News

Thu, 04/05/2018
Kate Starbird receives CAREER Award from National Science Foundation
HCDE Assistant Professor Kate Starbird has received a Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program Award from the National Science Foundation to support her research into why and how disinformation—or false information created intentionally to mislead and/or confuse—spreads online.

Wed, 04/04/2018
Professor Aragon brings UCD Charette to ChileWhile on a Fulbright Award to teach and research in Chile, HCDE Professor Cecilia Aragon is introducing computer science students to the user-centered design process with curriculum from back home in HCDE.

Tue, 04/03/2018
HCDE welcomes Dianne Hendricks to the faculty
As a lecturer in HCDE, Dr. Dianne Hendricks will lead the Engineering Communication Program for the College of Engineering. Dr. Hendricks brings an interdisciplinary science and engineering background and extensive experience leading teams and teaching writing-intensive engineering courses.

Fri, 03/23/2018
Reimagining the visitor experience at the new Burke Museum
Led by HCDE Lecturer Tyler Fox, students in a winter-quarter Directed Research Group used human-centered design to develop concepts for visitor engagement opportunities within the new Burke Museum. Students in the course presented their concepts to Burke staff and the HCDE community on March 5, 2018.

Thu, 03/22/2018
Julie Kientz receives Google Research Award to study inclusive media engagement for children
HCDE Associate Professor Julie Kientz has received a Google Faculty Research Award to study how technology can foster engagement between children with and without disabilities. The research team includes HCDE PhD student Kiley Sobel and iSchool Assistant Professor Jason Yip.

Thu, 03/22/2018 | College of Engineering
A robot confidantThe University of Washington College of Engineering features Project EMAR, a social robot being developed by UW researchers to better understand teen stress and emotional well-being.

Thu, 03/08/2018
Starbird receives grant to study disinformation flows
HCDE Assistant Professor Kate Starbird has been awarded a research grant via John Carroll University to analyze social media data related to disinformation flows.


Wed, 02/28/2018 | The Daily
The Daily features EmComp Lab disinformation researchA study by researchers in Assistant Professor Kate Starbird's Emerging Capacities of Mass Participation Lab discovers twitter activity by Russian troll accounts within domestic conversations surrounding gun violence and race relations. The UW Daily reports.

Fri, 02/09/2018 | UW Daily
Student Research Group Designs Website to Salvage Campus Food WasteThe UW Daily highlights recent work by an HCDE Directed Research Group led by lecturer and MS alumna Irini Spyridakis. The group has been working to design a website that can match UW dining hall leftovers with local nonprofits.
Thu, 01/18/2018 | Interactions Magazine
Sean Munson on Rethinking Assumptions in the Design of Health Tracking ToolsIn the current issue of Interactions Magazine, HCDE Assistant Professor Sean Munson discusses six common assumptions in the design of health tracking tools and provides insights about where designers and researchers should go from here.

Wed, 12/20/2017
HCDE professor leverages technology to pair mothers in academia to lighten holiday burden
This holiday season, HCDE Associate Professor Julie Kientz used a variety of online tools to organize a giving match between mothers working in academia. She asked academic mothers who are struggling to make ends meet what would help their families, and she matched them with academic mothers who have more than they need and who wanted to help. In all, over 240 gifts purchased for struggling families from women working in academia around the world.

Wed, 12/20/2017
HCDE research group explores bioluminescence for displays
In Autumn 2017, Human Centered Design & Engineering faculty members Brock Craft and Tyler Fox launched a new Directed Research Group to give students hands-on experience creating displays using living organisms.

Sat, 12/02/2017 | Science Magazine
Scott Miles on Earthquake Early Warning SystemsHCDE Research Scientist Scott Miles recently returned from Mexico where he studied how local residents perceived and used their earthquake early warning system. Miles and his research team summarized their recommendations in an editorial for the December 2017 issue of Science Magazine.

Mon, 11/27/2017
Kate Starbird presents at Engineering lecture series
Recent public debate around “fake news” has highlighted the growing challenge of online misinformation. This complex problem lies at the intersection of technology, human cognition and human behavior — and may make us unwitting accomplices to the spread of incorrect facts and misleading communication. Hear from Kate Starbird, whose research investigates online rumors to explore what conspiracy theories reveal about political propaganda.

Wed, 11/22/2017
Rosner and team receive Seattle Design Foundation grant
A team of designers including HCDE Assistant Professor Daniela Rosner has received the 2017 Seattle Design Foundation grant for a proposed project addressing the question, "How can we better design for future dialogues across generations and demographics?"

Thu, 11/09/2017
HCDE recognizes veteran Tyler Fox
In honor of Veterans Day, HCDE recognizes army veteran and HCDE faculty member: artist, technologist, and educator Dr. Tyler Fox. Fox’s background encompasses research and art in areas as broad as posthumanism and physical computing, and he attributes his career to the freedoms allowed by his service in the United States Army.

Thu, 11/02/2017
Starbird to study how people adapt after earthquakes
HCDE Assistant Professor Kate Starbird is embarking on a research project to study how people adapt to power outages and water shortages immediately following a natural disaster, to help policymakers, businesses and individuals better prepare for the future. The team will use earthquakes in Los Angeles as a case study.

Wed, 10/04/2017
Remembering Mike SinkulaHCDE mourns the loss of dedicated alumnus and affiliate faculty member Mike Sinkula. Mike graduated with his Master's in HCDE in 2014 and has been an instructor of HCDE's user-centered web design course ever since. He passed away in his home on Friday, September 27, 2017.

Thu, 09/28/2017
Kolko receives global health innovators award
Shift Labs, the medical device company started by HCDE Professor Beth Kolko, has received the Global Health Innovator Award at the 2017 MedTech Conference for their work developing DripAssist, a low-cost, intuitively-designed portable infusion rate monitor.

Mon, 09/18/2017
Nadya Peek to join HCDE faculty
The Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) is pleased to announce that Dr. Nadya Peek will join the department’s faculty as an assistant professor, beginning February 2018. Peek will bring a wealth of knowledge in machines and digital fabrication to HCDE’s interdisciplinary faculty.

Mon, 09/11/2017
HCDE center to host workshop on reflection in Engineering education
HCDE's Center for Engineering Learning & Teaching (CELT) is hosting a two-day workshop on reflection in engineering education, bringing over 60 leaders in this emerging community together on the UW campus on September 14-15, 2017.

Wed, 08/16/2017 | College of Engineering
Tsewone Melaku is Making STEM Education AccessibleHCDE major Tsewone Melaku is aligning her interests in engineering with her passion to make STEM education accessible to underrepresented high school students.

Fri, 08/11/2017 | The Whole U
Whole U Faculty Friday Spotlights Julie KientzThe University of Washington's Whole U catches up with HCDE Associate Professor Julie Kientz for a Faculty Friday spotlight. By limiting technology's user burdens, Kientz crafts diverse applications to benefit population health as director of HCDE's Computing for Healthy Living and Learning Lab.

Wed, 07/12/2017
Atman receives Goldsmith award from IEEE Professional Communication Society
HCDE Professor Cynthia J. Atman will receive the 2017 Alfred N. Goldsmith Award for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Communication from the IEEE Professional Communication Society.