Florida State University Vice President and Chief Information Officer Jonathan Fozard shared the university’s approach to artificial intelligence with higher education and technology leaders Oct. 19 at a GlobalMindED event at the United Nations in New York City. 

Fozard participated in “From Classrooms to Labs: How Universities Are Connecting (and Constraining) AI,” a higher education panel focused on the opportunities and challenges institutions face as they move beyond experimenting with artificial intelligence to using it across classrooms, research and university operations. 

He joined Jennifer Sparrow, chief academic technology officer at New York University; William H.J. Hubbard, professor of law and chair of the Law School AI Committee at the University of Chicago; and Chris Ott, head of AWS Academy at Amazon Web Services. Jay Nappy of AWS moderated the discussion. 

During his remarks, Fozard stressed that a central issue facing education is no longer whether institutions will provide access to artificial intelligence, but how they will turn that access into meaningful outcomes. 

“One of my biggest takeaways from the discussions is that the challenge ahead is no longer simply providing access to AI around the world,” Fozard said. “It is how we connect people, technology, research, teaching, governance, data protection and opportunity in ways that allow institutions to move beyond experimentation and create meaningful impact at scale.” 

During the discussion, Fozard described FSU’s efforts to make secure, university-supported AI tools widely available to students, faculty and staff. 

“As AI adoption accelerated, FSU recognized that access and experimentation could not be concentrated only in technology-intensive disciplines such as computer science and engineering,” Fozard said. “Students and faculty in the arts, humanities, business, health, education and other fields also need opportunities to understand how emerging technologies may shape their disciplines and future professions.” 

“The goal is not to have artificial intelligence do the work for students or replace instruction, but to use technology to create additional opportunities for students to engage with their work, respond to feedback and strengthen their understanding.”

– Vice President and Chief Information Officer Jonathan Fozard

That philosophy has helped guide FSU’s development of AI resources that support students, faculty and staff while allowing the university to evaluate multiple platforms rather than relying on a single form of technology. 

At the same time, Fozard emphasized that strong safeguards must accompany access. 

“FSU evaluates AI platforms not only for their capabilities but also for how vendors protect intellectual property, institutional information and student data,” he said. “Those considerations become particularly important for a university whose responsibilities extend from higher education and research to K-12 environments.” 

Fozard also stressed that artificial intelligence should support faculty and staff, not replace human relationships at the heart of education. 

“Students continue to value interaction with faculty, mentorship and the ability to learn from people with deep experience in their fields,” Fozard said. 

FSU’s focus, he said, is on identifying ways AI can give faculty new tools and provide students with more opportunities to learn, practice and improve. 

One example discussed during the event involved an AI-supported tool that allows students to receive feedback on an assignment, revise their work and learn from that feedback before submitting it to their instructor for a final grade. Early results from a pilot study showed about 20% better performance among students who used the tool compared with those who chose not to use it. 

“The goal is not to have artificial intelligence do the work for students or replace instruction, but to use technology to create additional opportunities for students to engage with their work, respond to feedback and strengthen their understanding,” he said. 

Fozard also highlighted how AI and advanced computing are supporting FSU’s research mission. 

Fozard pointed to FSU’s work in pediatric rare diseases, which combines whole-genome sequencing, advanced computing, data-driven research and emerging AI capabilities to help accelerate diagnosis, discovery and the search for new treatments. 

Fozard discussed FSU’s efforts to give students hands-on technology experience before they enter the workforce.  

“FSU’s technology internship initiatives combine practical technical experience with communication, teamwork, leadership and other professional skills students will need throughout their careers,” he said. 

The GlobalMindED event brought together leaders from higher education, business, technology and other sectors to examine how organizations can respond to rapid technological and societal change. 

“There is something powerful about discussing the future of education, technology and AI in a place built around bringing people from across the world together to tackle complex challenges,” Fozard said. 

For more information about artificial intelligence at Florida State University, visit ai.fsu.edu. 

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Florida State University recently welcomed more than 1,000 faculty, staff and students to Google Days 2026, a two-day event featuring hands-on AI training, demonstrations and discussions. 

Hosted Oct. 7-8 by FSU Information Technology Services in partnership with Google for Education, the event explored practical uses of artificial intelligence in higher education. 

The event brought Google specialists to campus to show students, faculty and staff how emerging AI tools can support teaching, learning and research. Programming included faculty-focused sessions at the Innovation Hub and a two-day Gemini Campus Tour activation at the FSU Student Union.  

“Bringing partners like Google directly to campus gives our community an opportunity to move beyond simply hearing about emerging technologies and actually explore how they can be applied to the work happening at FSU,” said Jonathan Fozard, FSU’s vice president and chief information officer. “Experiences like Google Days are part of our larger effort to give students, faculty and staff the tools, knowledge and confidence to use AI thoughtfully and effectively.” 

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For years, critical data about Florida’s behavioral healthcare system has been scattered among state agencies, making it difficult to assess how well the system serves patients and where improvements are needed.  

Now, Florida State University is working to bring that information together to give policymakers and researchers a clearer picture of mental health and substance use treatment across the state.  

The effort is part of the Tristin Murphy Act, which became Florida law in 2025. Under the legislation, FSU is building and hosting the Florida Behavioral Health Data Repository, a secure, statewide resource that will bring together data from multiple agencies. The project combines expertise from the FSU College of Medicine’s Center for Behavioral Health Integration, the Northwest Regional Data Center (NWRDC) and FSU Information Technology Services (ITS). 

“Right now, we cannot say whether or not people who enter into care systems in Florida get better,” said Heather Flynn, professor and chair of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Social Medicine at FSU’s College of Medicine and director of the FSU Center for Behavioral Health Integration. “We don’t know if the right resources are being targeted to the right geographic areas or populations.” 

Creating a repository that brings together data from multiple state agencies is a complex undertaking. The repository grew out of the work of Florida’s Commission on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder. 

After consulting with other states that have developed similar systems, FSU researchers identified several challenges, including staff turnover, limited technical expertise and the need for independent oversight. FSU brings together specialists in data science, biostatistics, public and behavioral health to help address those challenges. 

“Access, quality, outcomes. That’s really what this whole program is about, improving access, quality and outcomes for mental health and substance use in the state.”

– Heather Flynn, FSU professor

The project also relies on FSU’s existing technology infrastructure. The Northwest Regional Data Center (NWRDC), which already supports state agencies, provides the secure environment needed to house the repository.  

Tim Brown, assistant vice president of NWRDC, said those existing relationships with state agencies helped lay the groundwork for the project.  

“FSU’s NWRDC is built to handle massive, complex public-sector datasets with the highest levels of security,” Brown said. “Because our infrastructure already supports state agency data, building this repository at FSU was a seamless fit. It allows us to maximize existing state investments while ensuring Florida’s data remains safe, centralized and highly available.” 

While NWRDC provides the infrastructure, the Data and Analytics team within FSU ITS is developing the technology to combine data from five state agencies into a single system. 

The five agencies are the Department of Children and Families, the Agency for Health Care Administration, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Corrections, and the Office of the State Courts Administrator. Each uses different methods and formats to collect and share information. 

The ITS team is developing a system to standardize that data so researchers can analyze it securely and consistently.  

“Our main priority is protecting patient privacy while integrating data from disconnected systems,” said Jorge Vidal, senior director of Data and Analytics at FSU ITS. “Identifying information will be kept in a highly secure environment, separate from the anonymized data researchers will use to study trends across the state.” 

The FSU Center for Behavioral Health Integration is guiding the research. Roderick Harris, the repository’s program director, said combining information from different agencies will help with better understanding patients’ experiences and evaluate treatment outcomes over time. 

“If the outcome is reduced hospitalizations or fewer trips to the crisis stabilization unit or detox center, what does that success look like?” Harris said. “And what services were delivered to get to that successful outcome? Was it peer support services? Building that integrated model is what this is all about.” 

During the project’s initial phase, FSU researchers will analyze the data and submit annual reports to the Florida Legislature. A governance structure that includes representatives from participating state agencies will help guide the work. In later phases, qualified researchers at FSU and other institutions, including the University of South Florida, may apply for access to deidentified datasets. 

By bringing together information that has long been separated across state agencies, FSU hopes to give policymakers and researchers the evidence they need to identify gaps in care, evaluate treatment outcomes and improve mental health and substance use services for Floridians. 

“Access, quality, outcomes,” Flynn said. “That’s really what this whole program is about, improving access, quality and outcomes for mental health and substance use in the state.” 

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Florida State University is defending its title as Cybersecurity Champion as students, faculty and staff compete against 11 other Florida universities in Cyberween, an online competition designed to sharpen cybersecurity skills and promote online safety. 

The annual competition, which brings together 12 Florida universities, runs Monday, Oct. 19, through Friday, Oct. 30. Participants can visit its.fsu.edu/cyberween to enter a virtual haunted house and test their ability to recognize and respond to common cyber threats. 

PLAY NOW

FSU claimed the championship last year with nearly 7,000 participants. This year, ITS hopes to reach 10,000 participants to help FSU retain its title. 

“Winning last year was a great accomplishment, but the bigger goal is helping our students, faculty and staff recognize cyber threats before they become victims of them,” said Jonathan Fozard, FSU’s vice president and chief information officer. “Cyberween gives us a fun and approachable way to build those skills across our university community. We had incredible participation last year, and this year we are challenging 10,000 Seminoles to join us.” 

The interactive game takes less than five minutes to complete and challenges players to navigate five cybersecurity scenarios. Participants learn to identify phishing scams, weak passwords, fraudulent login attempts, and other online threats while developing practical habits to protect their accounts and devices. 

The university with the highest participation among eligible students, faculty and staff will earn the title of Cybersecurity Champion. 

FSU participants also have a chance to win prizes. Students who complete the game can enter a drawing for one of two $500 scholarships, while faculty and staff can enter to win two tickets to the FSU vs. N.C. State football game Saturday, Nov. 21. 

To be counted in the competition and entered into the prize drawings, participants must sign in with their FSUID after completing the game. 

Cyberween is part of FSU’s observance of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, held each October to help people recognize online threats and practice safer digital habits. 

In addition to the virtual competition, ITS will host a table on Landis Green from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays Oct. 19-30. Students can stop by to learnabout cybersecurity, play games and pick up free candy and giveaways. ITS also will have a presence at Market Wednesday. 

ITS will offer two cybersecurity training sessions: FSU Incident Response Training at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Oct. 23, and SPEAR: Seminole Prepared, Emergency and Response Training at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 29. Both sessions will be available online. 

Students, faculty and staff can participate in Cyberween through Oct. 30 at its.fsu.edu/cyberween. For additional cybersecurity resources and information about upcoming training sessions, visit its.fsu.edu/cybersecurity. 

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Florida State University Information Technology Services welcomes Google specialists to campus on Wednesday, Oct. 7 and Thursday, Oct. 8, for “Google Days,” a two-day event featuring hands-on technology demonstrations, emerging AI tools and professional development workshops.

The campuswide event is part of Google for Education and gives students, faculty and staff direct access to the latest advances in Google Workspace, Google Gemini and Gemini Notebook.

Event Schedule and Highlights

Google Tent on the Student Union Green

Oct. 7 and 8 | 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Curious about how AI can help you work smarter, study better and create more? Stop by the Google Tent for a hands-on look at Gemini for Google Workspace and Gemini Notebook. You’ll see live demos, explore new ways to enhance your coursework and productivity, chat with Google experts and discover tools designed to support your success at FSU.

Plus, grab some free swag while you’re there!

Gemini Back to School Faculty Training at the Innovation Hub

Pre-registration is required for workshop attendance and digital badge tracking. Faculty, staff and students can reserve their preferred sessions directly through the Google Days Event Registration Portal.

Oct. 7 | 9 a.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Led by specialists from the Google AI Educator Series, these 45-minute interactive workshops focus on using AI to support teaching, simplify course administration and boost research productivity.

Oct. 7 | 9 – 9:45 a.m. | Faculty Innovator Chat

Kick off Google Day with FSU’s Faculty Innovator Coffee Chat! Join faculty and staff from across campus for an exciting presentation on Google Gemini in Higher Education — then stick around the Innovation Hub for mini-trainings, live Q&A and swag giveaways. The Faculty Innovator Coffee Chats are a recurring conversation series sponsored by the Office of the Provost held every Wednesday morning.

Oct. 7 | 10 – 10:45 a.m. | Teaching & Learning: Create Process-Based Assessments

Explore using Gemini as a creative partner rather than as a shortcut for final deliverables. This session demonstrates how to build process-focused instructional frameworks and design evaluation rubrics that preserve authentic student voice and critical thinking.

Oct. 7 | 11 – 11:45 a.m. | Accelerate Research: Planning the Inquiry

Learn to design course activities using Deep Research — an agentic Gemini feature. Discover how to guide students in automating comprehensive literature searches and synthesizing complex, cited research reviews.

Oct. 7 | 1 – 1:45 p.m. | Teaching & Learning: Create Process-Based Assessments (Repeat Session)

An afternoon offering of the morning session on leveraging Gemini for framework generation, rubric creation and process-oriented student evaluation.

Oct. 7 | 2 – 2:45 p.m. | Accelerate Research: Planning the Inquiry (Repeat Session)

An afternoon offering of the morning session on incorporating Gemini’s Deep Research tool into academic research workflows and course design.

Workshop Attendee Requirements & Certification

BYOD Requirement: Workshop participants must bring a fully charged laptop or tablet for hands-on exercises.

Earn Official Credentials: Attendees can earn official digital badges through the Google AI Educator Series portal by enrolling before their session.

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Florida State University brought its approach to artificial intelligence in teaching and learning to national higher education conversations this summer, including back-to-back gatherings at Google’s North American headquarters in New York City.

Paul Marty, professor in the School of Information within the College of Communication and Information and associate vice provost for Academic Innovation, represented FSU at Google’s gatherings as well as leadership workshops with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU).

“When other public universities look at what FSU is accomplishing — from our data-driven campus culture to our deeply engaged faculty, staff and students — they see a path forward,” Marty said. “We are proving that a top public research university can lead the nation in adopting disruptive innovations while keeping student learning and the public good at the center of everything we do.”

FSU is part of Google’s AI for Education Accelerator program and a Gemini for Education partner. The accelerator provides students and educators with AI tools designed to support productivity, personalized learning and prepare students for a technology-driven workforce.

Students can use Gemini for Education to support inquiry-based learning, brainstorm projects and explore complex concepts in a university-managed environment.

Marty spent a week at Google’s facility at St. John’s Terminal headquarters, participating in two AI gatherings focused on Gemini and the future of higher education: the Google GSV Higher Ed Leader Fellowship and the Google Higher Ed Leader Series Conference.

Marty is a member of the 2026 cohort of Google GSV Higher Ed Leader Fellows, a group of 30 academic leaders selected from across North America. The fellows meet monthly to examine how AI is reshaping postsecondary education and met recently in New York for a two-day summit.

“We may be there ostensibly to talk about AI in higher education, but what we’re really talking about is the future of higher education,” said Marty. “Generative AI is prompting us to really buckle down and answer core questions about the value proposition of higher ed — for example, how can we move away from transactional relationships and reposition higher education as a public good where students engage in meaningful, transformative learning experiences.”

Following the fellowship, Marty attended Google’s annual Higher Ed Leader Series Conference, which brings together university presidents, provosts and chancellors to discuss AI integration and higher education strategy.

During the Higher Ed Leader Series, Google showcased a feature video about how Florida State University faculty and students are integrating Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) into coursework. Filmed on FSU’s Tallahassee campus, it features Chief Information Officer Jonathan Fozard and examples of AI use across disciplines.

During the conference, Marty demonstrated an FSU classroom notebook for higher education leaders, featuring a custom thermodynamics notebook created by Ralm Ricarte, an assistant professor of chemical engineering in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Ricarte built the notebook with lecture notes, course materials and problem sets from his Introduction to Thermodynamics course, giving students an AI study tool grounded in materials from the class.

“When it comes to AI in education, it’s important to remember that the person who does the work does the learning,” Marty noted. “If all a student does is copy and paste, they aren’t learning. But when used properly, these tools can act like an extremely well-read digital assistant available 24/7. As educators, we can show students how to harness that capability ethically to become better learners.”

Gemini Notebook restricts its answers strictly to user-uploaded sources, providing precise citations for every response. Students can use course materials to create study guides, practice quizzes, video overviews and audio overviews. FSU faculty and academic support staff have found that these kinds of interactive learning tools help boost classroom participation.

FSU’s Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) Learning Studio also hosts regular workshops that teach students how to use AI tools responsibly and effectively as part of their learning.

“FSU’s Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) helps students integrate innovative AI tools into their weekly study and test preparation routines while maintaining responsible and ethical learning strategies,” said ACE Director Holly Hunt. “Through our ‘Using AI Tools to Help You Study’ workshops and Gemini Notebook drop-in hours, Study Skills Tutors and STEM Student Specialists aid students in synthesizing course content, building personalized study guides and organizing class materials. Our goal is to teach students how to incorporate foundational learning strategies with FSU-supported AI tools to reach academic success.”

For more information about AI at FSU, visit ai.fsu.edu. To learn more about the services available for FSU faculty, staff and students, visit its.fsu.edu.

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Florida State University has appointed Jonathan Fozard as vice president for Information Technology Services (ITS).

Since joining Florida State University in 2020, Fozard has played a key role in advancing the university’s technology strategy. He brings more than 26 years of experience leading technology, cybersecurity and digital modernization initiatives in higher education and the public sector.

“Jonathan understands how technology can advance every part of our mission, from student success and academic excellence to groundbreaking research and public service,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “The creation of this new position recognizes Jonathan’s exceptional leadership and reflects the growing importance of technology in advancing every aspect of Florida State’s mission. Since arriving at FSU, he has helped position us for the future while strengthening the systems and infrastructure our faculty, staff and students rely on every day.”

In his new role, Fozard will continue to oversee a broad technology portfolio that includes more than 1,000 employees and an annual budget exceeding $275 million. Together, these operations provide secure and reliable technology for more than 46,000 students, numerous statewide agencies, and global study centers worldwide.

At FSU, Fozard led the development of RISE 2030 technology strategy, aligning technology investments with the university’s academic and research priorities. Under his leadership, Florida State University has aligned technology positions, expanded the use of artificial intelligence tools, strengthened cybersecurity, enhanced technology support for research, and grown student internship opportunities that help prepare the next generation of technology leaders.

“Jonathan has been an exceptional partner in advancing the university’s academic and research mission,” said Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Jim Clark. “He understands the critical role technology plays in supporting teaching, expanding digital learning opportunities, enabling research and creating a better experience for students. His leadership has helped Florida State move forward in important ways, and I look forward to continuing our work together.”

Fozard also serves on Florida’s Government Technology Modernization Council after being appointed by the Florida Senate to a four-year term. The council advises state leaders on identity management, cybersecurity standards and the responsible deployment of AI.

“I am honored by the opportunity to serve Florida State University in this role,” Fozard said. “Technology touches every aspect of the university’s mission, and I look forward to working with our faculty, staff, students, and partners to continue building innovative, secure, and reliable systems that support learning, research, service, and the critical work we help enable across Florida and around the world.”

Fozard was named the 2026 Florida Large Enterprise ORBIE CIO Award winner for his leadership and workforce development. Before joining FSU, he held senior technology, finance and operations positions at George Washington University, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University.

He serves on the national Higher Education CIO Advisory Boards for Microsoft and Dell and chairs the Finance Committee for Florida LambdaRail. He holds a Master of Business Administration and completed doctoral coursework in higher education administration and policy studies at Oklahoma State University.

For more information about FSU Information Technology Services, visit https://its.fsu.edu/about-its/leadership/jonathan-fozard.

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Florida State University’s Information Technology Services highlighted strategy, innovation and partnerships April 7 during the 2026 ITS Spring Town Hall and RISE Together Showcase, a daylong event highlighting how technology is accelerating the university’s academic, research and service missions. 

Hosted at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center and the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center, the event brought together hundreds of ITS staff, faculty, students and university leadership for institution-wide updates and hands-on demonstrations of emerging technologies. 

During the morning town hall, Jim Clark, FSU provost and executive vice president for Academic Affairs; Stacey Patterson, vice president for research; and Jeremy Slaga, FSU’s vice president and chief clinical operations officer, told attendees that Florida State University’s rise into the nation’s top 25 public universities was driven not only by ambition, but also by the people and systems supporting that growth. 

“I am thrilled to be in the top 25 public universities in the United States — it’s an incredible achievement,” Clark said. “But our focus today is to talk about the role you all play in helping us thrive and become even more excellent in the years ahead.” 

Clark said that success became possible only when the pursuit of national prominence evolved into a coordinated effort supported by aligned systems, infrastructure and service. 

“These are the teams that are making that happen,” said Jonathan Fozard, associate vice president and chief information officer. “These are the teams that are helping support the students, faculty and staff achieve our collective goals and aspirations for this amazing university.” 

Slaga highlighted Florida State’s expanding health and research initiatives. 

“FSU Health has an opportunity to serve as a vehicle — a backboard — that allows all of these amazing components to plug in,” Slaga said, emphasizing the need for standardized systems and shared data to support collaboration. 

Patterson provided an update on ASPIRE, or A Strategic Plan to Inspire Research Excellence, emphasizing people, partnerships, infrastructure and excellence as the four pillars of the plan.  

“When we talk about infrastructure, it’s not just buildings,” Patterson said. “It’s the processes and the systems behind the operations. None of us can do what we do without all of you.” 

Patterson noted that Florida State has more than doubled its number of National Academy members in the past year and a half, a key measure of research prominence and that a strong digital infrastructure and service support are essential to recruiting and retaining elite faculty. 

After the conversation with university leadership, Fozard emphasized that ITS’s greatest strength is its people. He outlined plans to invest in skill growth, foster trust and psychological safety to support innovation, and continue the shift from a ticket-based service model to a trusted strategic partner across campus. 

While the morning town hall focused on strategy and alignment, the afternoon RISE Together Showcase was designed to promote collaboration, highlight projects and drive technological innovation across the university. 

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Florida State University’s Information Technology Services (ITS) is hosting the 2026 ITS RISE Together Showcase from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7. This event is designed to promote collaboration, highlight groundbreaking projects and drive technological innovation across the university.  

Open to all members of the FSU community, this free half-day technology conference offers opportunities to connect, exchange ideas and spotlight emerging technological innovations.  

“The RISE Together Showcase represents the very best of Florida State University,” said Jonathan Fozard, associate vice president and chief information officer. “It brings together research, instruction, innovation, security and student success in one unified experience. This event demonstrates how technology is not simply supporting the university’s mission but actively accelerating it.” 

This year’s showcase features three 50-minute session blocks. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with thought leaders, participate in live demonstrations and discover how technology is shaping the future of FSU. 

Highlighted themes and sessions for 2026 include: 

• Research & Innovation: We empower researchers and educators with cutting-edge technologies that accelerate discovery and elevate teaching, ensuring our academic community continues to rise toward new horizons of knowledge. 

• Innovation & Modernization: By embracing emerging tools, modern platforms, and forward-thinking solutions, we are building a digital ecosystem that is agile, future-ready and boldly innovative. 

• Security & Compliance: We champion a culture of unwavering digital security, privacy and system resilience, fortifying our infrastructure with proactive safeguards so the university can operate with confidence in our digital environments. 

• Engagement & Student Success: Through seamless experiences, real-time insights and innovative digital pathways, we rise together to empower every learner and enhance engagement across the student journey. 

“RISE Together is more than a theme — it is a call to action,” Fozard said. “The showcase reflects how FSU is aligning strategy, talent and technology to drive measurable impact across research, instruction and operations. When we rise together, innovation becomes transformation.” 

While session selections are not binding, your input and RSVP are vital for estimating room capacities. On the day of the event, you are welcome to attend different sessions, space permitting. 

To learn more and register for the event, visit its.fsu.edu/rise-together-showcase.  

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Florida State University researcher Paul Bupe is developing an interactive intersection safety system, a project for which he must analyze thousands of satellite images, fisheye camera photos and maps — more than 1.7 million unique objects each with its own metadata. 

To handle all that data, he uses Amazon Web Services, or AWS. 

Bupe earned seed funding for AWS through an internal FSU program last year and accessed the tools through a partnership with FSU Information Technology Services. 

 On Tuesday, he shared his experiences at the FSU-AWS Researcher Showcase and Awards, a celebration of research excellence and an opportunity for the FSU community to learn more about the high-powered research tools available through the partnership. 

 “Without AWS, we wouldn’t have been able to make this research happen,” said Bupe, who works with FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Associate Professor Moses Olugbenga on PREDISS, a Predictive Intersection Safety System project. 

Bupe and Olugbenga used Amazon’s cloud computing tools for data storage, object detection, autolabeling and other tasks. Their goal is to improve safety at intersections by predicting collisions between vehicles and pedestrians with enough time to allow for interventions to stop a crash. 

Through the partnership, they were able to access more computing power on their schedule to train their own models to handle millions of objects. 

“In AI and machine learning, data is the most valuable thing,” Bupe said. “This gave us the capabilities that truly allowed for innovation.” 

Other researchers from the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and the Department of Computer Science who have used AWS in their work shared their experiences with fellow researchers at the event. 

“Our goal as a technology provider and an industry partner is to help accelerate researchers’ work at a low cost,” said AWS Senior Leader Michael Curry. “As one of our presenters said, ‘I don’t need this to be a six-month project. I want it to be a six-day or six-week project.’ They’re trying to accelerate that time to science, and that is what this technology is helping to accomplish.” 

Setting the stage for innovation

The showcase opened with remarks from FSU leadership, emphasizing the growing role of cloud computing in accelerating research and the university’s commitment to expanding access to advanced computational resources.  

“This partnership is a powerful example of how Florida State is delivering on the strategic vision of President McCullough by investing in the technology infrastructure that drives cutting-edge research,” said Associate Vice President & Chief Information Officer Jonathan A. Fozard. “Removing traditional compute barriers and broadening access to secure cloud and AI tools allows our researchers and scholars to move faster, design transformative research and secure the large-scale grants that empower long-term impact.” 

The FSU Office of Research and FSU Information Technology Services recognized 11 researchers from across campus as 2026 FSU/AWS Research Acceleration Fund Awardees for their exceptional creativity, impact and technical excellence in leveraging AWS cloud computing to advance scientific discovery. Winners came from departments across campus: social work; computer science; educational psychology and learning systems; geography; urban and regional planning; scientific computing; health, nutrition and food science; civil and environmental engineering; and communication science and disorders. Each received up to $20,000 in AWS credits. 

“Modern research is increasingly data-intensive. Whether we are talking about quantum materials, generative AI or predictive safety systems, the lab is no longer just a physical space — it is a digital one,” said Vice President for Research Stacey Patterson. 

Cloud computing tools help researchers turn those piles of information into impactful discoveries. 

“This partnership demonstrates the art of the possible,” Patterson said. “Our goal is simple but ambitious: we want to provide FSU researchers with a world-class environment that accelerates discovery.”

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Florida State University Associate Vice President & Chief Information Officer Jonathan Fozard has received a prestigious statewide honor recognizing his leadership in technological innovation and his commitment to expanding internship opportunities that equip students for the evolving workforce.

Fozard was named a winner of the 2026 Florida Large Enterprise ORBIE Award, a recognition that honors chief information officers and technology executives who demonstrate excellence in leveraging technology to solve complex challenges, accelerate innovation and strengthen organizational performance.

“Every day, I find meaning and value in what I do,” Fozard said. “I don’t wake up and feel bored; I wake up and think about how we are impacting lives and the amazing people I get to work alongside each day. We are literally impacting the lives of the next generation of leaders.”

Fozard noted that the university’s investments in technology and innovation, from internships to new AI tools, create opportunities that will outlast his tenure.

“This next generation is going to come up with the next new idea, the next innovation and the next technology breakthrough. And it started here,” he said.

Fozard was selected for the honor through an independent review process led by previous ORBIE winners. Judges focused on his leadership effectiveness and the tangible value his technology initiatives brought to the university, community and state.

FSU Provost Jim Clark said the award highlights Fozard’s role in pushing the university toward a more modern future.

“Jonathan’s abiding commitment to driving ITS forward and championing innovation and collaboration has transformed how we support teaching, research, operations and student success at FSU,” Clark said. “This honor recognizes Jonathan’s visionary leadership and tireless dedication.”

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