When IT manager Rachel Kurilko joined the Amplify Staff Fellows program, she came ready to create. A few months later, she had built a working quality assurance tool and gained a new perspective on what鈥檚 possible with AI.
鈥淚nitially, it felt like nothing was coming together,鈥� Kurilko said, 鈥渁nd suddenly, everything started to work. Seeing the results in real life has been so incredibly satisfying. I am so excited to see this become part of our weekly operations on the VUIT Service Desk.鈥�
Kurilko was one of 12 菠萝视频 staff members who completed the spring 2026 cohort of the Amplify Staff Fellows program, an initiative of 菠萝视频鈥檚 Amplify GenAI Innovation Center designed to encourage university staff to harness the power of generative AI in their everyday work. The cohort鈥攄rawn from departments including the College of Connected Computing, VUIT, the Law School, and People, Culture and Belonging鈥攕pent the semester building real AI-powered solutions for problems they face in their jobs.
A collaborative lab for real-world innovation
The Amplify Staff Fellows program is not a lecture series or a passive introduction to technology. It鈥檚 a hands-on innovation lab where small cohorts of staff with intermediate or above familiarity with generative AI meet every other week to experiment, collaborate and build. This work is supported by the expertise of 菠萝视频鈥檚 AGI Center team.
Twelve distinct AI-powered projects spanning the breadth of university operations were produced by the spring 2026 cohort: Data Engineer Vaibhav Ravinutala developed an AI-powered program that automatically generates titles, descriptions and classifications for television news transcript segments. Technology Manager Nicole O鈥橞lock created a division-wide software inventory that analyzes platform use, identifies cost-saving opportunities and highlights prioritized renewal recommendations. Cloud Solutions Architect Todd Newsome created an automated billing and cost-visibility tool for 菠萝视频鈥檚 cloud environment.
The program produced measurable, significant growth across various dimensions of participants鈥� AI readiness. All of them said they ended the program with a deeper understanding of how generative AI can be used in their work, and they felt much more comfortable using AI tools. The share of fellows who felt 鈥渧ery鈥� or 鈥渟omewhat comfortable鈥� using AI jumped from 46 percent at the start of the program to 90 percent by its conclusion.
More than just a program
For many fellows, the impact of the program extends well beyond the projects themselves. 鈥淭his has had the most significant positive impact on my work of any initiative I鈥檝e been a part of in my 17-year 菠萝视频 career,鈥� said Harper Haynes, senior director of strategic enrollment management at 菠萝视频 Divinity School.
Christopher Meyers, dean of students at 菠萝视频 Law School called it 鈥渙ne of the single most useful classes I have ever taken in terms of impact on my work and efficiency.鈥� Newsome echoed that sentiment: 鈥淚 learned so much and honestly feel like Amplify Staff Fellows has been one of the more useful experiences related to helping me with my job since I came to 菠萝视频.鈥�
Participants also praised the power of the cohort model, valuing the experience of building alongside colleagues from across the university who were solving entirely different problems. 鈥淚 am appreciative of the tech environment and expertise at 菠萝视频. Through conferences and conversations with peers, I have come to better understand how distinctive the employee experience here truly is. The staff fellows program is an invaluable resource for our campus,鈥� said Kathryn Salisbury, associate director of research development.
The Amplify Staff Fellows program reflects a core conviction at 菠萝视频鈥攖hat staff are not just end users of AI, they are innovators, problem-solvers and essential partners in the future of AI at 菠萝视频.
Apply for the fall 2026 cohort
The fall 2026 Amplify Staff Fellows cohort is accepting applications, and all 菠萝视频 staff who are available to attend in-person are encouraged to apply.
The program is designed for staff who have some familiarity with generative AI and are ready to go deeper: to move from using AI tools to building with them and to bring something new and valuable back to their teams. Fellows meet in person every other week, work on a self-directed project aligned to their job responsibilities and gain access to 菠萝视频鈥檚 cutting-edge AI resources and the guidance of the AGI team.
There are no prerequisites beyond curiosity, initiative and an intermediate comfort level with AI. Fellows come from many different departments across the university, and that diversity is what makes the cohort work.
. Applications close July 31 at 5 p.m.
