Speaker: Mo Zhou, Ph.D. IDRE Postdoctoral Fellow Department of Mathematics (UCLA) University of California Los Angeles Place: Virtual (Link to the video recording) Abstract: Generative models, a cornerstone of modern AI, learn to approximate complex probability distributions and generate realistic data. A key challenge in these models is efficiently computing the “score function,”...
LaTeX is a powerful typesetting system that is widely used for academic and professional documents, but it has a steep learning curve. Overleaf simplifies the process of working with LaTeX by providing an intuitive interface, simplifying document production, and facilitating real-time collaboration with colleagues. This workshop will introduce participants to Overleaf’s essential features. Topics will...
Do you use GitHub for version control? In this 90 minute hands-on workshop you will advance your GitHub prowess by learning how to use Github Actions to automatically and securely deploy source code across your infrastructure. Join this workshop to learn how to leverage GitHub's advanced CI/CD tools that come with your Github Enterprise account...
Jupyter Notebook, JupyterLab and Voilà are a powerful tool for interactive computing, for proof of concept implementations and for creating interactive web applications or dashboards. Come and learn how to open Jupyter sessions on your local browser while harnessing the computing power on the Hoffman2 Cluster. Work in a mamba/python environment, in R, julia or...
The most widely used way to interact with computers is through a graphical user interface, for example, the desktop interface of Microsoft Windows or Mac OS. However, you can also use a text interface to interact with your computer (or with a computing system like Hoffman2). This can variously be referred to as the command...
Shell scripts enable users to link together multiple Linux commands into a single executable program. They can save users from a lot of wasted time, effort, and headache. For example, many researchers execute many different steps and run several different programs during their process of transforming raw data into analyzable results and ultimately into polished...
In this workshop the DCP will lead a training on how the design accessible data visualization for publication both into PDF and html in alignment with WCAG 2.1 AA guidance. Many people with disabilities use assistive technologies. Register Now
As artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and Large Language Models (LLM) technologies continue to evolve, they offer new possibilities for humanities research, from large-scale text and image analysis to generative AI applications that synthesize and extrapolate knowledge. This workshop introduces key AI/ML/LLM concepts, including neural networks, large language models, and large image models, while...
This workshop will cover running Large Language Models (LLMs) on the Hoffman2 HPC cluster using Ollama for inference and Open WebUI for an easy-to-use interface. Participants will learn how to set up and manage LLM workloads on HPC resources, optimize performance, and interact with models through a web-based UI. The session includes a live demo,...
Are you doing research with surveys ( in RedCap or another survey tool) and paying an outside vendor to SMS links to your participants? Did you know that UCLA has a Mobile Messaging service that can send push messages instead that is much more economial? Sending a push message to a simple mobile app costs...
Speaker: Barbara Lopez-Doriga, Ph.D. IDRE Postdoctoral Fellow Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering University of California Los Angeles Place: Virtual (Register here for the zoom link) Abstract: There is significant practical interest in understanding and modeling fluid systems, not only to gain insights into the complex dynamics that govern them, but also to enable their control...
In this workshop, participants will gain hands-on experience with the job scheduling system on the Hoffman2 cluster, the UCLA’s high-performance computing resource. Additionally, participants will learn how to write effective job submission scripts, allocate resources efficiently, troubleshoot job issues, and optimize workflows for improved performance. Whether you're new to job scheduling or looking to refine...
Machine learning has become a key element in science and technology today. Mastering libraries like scikit-learn–a vital tool for machine learning–is essential. In this workshop, you'll receive a fundamental introduction to the scikit-learn Python library. For the best experience, participants should have a working knowledge of Python and a basic understanding of machine learning concepts....
The analysis of binary outcomes is widespread across scientific fields. This workshop introduces the basics of the most commonly used statistical model for binary outcomes, logistic regression. Some basic background on probability and odds will be provided, as well as a brief review of the model itself. This workshop then covers how to run a...
Venue: OARC Portal, 5628 Math Science Building, UCLA Registration: https://www.psc.edu/resources/training/hpc-workshop-big-data-may-13-14-2025/ UCLA-IDRE and Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center are pleased to announce a two day Machine Learning and Big Data workshop (May 13-14, 2025, 8 AM-2 PM PDT each day). This workshop will focus on topics including big data analytics and machine learning with Spark, and deep learning using Tensorflow. For registration...
Machine learning is playing an increasingly important role in science and technology. In this advanced session, we focus on leveraging scikit-learn for high-performance machine learning. We will explore how to speed up model training using multicore processors and accelerators, as well as techniques for out-of-core learning. This workshop builds on the foundational concepts from the...
What is digital accessibility? How can the research enterprise be more prepared to be inclusive of people with disabilities. What should an IRB be evaluating in terms of digital accessibility? Strategic Outcomes: Increased awareness of digital accessibility issues; improved inclusion of disabled populations in UCLA's research studies; positions UCLA researchers to better serve disabled populations...
Are you interested in using LLMs for research? In this 90 minute hands-on workshop, you will learn how to install and deploy an open-source LLM on your local environment, create a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) model with visual builders from Diffy and AWS Bedrock and learn prompt-engineering techniques to reduce the occurrence of hallucination and...
The purpose of this workshop is to show the use of the mixed command in SPSS. Although it has many uses, the mixed command is most commonly used for running linear mixed effects models (i.e., models that have both fixed and random effects). Such models are often called multilevel models. Because the purpose of this...
Learn how to rapidly build a low cost AI prototype for research and education with custom GPTs, prompt engineering, and turn-key solutions from leading LLM providers. Register Now
This workshop provides an introduction to using multiple GPUs for high-performance computing. Participants will explore essential techniques and tools, including CUDA with C++ and Python, PyTorch, and MPI, to optimize performance and handle complex computations. CUDA with C++ and Python will be used to demonstrate the basics of GPU programming, memory management, and multi-GPU computations....
This workshop introduces power analysis and simulations to assess power and estimate sample sizes needed for sufficient power. We will begin with simple analyses such as the t-test and will work our way up to various regression models. We will provide guidance in R to program simple Monte Carlo simulations to assess power. Some background...
This workshop explores designing AI interfaces for research mobile apps, focusing on enhancing user experience. Participants will learn how to leverage Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures to achieve accurate performance in specific research domains and specialties. There will be a focus on agentic AI functionality in software products to streamline data collection and ensure compliance...
Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) have emerged as an important tool in causal modeling to understand the relationships among variables. DAGs can inform what variables should be included or excluded in a statistical model intended to minimize bias in the estimation of a causal effect. This workshop discusses the basics of DAGs used for causal inference...
This follow-up to the previous “Introduction to AI/ML/LLM for Humanities and Social Science” workshop builds upon the skills and techniques of using and implementing AI to discuss the technology’s social, ethical, and political ramifications, along with guidelines to using AI for research and teaching. The workshop will address critical ethical concerns surrounding AI, including bias, the network...
Does your research group leverage social media to promote your findings or published works? Do you mine social media data and then do analysis on this data in your research? If yes, learn how to do this in an accessible way with this workshop. Strategic Outcomes: Inclusivity in community engaged research Does your research group...
This workshop introduces the functionality of Stata with a focus on data analysis. We will discuss the basic interface and do-files as well as explore commands to import data, create and modify variables, summarize variables, visualize data, combine data sets, and to run basic analyses. No experience with Stata is assumed. Register Now
While machine learning methods have traditionally been used for prediction in fields like industry and technology, they are increasingly being adopted in scientific research for exploration and inference. This two-part workshop introduces key machine learning techniques used for scientific applications. Part 1 discusses core concepts such as prediction accuracy, the bias-variance tradeoff, and cross-validation. Part 2...
While machine learning methods have traditionally been used for prediction in fields like industry and technology, they are increasingly being adopted in scientific research for exploration and inference. This two-part workshop introduces key machine learning techniques used for scientific applications. Part 1 discusses core concepts such as prediction accuracy, the bias-variance tradeoff, and cross-validation. Part...
This workshop will show how descriptive analyses, both numerical and graphical, can be done with continuous and categorical variables. Subpopulation analysis will be discussed and then examples of OLS regression and logistic regression will be considered. Register Now
This interactive session introduces the fundamentals of digital accessibility and why it matters at UCLA. Participants will learn what accessibility means in a digital context, gain insight into disability culture, and see a live screen reader demonstration. The training will also cover practical tips for creating accessible documents, websites, and media, including proper use of...
This introductory workshop is designed for UCLA researchers who are new to the Hoffman2 Cluster. Participants will learn how to request an account, connect to the cluster via SSH/remote desktop, navigate the environment, and transfer files to and from the shared high-performance computing system. No prior experience with HPC is required—this session will provide the...
Audience: UCLA web editors, content creators, IT staff, and program managersTools Covered: WAVE Chrome plug-in, Siteimprove Accessibility, manual keyboard testing By the end of this training, participants will: Understand the basics of digital accessibility and UCLA’s WCAG 2.1 AA compliance requirements. Learn how to use WAVE for page-by-page testing. Learn how to use Siteimprove for...
ESRI is a leading industry provider of geospatial tools and research, featuring a wide variety of products from AI enhanced analysis to web-publishing solutions for classroom projects. The sheer number of different tools and applications offered by the ESRI digital ecosystem can appear overwhelming, as can the documentation and associated tutorials. To lower the barrier...
Academic researchers across disciplines—from archaeology and medicine to data science and the digital humanities—increasingly need to create, manipulate, and display three-dimensional models. Whether reconstructing historical sites, visualizing complex protein structures, or building virtual environments for psychological experiments, the challenge is often the same: how to produce custom, accurate, and performance-optimized 3D assets without access to...
Part of the series: From Scripts to Software: Practical Python for Reproducible Research This hands-on workshop will introduce you to the principles of modern software development and show you how to apply them to your scientific projects. We will move beyond simple scripting and learn how to write Python code that is robust, reusable, and...
This training introduces participants to Siteimprove, UCLA’s automated accessibility evaluation platform. Attendees will learn how to navigate the main accessibility dashboard, review accessibility issues across their websites, and use the platform’s menus and tools effectively. The session will also cover strategies for prioritizing accessibility issues identified by Siteimprove, helping participants understand which fixes have the...
This hands-on session introduces participants to the layout and usage of the Hoffman2 Cluster environment. Attendees will learn how to navigate the file system, load software modules, and run interactive computing sessions using the job scheduler. Ideal for researchers looking to explore tools, test code, or perform small-scale analyses in real time.
This session is part of the greater UCLA Disability Pride Week running from Oct 14-17. This session introduces participants to disability culture and the role of allyship in creating more inclusive communities. Through discussion, real-life examples, and reflection, participants will explore disability identity, accessibility as a cultural norm, and the differences between accommodation and accessibility....
Part of the series: From Scripts to Software: Practical Python for Reproducible Research Now that you have a solid foundation in writing sustainable and object-oriented Python code, we will explore how to scale up your research by breaking the single-processor barrier. This workshop will introduce you to the world of parallel computing, empowering you to...
Do you use LLMs but wish you could improve the results? In this workshop you will learn how to get the most out of LLMs using a step-by-step approach to prompt engineering. You will also learn about Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) and how to implement a basic RAG application. Finally, you will learn how to...
Join us for a session on disability in sports with guest lecturer Sam McIntosh, Paralympic track athlete. This presentation will explore the history and significance of the Paralympics, the classification system that ensures fair competition, and the broader impact of sports on the lives of young disabled individuals. Through Sam’s personal journey and experiences as...
This session provides an introduction to creating accessible documents in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and PDFs. Participants will learn the fundamentals of digital accessibility, including how to use proper heading structure, write effective alt-text for images, create descriptive links, and ensure sufficient color contrast. The training will also demonstrate how to use built-in and automated...
Overleaf is an online LaTeX editor for writing, editing, and publishing documents in a collaborative cloud-based environment. This one-hour workshop is designed for participants with a basic Overleaf familiarity who would like to learn about some of Overleaf's advanced features. We will begin by demonstrating how to import and structure existing documents in Overleaf, followed...
This workshop guides researchers through running Jupyter Notebooks on the Hoffman2 Cluster for interactive data analysis and computing. Participants will learn how to launch Jupyter via the job scheduler, connect securely through SSH tunneling, and manage computing resources effectively. Ideal for users familiar with Jupyter who want to scale their workflows using the Hoffman2 Cluster.
Learn practical strategies for building more inclusive websites in this session with Chris Patterson, a web accessibility specialist with over 20 years of experience in digital accessibility and web development. Chris will share her top 10 tips for improving web accessibility, covering common barriers, best practices, and simple changes that make a big difference for...
Part of the series: From Scripts to Software: Practical Python for Reproducible Research Having learned how to write sustainable, object-oriented code and how to scale it across multiple processors, we will now explore how to dramatically accelerate your computations using Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). Modern GPUs are massively parallel processors that can perform millions of...
Python is a general-purpose programming language that is easy to learn and widely used. It is one of the primary programming languages for data science, and when combined with its modules such as NumPy, SciPy, Matplotlib, and Pandas, it can be a very powerful tool for numerical computing. The first part of this hands-on series...
This workshop explores how human-centered UX design can support the integration of AI into research-focused mobile applications. We’ll examine how AI features, such as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and agentic assistants, can enhance participant engagement, improve data quality, and facilitate efficiency. You'll gain insight into how the UX design process applies to AI - from early...
Audience: UCLA web editors, content creators, IT staff, and program managersTools Covered: WAVE Chrome plug-in, Siteimprove Accessibility, manual keyboard testing By the end of this training, participants will: Understand the basics of digital accessibility and UCLA’s WCAG 2.1 AA compliance requirements. Learn how to use WAVE for page-by-page testing. Learn how to use Siteimprove for...