Melissa Ewing
August 28, 2025
Your experience. Their future.
In the 2025-2026 school year, alumni and industry partners can engage with Human Centered Design & Engineering students in ways that inspire, support, and create meaningful connections.
Whether by mentoring a student, sharing your expertise in a guest lecture, or supporting a class project, we are always grateful. As both higher education and industry adapt to new fiscal realities, HCDE is more committed than ever to creating meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships.
Find details, timeframes, and sign-up forms for opportunities below.
Mentorship Pod program
In-person & virtual
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.
Note that in 2025-2026, we will be asking students to apply join this program and will give priority to students in their final year of the program.
Timeframe: January – May 2026
Commitment: 1x/month for 5 months
Sign up by: December 1, 2025
Guest lecturing and speaking to students
In-person & virtual
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!
Commitment: 1 – 2 hours
Sign up by: Ongoing
Welcome a group of 10-15 students to your office for a tour and Q&A meeting with you and your colleagues.
Timeframe: Anytime in October or November
Commitment: 2 – 3 hours
Sign up by: September 20, 2025
Sponsor a Capstone project
In-person & virtual
Teams of 3-4 students work on industry-sponsored projects that include research, ideation, and prototyping. HCDE seeks 50 projects each year from non-profit and corporate sponsors.
Timeframe: January – June 2026
Commitment: Meet regularly with students virtually or in-person during the 20 weeks.
Deadline to propose: December 15, 2025
Propose a usability study
Virtual
A team of master's students work on evaluating the user experience, identifying usability issues, and proposing improvements to client-proposed projects.
Timeframe: January – March 2026
Commitment: Meet regularly with students virtually during the 10 weeks.
Deadline to propose: December 31, 2025
Portfolio reviews
Virtual
Conduct virtual portfolio reviews with HCDE students over Zoom.
Timeframe: Choose a Friday in January and/or February
Commitment: 1 hour
Sign up by: December 15, 2025
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.
Timeframe: Review applications in late January – February 2026
Commitment: 5 hours, on your own time
Sign up by: January 15, 2026
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.