Oak Hammock residents and ILR members tour UF Atlas Lab.
Press release from Oak Hammock at the University of Florida
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Oak Hammock Institute for Learning in Retirement, or ILR, recently hosted a special series on Artificial Intelligence, or AI, offering members an in-depth look at this rapidly evolving field.
The ILR, operated through Oak Hammock, is a vibrant community of retirement-age members dedicated to lifelong learning, personal enrichment, and continuing education. Since 2001, ILR has partnered with the University of Florida and other community experts to offer a wide range of courses, programs, and activities, most of which take place on the Oak Hammock campus.
One special program in the series featured Nathan Carpenter, Ph.D., director of the Atlas Lab at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. The first session, held at Oak Hammock in October, introduced participants to the fundamentals of AI and its growing role in media and communication. The second session, held in November, brought ILR members to UF for a collaborative experience with students, including a guided tour of the Atlas Lab.
The visit to the Atlas Lab was a unique and memorable experience — bringing AI concepts to life and exemplifying ILR’s commitment to engaging, high-quality educational opportunities. It also provided an excellent intergenerational opportunity for UF students and ILR members to interact and learn from each other.
Oak Hammock residents Elisabeth and Bob Virnstein commented on their Atlas Lab experience. “We were astonished at the breadth and depth of what the lab’s equipment can do, literally around the globe and perhaps on any topic. We were also pleased to hear from the students who attended and their future plans — they are going to succeed in fields that didn’t exist a few years ago!”
“The entire series was a phenomenal opportunity for our residents and community members to sample the broad range of AI applications. The Atlas Lab presentation and tour was an excellent way to remind us how critically we must think of all the applications; does it make sense? Do we trust the source?” – Henrietta Logan, Ph.D., Chair of the Institute for Learning in Retirement
The Atlas Lab is a state-of-the-art facility designed to help students, faculty, and staff develop expertise in analyzing digital media behavior, conversations, and trends. Created in response to the growing importance of digital media as a primary channel for civic and commercial dialogue, the lab supports research and learning across advertising, journalism, and public relations.
Equipped with 48 high-resolution monitors, the lab can display data as a single immersive visualization or across multiple screens simultaneously. Powered by sophisticated AI-driven media analysis tools, the Atlas Lab provides students with real-world experience in data analytics, offers researchers access to extensive data resources, and supports industry partners with best-in-class insights.
Using the lab’s technology, students, faculty, and staff can analyze social media, global print and digital news, eCommerce reviews, customer feedback, financial market data, and first-party data integrations. These tools also allow users to identify emerging social, political, and cultural trends, monitor brand perception, track media coverage on unlimited topics, and pinpoint key influencers driving message dissemination. Students can even test product ideas and messaging strategies in real time.
As lab director, Carpenter oversees the lab’s operations, research, and stakeholder engagement. He leads instructional initiatives, supports external partnerships, secures grant funding, and provides thought leadership on social media listening and data strategy to both academic and professional communities.
Access to cutting-edge software and technology enables UF students, scholars, and professionals to generate some of the industry’s most impactful insights.