By Michael W. Beach, HCDE PhD candidate
July 2023
I had the privilege of attending the DIS conference (Designing Interactive Systems) at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 10-14, 2023. This was my first time attending DIS. I co-facilitated a workshop on Monday called the Politics of Imaginaries with co-facilitator and peer, Gabrielle Benabdallah. We developed the workshop with our co-organizers, and intellectual heroes of mine: Lucy Suchman, Daniela Rosner (who is also on my committee), Kavita Philip, and Garnet Hertz. Three of the four co-organizers acted as respondents during the late morning and the final discussion over Zoom (see the first photo below). The workshop was a huge success. We brought together 14 participants working across 12 projects to engage in cross-project discussions of how their work is situated in larger contexts. After the workshop, every participant said they had learned something through the workshop activities that will add value to their project and push their work to the next level. You can learn more about the workshop here: politicsofimaginaries.com. Our co-organizers were thrilled with the outcome which has solidified plans for a new collaboration. I could not be more excited!
My remaining time at the conference was filled with attending paper presentations and networking with a wonderful community of intelligent and creative researchers and designers from around the world. I made a few strong connections with people at other universities that might turn into future collaborations. This was a great opportunity for me not only to network and connect with people on shared interests but it also reenergized me in my final year of completing my dissertation work. Thank you for your continued support!
Group photo of all participants and co-organizers.
This is me and Gabrielle Benabdallah (my co-facilitator) mid-workshop while participants are working in small groups. Feeling great about the strong kickoff!
All participants, working in small groups.
This is one of many paper presentations I attended.
Give to support HCDE student travel
The Mary B. Coney Endowed Fund, named in honor of Emeritus Professor Mary Coney, supports HCDE students by funding costs associated with travel to conferences and international workshops. Your support of this fund enriches the HCDE student experience and enhances HCDE's influence in the field.