By Raghav Sharma, HCDE Master's student
I had the brilliant opportunity to attend Stanford University’s flagship innovation hackathon, Treehacks 2024 in the capacity of an invited Mentor for the conference. Treehacks brings about 1600+ students and professionals together to innovate on industry problems in a 36-hour format. This year, the conference also attracted a great array of speakers and panelists, including the likes of Mira Murati (the CTO of Open AI) and Dalton Caldwell (Partner and Managing Director of Y-Combinator).
Personally, this was a surreal opportunity for me - and my first out-of-sate travel in the US. I had the opportunity to mentor 20+ GenZ designers over cutting-edge projects in Artificial Intelligence (AI). This included to making advances in storytelling-aid using generative AI, making language learning easier and embedded into online experiences, making it easy for people with disabilities to consume food using AI-enabled robotics, and many others. I also had the opportunity to explore the Hasso Plattner institute of design, Extreme-affordability design lab and the d.school. Overall, the conference not only helped me project myself and the UW HCDE department at a prestigious platform, but also gained me a network of friends and cheerleaders. I am so deeply grateful to the donors and the HCDE department for making this possible for me.
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.