ICDI's Executive Director Joins National Conversation on AI, Cyberinfrastructure in Higher Education.
As part of its commitment to advancing data-enabled research and education, the University of Arizona's Institute for Computation and Data-Enabled Insight (ICDI) was prominently featured in a national webinar hosted by the Academic Data Science Alliance (ADSA).
The webinar, part of ADSA's Listen and Lunch series, brought together higher education leaders to explore how universities are strengthening cyberinfrastructure to support artificial intelligence (AI) innovation. Arthur "Barney" Maccabe, executive director of ICDI and ADSA's newest board member, served as the session's interviewer, speaking with Penny Atkins from the University of Utah.
Atkins outlined the University of Utah's $100 million OneU Responsible AI Initiative, a forward-thinking investment aimed at advancing AI research and education through enhanced computing infrastructure, workforce development, and ethical applications of AI in areas like environmental health and education. Maccabe emphasized how initiatives like these reflect a growing national effort to integrate AI into university ecosystems—with a focus on collaboration, access, and real-world impact.
Throughout the conversation, Atkins and Maccabe discussed challenges and opportunities tied to AI literacy, data access, and building communities of practice. Atkins emphasized the need for support structures—both technological and human—to ensure equitable access to AI tools and training across disciplines.
"This kind of work is transforming not only research, but how institutions prepare students and serve communities," Maccabe said.
The University of Arizona remains a national leader in using data and computational science to tackle grand challenges through ICDI and other campus-wide initiatives.