites, digital applications, etc.) Specifically for user experience (UX) designers, there is an increase in AI tools available to facilitate the design process. The existing literature on AI and human co-creation indicates that products created alongside AI are done with improved productivity and sometimes with higher quality, but not whether AI can augment the creative cognition of the designers. This presentation is on a qualitative study on the creative cognition of designers. Designers were split into two groups, one using AI and one not using AI. Cognitive task analysis and interviews were employed to observe the participants’ creative processes. The presentation will be a short lecture on the research, methods and results that went into this study. Ultimately, this presentation leads to a discussion on whether AI can be leveraged for enhancing cognition or whether it is something that will cause a degeneration of our creative cognition.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Room 1240

AI, expertise and the future of work: Implications for information technology professionals

Speaker: Jordan Holmes, Senior Manager, Teaching, Learning & Technology, Centre for Teaching Support & Innovation (CTSI)

How will AI transform not just what IT professionals do, but what it means to be an expert? This session challenges conventional wisdom about expertise in an era where knowledge is increasingly distributed between humans and intelligent systems. Drawing on theories of adaptive expertise and distributed cognition, the presenter will explore how the traditional foundations of professional value are being disrupted. But this isn’t merely about automation and job displacement. Instead, expertise itself is being redistributed across human-AI systems.

As the boundaries between human and artificial expertise blur, this session will investigate how the most valuable future skills may involve orchestrating distributed intelligence rather than competing with machines. What does this mean for professional development, organizational structures and career paths? How do IT professionals develop the meta-skills necessary for human-AI collaboration? What uniquely human capabilities become more valuable? How might we redefine expertise to encompass the ability to frame problems, identify AI limitations, integrate machine outputs with human judgment and navigate ethical considerations?

Join a forward-looking conversation about repositioning professional identity such that an expert isn’t someone who knows everything, but someone who can orchestrate collective intelligence to solve problems.

1:45 – 2 p.m.

Bahen Centre for Information Technology, Atrium

Refreshment break

2 – 2:30 p.m.

Convocation Hall

Attendees walk over to Convocation Hall

2:30 – 2:50 p.m.

Convocation Hall

Closing remarks
Dr. Donna K. Kidwell, CIO

2:50 – 3 p.m.

Convocation Hall

Raffle with Dr. Donna K. Kidwell, CIO and Marden Paul, Director, Planning, Governance & Assessment, Information Technology Services (ITS)

3 – 4:30 p.m.

Convocation Hall

Keynote: The Apocalypse Roadshow: An alternative book tour for A Field Guide to the Apocalypse
Athena Aktipis, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University

Please note that the schedule is subject to change.