News

Thu, 12/01/2022
HCDE researchers studying equitable automated speech recognition among African American English speakers
HCDE researchers Jay Cunningham, Daniela Rosner, and Julie Kientz have received a grant from Google Research to develop equitable, community-collaborative design methods to mitigate racial disparities in automated speech recognition technologies.

Mon, 11/28/2022
Support HCDE students this Giving Tuesday
Help HCDE build a more accessible and equitable student experience by making a gift to support students this #GivingTuesday, November 29. Donations to the Mary B. Coney Endowed Fund help send PhD students to conferences and workshops while gifts to the Kientz & Patel Student Emergency Fund provide immediate impact to students facing unexpected financial hardship.
Mon, 11/14/2022
In Design Jam for Civics, HCDE students innovate for small businesses
Human Centered Design & Engineering students and community partners came together for an autumn quarter design jam to address the question: how might we solidify the presence of small retail stores in our cities?

Fri, 11/04/2022
HCDE researchers Tricia Aung, Sean Munson developing pilot HCD hub to innovate nutrition solutions in Tanzania
A new grant from the University of Washington's Population Health Initiative supports HCDE PhD student Tricia Aung and Associate Professor Sean Munson in developing a pilot human-centered design hub within the Government of Tanzania that will be equipped to innovate solutions to nutrition issues.

Thu, 10/20/2022
Former WA Governor Gregoire recognizes the Virtual Coordination Center project at Mobility Innovation Center’s Ready to Roll event
On October 13, 2022, HCDE Professor and Chair Julie Kientz and former Washington State Governor and Challenge Seattle CEO Christine Gregoire spoke at an event hosted by CoMotion’s Mobility Innovation Center to celebrate the Virtual Coordination Center for Multimodal Corridor Management project.

Mon, 10/10/2022
HCDE Professor Nadya Peek receives NSF grant to develop open-source hardware for laboratory automation
The grant is part of the National Science Foundation's new Pathways to Enable Open-Source Ecosystems (POSE) program, designed to support the creation of sustainable, high-impact, open-source ecosystems. Collaborating with Peek is Lilo Pozzo, a professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering.

Thu, 10/06/2022
HCDE Professors Rosner and Kientz receive NSF grant to explore equitable childcare worker technologies
The three year, $1.8 million award is part of an investment by the National Science Foundation in research projects designed to increase opportunities for US workers and generate positive societal and economic impacts at the local and national level.

Thu, 10/06/2022
With support from Urban@UW, HCDE researchers Halperin and Rosner launch sonic storytelling streetwear project
A new project led by HCDE PhD student Brett Halperin and Associate Professor Daniela Rosner asks the question, "how might interactive sonic narrative streetwear support urban community-based amplification of space, place, and belonging?" Urban@UW is supporting this work with a Research Spark Grant.

Fri, 09/23/2022
Welcoming new HCDE faculty
HCDE welcomes three new professors to the faculty in the 2022-2023 academic year. Arpita and Alan Marks are joining the department as assistant teaching professors, and Ana Pinto da Silva is joining the department as an associate teaching professor and director of the Master of Human Computer Interaction + Design (MHCI+D) program.

Fri, 09/23/2022
All Things HCDE Podcast
All Things HCDE is a podcast created by a group of HCDE students in the Summer 2022 Design for Passion series. The 37 minute podcast is now available on HCDE's YouTube Channel.

Thu, 09/15/2022
HCDE student Meena Muralikumar receives Google PhD Fellowship
Meena Muralikumar, an HCDE PhD candidate, is awarded the 2022 Google PhD Fellowship in the category of Human Computer Interaction. The Fellowship supports Muralikumar's investigations into supporting UX Practitioners to design with Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.

Thu, 08/18/2022
HCDE Professor & Chair Julie Kientz named ELATES fellow in national leadership program
HCDE Professor and Chair Julie Kientz has been selected to the Drexel University’s Executive Leadership in Academic Technology, Engineering and Science (ELATES) fellowship program for the 2022-2023 academic year. ELATES is a national leadership development program designed to promote women in academic STEM fields, and faculty allies of all genders, into institutional leadership roles.

Tue, 08/02/2022 | Designing Up
Building human-centered ventures
How HCDE Professor Beth Kolko is setting the stage for entrepreneurs to flourish, and PhD Student-turned-CEO Melinda Haughey is bringing her HCDE education to the core of her new company.

Tue, 07/12/2022 | Designing Up
Mentor Pods
HCDE's new mentorship program paired 185 students with 54 mentors in the 2021-2022 school year. Recent participants weigh in about the benefits of the program for both students and mentors.

Wed, 06/29/2022 | Designing Up
Ecological Collaboration
In this Q&A with HCDE Research Scientist Shana Hirsch and Associate Professor David Ribes, learn how researchers in HCDE's Data Ecologies Lab are contributing to sustainability, energy futures, and ecological justice.

Fri, 06/24/2022 | Designing Up
Supporting Nighttime Reflection
A study by HCDE senior Koyo Nakamura, published in the ACM International Conference on Design of Communication Student Research Competition, looks at how people engage in self-reflection before bedtime, and how designers can support reflection using non-digital means.

Wed, 06/22/2022 | Designing Up
Bug-Centered Design
A new course on Service Design is an opportunity for HCDE graduate students to connect human-centered design principles to large-scale ecosystems. In the Autumn 2021 Service Design course, one team developed BugBox, a concept for a meal delivery subscription service that uses insect protein.

Tue, 06/14/2022 | Designing Up
Year-in-Review Message from HCDE Chair Julie Kientz
Welcome to our annual Designing Up publication, where we highlight activities and accomplishments of students, alumni, and researchers from the University of Washington’s Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering.

Tue, 06/14/2022
'Dear Design' Directed Research Group now on exhibition in Sieg Building
In Dear Design, a HCDE Directed Research Group led by Professor Cindy Atman, students explored their design processes by creating postcard representations of their ideal "design signatures." Artifacts created by the students are now on display in a pop-up gallery on the fourth floor of Sieg Building.

Fri, 06/10/2022
2022 Graduation & Awards Ceremony
The Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering held its 2022 Graduation & Awards Ceremony on the morning of Wednesday, June 8, in the Husky Union Building Ballroom. In 2022, the Department awarded 92 students Bachelor of Science degrees, 137 with Master of Science degrees, and 7 with doctoral degrees.
Fri, 06/10/2022
2022 Awards of Excellence
HCDE faculty annually recognize outstanding students with Awards of Excellence. These awards honor students who have distinguished themselves by demonstrating greatness in Academic Excellence, Leadership and Engagement, Innovation, and—new in 2022—Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Fri, 06/10/2022
HCDE alumna and supporter Gail Thynes receives the 2022 Mikey Award
HCDE presents the 2022 Mikey Award to HCDE alumna Gail Thynes. 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 leader in the field and dedicated friends of the department.

Fri, 06/10/2022
2022 HCDE graduation address by Dimeji Onafuwa
Dr. Dimeji Onafuwa delivered the guest Commencement Address for the HCDE 2022 Graduation Ceremony. View the full text of Dr. Onafuwa's address, "Make Space for Others," here.

Thu, 06/02/2022
Program Coordinator Alanna Daniels receives College of Engineering Staff Award
The College of Engineering annually acknowledges the extraordinary efforts of the college’s teaching and research assistants, staff and faculty members with awards. In 2022, Engineering Dean Nancy Allbritton recognizes Alanna Daniels, HCDE Program Coordinator, with the outstanding staff award.

Fri, 05/13/2022
Students recognize HCDE instructors with FACET Awards
HCDE instructors Elin Björling, Sean Munson, and Mark Zachry are recognized with awards from the Career Center @ Engineering's Faculty Appreciation for Career Education & Training (FACET) program. This student-nominated award recognizes engineering faculty who have helped students with professional development through mentorship and career preparation.