Leah Pistorius
August 16, 2024
The University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering offers several opportunities for alumni and industry professionals to engage with students throughout the year. Whether you’re looking to give back personally, stay connected, or sponsor student projects with your organization, there’s a way for everyone to participate.
View timeframes and relevant deadlines below, and find additional details about the opportunities below the table.
| Opportunity | Timeframe | Commitment | Sign up by |
|---|---|---|---|
Any time |
1 hour |
All year |
|
| Mentor Pod Program |
January - May 2025 |
5 hours |
|
| Host a Career Trek (tour) | October - November 2024 | 90 minutes | All year |
| January - June 2025 Meet regularly with students |
4-5 hours |
|
|
| January - March 2025 Meet regularly with students |
1-3 hours |
|
|
| Fridays, January & February | 1-4 hours |
Dec. 15, 2024 |
|
|
Review Master's Applications |
Late January - February |
5 hours |
Jan 15, 2025 |
|
Complete Alumni Survey |
Autumn quarter |
10 minutes |
Ongoing |
Inspire the next generation of UX professionals by sharing your expertise and experiences with current students by becoming a guest lecturer or speaker.
Timeframe: Anytime! We keep your name and information on a list and share it regularly with instructors.
Help guide a small group of current students by becoming a mentor. Your advice and guidance can make a huge difference in their professional journey. Pods meet once per month from January through May, and discussions include career-related topics such as portfolios, interviewing, how to network, etc.
Sign up by: December 1, 2024
Timeframe: January - May 2025
Welcome a group of 10-15 students to your office for a tour and Q&A meeting with you and your colleagues. Career Treks visits are typically for about 90 minutes, over coffee or lunch.
Sign up by: September 15, 2024
Timeframe: Anytime in October or November.
Let us know: Indicate your interest by emailing Melissa Ewing at mewing3@uw.edu.
Teams of 3-4 students work on industry-sponsored projects that include research, ideation, and prototyping. Think about non-mission-critical projects at your organization that have a focus on rethinking, redesigning, or reshaping a physical or digital interface or process!
Sign up by: November 1, 2024 for Master’s projects, January 2, 2025 for Bachelor’s projects
Timeframe: January - June 2025
A team of master's students work on evaluating the user experience, identifying usability issues, and proposing improvements to client-proposed projects.
Deadline to propose: December 15, 2024
Timeframe: January - March 2025
Conduct virtual portfolio reviews over Zoom, happening over the lunch hour on Fridays in January and February 2025.
Deadline to sign up: December 15, 2024
Timeframe: Choose a Friday in January and/or February
Applications for the HCDE master's program have increased significantly over recent years, up to nearly 1,000 applications annually. Since the MS in HCDE prepares students for careers in industry, we greatly appreciate HCDE MS alumni who can assist with the application review process.
Deadline to sign up: January 2025
Timeline: Review applications in February 2025
Help HCDE understand how alumni prefer to engage with the department by completing a brief anonymous survey.
Deadline: Ongoing
Timeline: < 5 minutes
Get Involved
HCDE values the ongoing involvement of our alumni and industry friends. If you want to discuss any of the above opportunities, please contact Melissa Ewing, HCDE Outreach & Strategic Partnerships Manager, at mewing3@uw.edu.