Cotsen's Departmental Technical Analyst Jason Liang

Although being a student or faculty member at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology (CIoA) can present many challenges, some of the most frustrating have an easily-accessible potential solution in the capable hands of Jason Liang, the Department Technical Analyst for the CIoA. Problems with your computer software, hardware or printer? Undoubtedly. Fortunately, Liang’s job is to help resolve these issues. 

He provides computer hardware and software support and repair for Cotsen faculty, staff, and students. Additionally, he is available for help with email, websites, networks, and printing. The technology analyst also purchases computers, electronics, and software, and assists with UCLA-wide computing issues. 

Officially, he is on campus on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from twelve to five, but he encourages people to “shoot him an e-mail” a week or so in advance, and “I am happy to accommodate.”

One of the big issues he deals with is the listserv, which he describes as an email list that is “pretty proprietary to UCLA. But it is an old system invented in the early 1990’s and pretty archaic,” in his evaluation. Since the emailings can get quite big at Cotsen, the list can run to 350 people, he notes. He also says that many people have a problem with the printer. “My biggest concern is trying to replicate the issue. So whenever the user tells me that this specific thing isn’t working, I always try to replicate the issue before I’m able to diagnose it.”

He is responsible for any UCLA-owned devices, such as a printer or a computer in the lab, or any equipment that has been purchased with departmental funding or grants. Even if it is a home computer, especially for faculty, he is happy to reply to an e-mail question. But for those that need an expert technician, he actually recommends the Geek Squad at Best Buy since he is not allowed to go to faculty houses. 

Liang says that he has always had a fascination with computers. In high school, he “used to be very deep into video games. So in order to get better video games, you need a better console. So I started building computers for me and my friends.” Now he says “it is all muscle memory” because he has built so many systems. He also studied computers and cyber security with a focus on computer information systems when he attended Cal Poly Pomona. He adds that he is also always “learning on the job.”

One of the biggest challenges of the job is “the amount of paperwork or things that you are supposed to be cleared for,” according to Liang. It gets especially complicated “when I purchase anything that’s outside of UCLA-listed vendors. Sometimes the faculty doesn’t even know why they want it from a certain vendor. So I have to navigate the challenges of who to talk to and how to plan ahead. By now, I know the steps needed to be taken, so I can tell them the quickest way to get that software or hardware or help that they need,” he added.

Surprisingly, the busiest time for Liang is right before the summer quarter “because a lot of people are preparing for field work, and they want everything done right before they leave. When everyone wants the same thing at the same time, it gets a little tricky.”

Another goal for Liang is that in the next year or so to be able to find a budget at the Cotsen to upgrade the Wi-Fi. Apparently, it has been a problem for some time, as his predecessor was working on it. Another big project is website migration. “The website is based on a framework that is pretty old,” he explains. “Right now, we are trying to move it to a newer platform that will require a lot less time and training to use.” He is currently collecting opinions on what is needed and hopes to finalize the website in the next month or two. “It is going to be somewhat of a complete redesign.”

Technically, his office hours are from eight to five, but since he doesn’t live on campus, “realistically I’m probably working from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. to avoid traffic. During those later hours, I may just hang out with coworkers or watch a game, and I have friends in the area,” he explains.

His home is in Baldwin Park, but he spends a lot of time outdoors. “I love golf and sometimes travel around Southern California to golf.” He is also into cars and often goes to car meets. Right now, he just drives “his old reliable Camry” until he finds a new car to work on. One of his close friends has an auto shop where he occasionally helps out. “The hardest part is always re-assembling the car after you’ve taken it apart. It’s really easy to end up with an extra screw and wonder where it went,” he says.

Unfortunately, some of his favorite hikes have been relocated because of the fires in Altadena, Pasadena, and Azusa. But he also likes going to Switzer Falls off of Angeles Crest Highway. There are a lot of car meets up there where you can “chat with a lot of different people,” then drive down slightly and find a good trail.