News

Fri, 11/08/2024

On November 8, HCDE joins colleges and universities nationwide in celebrating National First-Generation College Celebration Day. Throughout the day we will be shining a spotlight on several members of our community who have forged their own paths to higher education. We are proud to share their stories as they continue to break barriers and shape the future.

Thu, 10/31/2024

HCDE PhD candidate Leslie Coney is merging her research in Black maternal health with community support through Cradles & Culture, a community baby shower for Black birthing people and families in WA State. Supported by UW’s Black Opportunity Fund, the event celebrated parenthood, provided essential resources, and strengthened networks of support. By creating spaces like Cradles & Culture, Coney hopes to inspire similar initiatives that foster community support, building a future where no birthing person is at risk due to preventable disparities and where Black families are supported, informed, and empowered every step of the way.

Tue, 09/10/2024

For a project in the Human Centered Design & Engineering course on User-Centered Design, a team of students explored the question: "How can information empower Metro King County bus commuters?" Their proposed solution, The Bus Beacon, aims to improve the bus commuting experience by centralizing information at the shared place all bus users must visit: the bus stop.

Fri, 08/16/2024

HCDE welcomes alumni and industry professionals to collaborate with current students this upcoming school year. Whether you’re looking to give back personally, stay connected, or sponsor student projects with your organization, there’s a way for everyone to participate.

Fri, 08/09/2024

Harvard Professor Christina Ciocca Eller and Vice Admiral (ret) Bob Sharp have been appointed co-chairs of the newly established advisory board for the Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Center. Announced in July 2024 with a $50 million investment from the National Science Foundation, the SECURE Center, led by HCDE Professor Mark Haselkorn, aims to connect and empower the U.S. research community in addressing critical issues related to research security and integrity.

Wed, 07/24/2024

Under a five-year, $50 million investment from the National Science Foundation, HCDE Professor Mark Haselkorn is leading a national consortium of research institutions to bolster national research security. The Safeguarding the Entire Community of the U.S. Research Ecosystem (SECURE) Center will empower the U.S. research community to address critical issues of research security and integrity.

Thu, 07/18/2024

In response to the evolving needs of the child welfare system, UW researchers are advancing access to visualizations of foster care data. John Fowler (HCDE PhD '23) and Professor Mark Zachry developed VizCare, a new tool to increase the use of research in child welfare decision-making.

Tue, 06/25/2024

Thanks to a new grant from the National Science Foundation, UW's Design Use Build (DUB) group, a grassroots alliance of researchers and practitioners interested in Human Computer Interaction & Design at the University of Washington, is expanding opportunities for undergraduate students to do human-centered computing research by establishing a new Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Site.

Fri, 06/21/2024

HCDE faculty Katya Cherukumilli, Brock Craft, Sucheta Ghoshal, and Sean Munson 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.

Mon, 06/17/2024

HCDE PhD candidate Sourojit Ghosh has received a prestigious UW Graduate School Presidential Dissertation Fellowship for the 2024-2025 academic year. In his dissertation work, Ghosh is studying the harms created by generative AI tools, particularly towards traditionally marginalized populations. Ghosh is researching text-to-image generators and examining how human-centered approaches can influence the design of generative AI tools.

Thu, 06/13/2024

In April 2024, HCDE instructors Sarah Coppola and Sourojit Ghosh led a community workshop on adapting visually-based courses for blind and low-vision students. View a recording of the workshop here.

Tue, 06/11/2024

The Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering held its 2024 Graduation & Awards Ceremony on the morning of Friday, June 7, in the Husky Union Building Ballroom. In 2024, HCDE awarded 79 students Bachelor of Science degrees, 125 with Master of Science degrees, and 11 with doctoral degrees.

Tue, 06/11/2024

Trish Millines Dziko, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Technology Access Foundation, delivered the 2024 graduation address for the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering. View the address here.

Wed, 05/22/2024

In a world facing complex challenges like climate change, how can design and engineering education evolve to meet these demands? This question lies at the heart of a pioneering partnership between Microsoft and HCDE. Together, they are reimagining design education to prepare the next generation of designers to tackle the greatest challenges of our time.

Tue, 05/21/2024

HCDE is pleased to announce the addition of three new faculty members: Dr. Shana Lee Hirsch, Cayla Key, and Emily Tseng. Together, their expertise enhances the department's focus in strategic areas such as environmental science and sociotechnical change, inclusive design and ethics, and equitable computing and social responsibility

Tue, 05/14/2024

HCDE Associate Professor Kate Starbird is recognized in the 54th annual University of Washington Awards of Excellence with the University Faculty Lecture Award. As part of this honor, Professor Starbird will deliver a campus-wide lecture about her research in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Tue, 05/14/2024

In an HCDE Design Jam led by PhD student Pitch Sinlapanuntakul and Professor Mark Zachry, students and mentors from Adobe explored AI-powered tools to support design work.

Wed, 05/01/2024

Working with teens, UW researchers, including HCDE's Elin Björling and Jennifer Sonney from UW Nursing, have designed RESeT: a snowy virtual world with six activities intended to improve mood. In a 3-week study of 44 Seattle-area teens, researchers found that most used the technology about twice a week without being prompted and reported lower stress levels after using the environment.

Wed, 05/01/2024

UW HCDE has strong presence at the 2024 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI), the premier international conference on Human-Computer Interaction. HCDE researchers contributed to 20 papers, including one selected for the Best Paper Award recognition and two selected for Best Paper Honorable Mention recognition.

Tue, 04/30/2024

Human Centered Design & Engineering students Sourojit Ghosh and Austin Lee are named to the 2024 cohort of the Husky 100. This program annually recognizes 100 students across the UW's three campuses for making the most of their time at UW through their work and extracurricular achievements.

Mon, 04/15/2024

Robots are increasingly becoming a part of our daily lives at home, at work, and even in public spaces. But do people want to interact with them? Are they addressing real human needs? In a new course on Human-Robot Interaction, Dr. Elin Björling led HCDE graduate students to discover new use cases for social robots that can address modern challenges.

Sun, 03/24/2024

HCDE Associate Professor Kate Starbird appeared in a segment of 60 minutes that aired on March 24, 2024, about the right of free speech on social media platforms—an issue currently under discussion by the US Supreme Court.

Fri, 03/01/2024

HCDE Assistant Professor Nadya Peek has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Award from the National Science Foundation. The five-year, over $700,000 grant will support Peek and students in her lab, Machine Agency, in revolutionizing how we approach small-scale automation across the digital/physical divide. 

Thu, 02/29/2024

HCDE Professor and Chair Julie Kientz is joining the esteemed ranks of the SIGCHI Academy, and Associate Professor Kate Starbird receives the prestigious 2024 SIGCHI Social Impact Award. These awards celebrate their remarkable contributions to Human-Computer Interaction, recognizing their excellence in research, teaching, practice, and service. 

Tue, 02/27/2024

Melissa Ewing and Meghan Oxley, staff in the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering, were nominated for the 2024 UW Distinguished Staff Award in the category of impact, recognizing them for their exemplary contributions to the department and University.