(1) AWS Research Day for UCLA
The Office of Advanced Research Computing is pleased to share this upcoming opportunity with UCLA researchers. You are invited to the AWS Research Day for UCLA — a one-day, in-person event designed to help UCLA researchers discover how cloud-powered AI and data platforms can accelerate your work.
When: Tuesday, October 27, 2026 | 8:30 am - 3:30 pm PT
Where: UCLA University Club | 480 Charles E Young Drive East, Los Angeles
Registration Link for AWS Research Day
When: Tuesday, October 27, 2026 | 8:30 am - 3:30 pm PT
Where: UCLA University Club | 480 Charles E Young Drive East, Los Angeles
Registration Link for AWS Research Day
(2) Introduction to Document Accessibility (Google docs, Word, PDF)
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 accessibility checkers to identify and correct common issues.
When: Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am PT
Where: Online (Zoom)
Registration Link for Intro to Document Accessibility
The training will also demonstrate how to use built-in and automated accessibility checkers to identify and correct common issues.
When: Thursday, November 5, 2026 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am PT
Where: Online (Zoom)
Registration Link for Intro to Document Accessibility
(3) Collective Cognition in Ants and Pigeons
Speaker: Takao Sasaki, associate professor in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester
Social animals—from insect colonies to human groups—often make decisions without centralized control, relying on local interactions to produce coordinated collective outcomes. Using ants and homing pigeons as model systems, Sasaki will discuss (1) how rock ant colonies avoid making irrational decisions, (2) how fire ants collectively build self-assembled pontoon bridges, and (3) how homing pigeons improve their homing routes through the accumulation of knowledge. He will also briefly introduce a new research direction that his lab has recently started investigating: collective animal learning.
When: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm PT
Where: Charles E. Young Research Library, Main Conference Room 11360 and Online (Zoom)
Registration Link for Collective Cognition in Ants and Pigeons Presentation
Social animals—from insect colonies to human groups—often make decisions without centralized control, relying on local interactions to produce coordinated collective outcomes. Using ants and homing pigeons as model systems, Sasaki will discuss (1) how rock ant colonies avoid making irrational decisions, (2) how fire ants collectively build self-assembled pontoon bridges, and (3) how homing pigeons improve their homing routes through the accumulation of knowledge. He will also briefly introduce a new research direction that his lab has recently started investigating: collective animal learning.
When: Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm PT
Where: Charles E. Young Research Library, Main Conference Room 11360 and Online (Zoom)
Registration Link for Collective Cognition in Ants and Pigeons Presentation
(4) Introduction to Video, Audio, and Youtube Accessibility
In this session participants will learn about video and audio accessibility best practices. By the end of this training you should be able to:
- Create an WCAG 2.1 AA caption file
- Identify closed and open captions
- Test the player controls of an embedded video
- Add an audio description to a Youtube video
- Create an accessible transcript
When: Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PT
Where: Online (Zoom)
Registration Link for Intro to Video, Audio, and Youtube Accessibility Session
(5) An Introduction to Music Industry Databases
Join the Music Library for an introduction to key industry databases supporting research for a variety of music research and performance disciplines. Topics will include music industry data and media resources. Attendees from all disciplinary backgrounds are welcome!
Instructors: Blair Black, Teaching and Learning Librarian for Arts and Humanities; and Matthew Vest, Open Research and Digital Scholarship Librarian for the Arts and Humanities
When: Wednesday, November 18, 2026 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm PT
Where: Online (Zoom)
Registration Link for Intro to Music Industry Databases Workshop
Instructors: Blair Black, Teaching and Learning Librarian for Arts and Humanities; and Matthew Vest, Open Research and Digital Scholarship Librarian for the Arts and Humanities
When: Wednesday, November 18, 2026 | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm PT
Where: Online (Zoom)
Registration Link for Intro to Music Industry Databases Workshop