Description
Laci Gerhart, from Evolution and Ecology, and Petr Brym, UC Davis' Assistant CISO (Chief Information Security Officer), share their perspectives, experiences, and processes for verifying the security of educational technology tools. Hearing from both an innovative faculty tool user and a seasoned security expert provides a nuanced and eye-opening view into a process that many of us take for granted.
Link to the video [video.ucdavis.edu]
About the Interviewees
Laci Gerhart: Technology is increasingly present in college classrooms, on both the instructor and student side. Laci's research focuses on the impacts of technology in and out of the classroom for purposes such as active learning, field and lab activities, communication, and course operations. She tests and evaluates the use of campus-based tools (e.g. lecture capture), third-party pedagogy apps (e.g. Gradescope, iClicker), and participatory science platforms (e.g. iNaturalist) for engaging students with course content and connecting them to 'real-world' science. As a counter example, Laci also works with a community partner Land Together on rehabilitation programming in California prisons, evaluating the implementation of environmental education in the absence of technology.
Petr Brym: Petr Brym is serving as the Deputy CISO at UC Davis, having also served in information security roles at UC Berkeley and the University of New Hampshire. Previous roles include serving as Assistant CISO, IT CSO, Director of Information Technology Security, Director of Client Services and Telecommunications, other computing consulting and management roles, soccer coach, EMT and in the fire service. Petr’s career includes observing how the evolution of computers and software impact higher education and the broader community, with a dedication to helping maximize the benefits while minimizing the risks the technology introduces.
