Free lunchtime IT seminars begin Jan. 21

Celeste Hodges, a web developer in Duke’s Department of Computer Science, enjoys photography, information management and connecting with Duke colleagues.

Last year, she enhanced her skills and pursued personal interests by attending Learn IT @ Lunch seminars offered by Duke’s Office of Information Technology (OIT).

“I can take a lunch and go for one hour. It’s usually in the library on campus, so it's convenient,” Hodges said.

OIT’s next Learn IT @ Lunch series begins Jan. 21 with “Using Video to Promote Your Service.” Monthly sessions are offered through April on mobile security, iPhoneography, video and Box, a cloud-based storage and collaboration service.

Christine Vucinich, technical education and outreach coordinator for OIT, said the series is a valuable opportunity to meet experts with users.

“It gives participants a chance to learn about technology from Duke experts in a relaxed environment,” Vucinich said. “I’m always excited to plan and share this series with the Duke community.”

Hodges’ interest in photography prompted her last year to sign up for a seminar that teaches participants how to shoot, edit and share photos with an iPhone.

She said the course helped her learn new skills related to digital photography and archiving.

“This passion requires knowing how to use cameras, scanners, photo databases, photo slideshow apps, and photo-sharing web sites – all of which keep me coming to OIT workshops on relevant technologies,” Hodges said.

Hodges also attended a session to learn how to use Duke’s multi-factor authentication system and LastPass, a password management service, to protect her data.

“Security in my office is excellent, but this helped me personally,” she said.