When everyone had left campus on the eve of Thanksgiving 2024, Ryan Glaze, lead DX mechanic, was busy saving a supercomputer. He stayed behind to supervise the placement of two rented trailers equipped with a generator and colossal cooling units. Hefty ducting from the units trapsed down flights of stairs into a server room.

Glaze’s typical day includes performing maintenance and service calls, reviewing blueprints, and checking air conditioning work in new buildings. He washes air conditioner coils, changes filters, and greases bearings. He assists FS’s DX, or direct expansion, technicians when they need parts or support on solutions. Altogether, they mostly spend time on building rooftops where air conditioning units are located.

On this day, an air conditioning unit failed at an older data center, raising the heat load for its operating system. Glaze and the DX team temporarily stabilized the unit, but any further cooling loss could have shut down the data center over the long holiday weekend. He described the data center as a toaster oven with distinct cold and hot aisles. “If you walk in the hot aisle, it is hot. It’s over 100°F. Our systems take it out and blow it on the roof,” Glaze said.

With his supervisor on vacation and the DX team unable to make full repairs until Monday, Glaze quickly sought solutions. He secured an air conditioning package as a procurement emergency, with help from Megan Lucas, ASSET purchasing assistant, and coordinated the plan with data center personnel.

The data center remained stable until the DX team, including Richard Gatewood, Richardo Hart, and Gabriel Reyes, returned on Monday for repairs. “They had to pick the aluminum out to get to the copper pipes behind it. It was one of the more challenging ones I’ve seen,” Glaze said. They worked from about 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. to bring the unit back online.

Bill Hensche, the building mechanical/HVAC supervisor, commended Glaze for his leadership. “Ryan has outstanding troubleshooting skills in the field of heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration, including controls,” Hensche said.

“What I enjoy most is trying to solve that problem that no one has ever had before. It doesn’t happen all that glorious all that often,” Glaze said. He recalled an inventive solution for a vivarium's air conditioning unit, which required doubling its power in a small space without a crane. By installing 100 feet of piping to relocate the unit outdoors and reverse the stages of operation, he designed a stable system that has been running efficiently for six years.

Friends steered him into the trade, and he began working at a small Riverside company while attending vocational school. He sometimes assisted his father, an audio engineer, with set ups for corporate shows and events. Glaze started his career at UCR in 2008 with Housing Services and then transferred to Facilities Services in 2017.

At home, Glaze enjoys designing his own miniature version of a data center. He tests a rack of computers linked to home appliances and media centers, automating tasks like having his lights turn blue when the laundry is done. He is perfecting the system for when he and his family move into a new house. His inventive approach and dedication highlight not only his professional expertise but also his passion for problem-solving in all aspects of life.

Ryan Glaze's dedication and quick thinking not only saved the data center but also underscored the importance of skilled tradespeople in maintaining essential infrastructure.