News

Mon, 06/12/2023
HCDE alumnus Jerrod Larson receives the 2023 Mikey Award
HCDE presents the 2023 Mikey Award to HCDE alumnus Dr. Jerrod Larson. The Myron L. White Award, or the Mikey Award, is named after the co-founder of the department. It is presented annually by HCDE faculty to a dedicated supporter of the department.

Fri, 06/02/2023 | Designing Up
Retirement Reflections from HCDE Professor Andy Davidson
Andrew Davidson, an Associate Teaching Professor in HCDE, is retiring after serving on the HCDE faculty for 11 years. Professor Davidson reflects on his favorite memories from teaching in HCDE and what he is looking forward to next.

Thu, 06/01/2023
PhD student Emma McDonnell receives Dennis Lang Award from UW Disability Studies Program
HCDE PhD student Emma McDonnell received a Dennis Lang Award from the University of Washington's Disability Studies Program. This award recognizes McDonnell for her research on accessible communication technologies and commitment to disability justice.

Tue, 05/23/2023 | UW News
Q&A: Have a favorite food memory? How technology can help take you back
Even with access to recipes online or passed down through generations, it’s hard to balance the complicated process of cooking with the sensory details from a memory. HCDE PhD student Danli Luo has developed a toolkit of sensors and controllers that helped her re-create three dishes from growing up in China: rice wine, tofu and spring roll wrappers.

Mon, 05/22/2023
HCDE students, faculty, and staff named 2023 College of Engineering Awardees
The College of Engineering recognizes HCDE faculty members Kristin Dew and Kate Starbird, HCDE staff Elin Bjorling and Jane Skau, and HCDE PhD student Sourojit Ghosh for their extraordinary efforts supporting the College through research, teaching, and administrative support.

Thu, 05/18/2023
HCDE senior Shenna Shim presents at 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium
HCDE senior Shenna Shim is presenting new research on creative coding and remixing behaviors at the 2023 Undergraduate Research Symposium on Friday, May 19. Shim's project, "Forking a Sketch: How the OpenProcessing Community Uses Remixing to Collect, Annotate, Tune, and Extend Creative Code," explores the practice of remixing in the field of creative coding. Collaborators with Shim on this work are PhD student Blair Subbaraman and HCDE Assistant Professor Nadya Peek.

Wed, 05/03/2023
Christopher Reid to deliver 2023 HCDE Graduation Address
HCDE announces that Dr. Christopher Reid, expert in human factors and wearable technology, will deliver the guest graduation address at the HCDE Graduation & Awards Ceremony on Friday, June 9, 2023.

Mon, 04/24/2023
Three HCDE students in 2023 Husky 100
Human Centered Design & Engineering students Dawit Borrows, John Fowler, and Amodini Khade are named to the 2023 cohort of the Husky 100. This program annually recognizes 100 students across the UW's three campuses for their outstanding work and extracurricular achievements.

Sun, 04/23/2023
HCDE at CHI 2023
UW HCDE has strong presence at the 2023 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), the premier international conference on Human-Computer Interaction. HCDE researchers contributed to 17 papers, including two selected for the Best Paper Award recognition and one selected for Best Paper Honorable Mention recognition.

Thu, 04/20/2023
HCDE Research Scientist Shana Hirsch receives UW EarthLab grant to support equitable and resilient floodplain solutions
Dr. Shana Lee Hirsch, a research scientist in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, is on a multidisciplinary team that received a $75,000 Innovation Grant from UW EarthLab to support equitable and resilient floodplain solutions.

Thu, 04/20/2023
HCDE Professor David Ribes receives NSF award for HIV/AIDS Research Community Development Project
HCDE Associate Professor David Ribes has received a Research Community Development grant from the National Science Foundation to support cutting-edge research on social aspects of HIV/AIDS.

Fri, 04/07/2023
Brock Craft on demystifying ChatGPT for academics
On April 5, 2023, HCDE Teaching Professor Brock Craft participated in a UW faculty panel presentation about the use of ChatGPT in academia. Panelists discussed the impact ChatGPT has on teaching, how to make informed decisions about the use of ChatGPT, and generally how to use AI technology responsibly in enhancing student learning. View the panel recording here.

Mon, 04/03/2023
Brett Halperin awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
HCDE PhD student Brett Halperin has been awarded a prestigious fellowship from the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) to support his research on computational cinema and media design for social change with an emphasis on housing justice.

Sun, 04/02/2023
Support HCDE students on Husky Giving Day
On Husky Giving Day April 6, support HCDE students by expanding access to conference travel. Your gift enriches the HCDE student experience and enhances HCDE's influence in the field.

Fri, 03/31/2023
Designing new sex education resources with trans and queer youth
HCDE PhD candidate Calvin Liang is working with trans and queer youth to design an online sex education resource and build more inclusive sexual health experiences for all.

Tue, 03/07/2023
Shana Hirsch publishes new report on US marine energy technological innovation system
In a new report produced for the University Marine Energy Research Community, HCDE Research Scientist Dr. Shana Hirsch provides a systematic analysis of the marine energy research and innovation ecosystem, with the goal of spurring innovation and collaboration across marine energy and adjacent sectors.

Fri, 02/24/2023
HCDE Professor Cindy Atman presents at Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society symposium
HCDE Professor Cindy Atman presented her research on Design Signatures at the National Science Foundation's 2022 Extraordinary Engineering Impacts on Society symposium. Atman's Design Signatures project aims to help designers track activities in their design processes, helping them visualize their processes to become better designers over time. View a recording of the presentation here.

Tue, 02/14/2023
HCDE PhD alumnus Kai Lukoff receives SIGCHI Outstanding Dissertation Award
HCDE PhD alumnus Dr. Kai Lukoff has received an ACM SIGCHI Outstanding Dissertation Award. Lukoff's dissertation focused on how people can gain greater control over the time they spend with digital technology.

Wed, 02/01/2023
PhD student Leslie Coney receives Google Health Equity award to design for Black maternal health
Leslie Coney, a second-year PhD student in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, has received a research award from the newly announced Google Health Equity Research Initiative. This grant supports Coney's work aimed at connecting Black birthing individuals with non-hospital care networks.

Wed, 02/01/2023
HCDE alumna Alexis Hope named USA Fellow in Architecture & Design
HCDE alumna Dr. Alexis Hope (BS '10, MS '12) has been named a 2023 United States Artists Fellow in the category of Architecture & Design. The prestigious fellowship honors creative accomplishments of artists and supports their ongoing artistic and professional development.

Tue, 01/31/2023
HCDE mourns the loss of Karen Kasonic
HCDE mourns the loss of alumna Karen Kasonic who passed away on January 14, 2023, after a long struggle with breast cancer.

Mon, 01/30/2023 | UW Electrical & Computer Engineering
HCDE Professor Nadya Peek awarded CoMotion Innovation Gap Fund
Levity Technologies, a project led by UW Electrical & Computer Engineering researchers and HCDE Assistant Professor Nadya Peek, has received a $50k grant from the UW CoMotion Innovation Gap Fund. Levity is revolutionizing sample mixing in biology labs with robotics, improving yields and accuracy.

Sat, 01/28/2023 | UW Magazine
Alumna Rachel Barnecut featured in UW Magazine
HCDE alumna Rachel Barnecut (BS ’12, MS ’18) is featured in UW Magazine about her career transition to entrepreneurship. In the interview with fellow alumna Aleenah Ansari (BS '19), Barnecut discusses creating Matcha Magic, a plant-based Matcha bar located in Bellevue.

Wed, 01/11/2023
HCDE Professor Julie Kientz is UW lead on new AI Institute for Children with Speech, Language Disorders
Julie Kientz is the UW lead on the AI Institute for Exceptional Education, a new multi-campus institute that will create artificial intelligence technologies for children with speech and language processing challenges. Collaborating with Kientz at UW is Electrical & Computer Engineering Professor Mari Ostendorf.

Fri, 12/02/2022
Improving trust in COVID vaccines with research summaries
A UW research team led by HCDE PhD student Spencer Williams is working with the public to design research summaries that improve awareness and trust in COVID vaccine safety research.