Information Session: Bachelor of Science in HCDE
Are you a prospective student interested in learning about the undergraduate program in Human Centered Design & Engineering? Join our undergraduate peer advisors for an overview of the program, curriculum, and application process.
Bring your questions and join us!
Note: You will need to be logged into a Zoom account and will need to register using the Zoom URL above to join this event.
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwvd-6urT0jHNwzjbN_jm9hpd1vsimEebEoa. Campus room: Virtual. Accessibility Contact: Meghan Oxley, what@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Information Sessions. Student Activities. Target Audience: Prospective students interested in learning more about applying to the HCDE BS program.
Friday, March 6, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
CREATE Accessibility Seminar - Winter 26
The CREATE Accessibility Seminar, CSE 590w - Accessibility Research, brings students and faculty together to explore a variety of topics relating to accessibility and technology.
In Winter 2026, we will continue the Art x Accessibility theme, featuring guest presenters each week. Please join us!
, Presenter schedule, Jan 12: Welcome session for folks to socialize and discuss their interests related to art and accessibility
Jan 26: Speaker and title to be announced
Feb 2: Lucy Jiang — Unseen City Canvases: Exploring Blind and Low Vision People’s Perspectives on Urban and Public Art Accessibility
Feb 9: Tony Fast — What you is what you hear (and feel): Art as a descriptive Sensory Framework for Accessibility Technologies
Feb 16: Dillon Simeone — Haptic Interfaces for Sonic Accessibility
Feb 23: Miriam Brody — Advancing Access Through Highlighting Crip Technoscience in the Arts
Mar 2: Patty Liang — Deaf Spotlight
Mar 9: Puneet Jain — DJ enters the mouth. Swallows it. Spits it back: What can HCI learn…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering (CSE2). Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/96652460861. Campus room: 271. Accessibility Contact: aashakad@cs.washington.edu. Event Types: Academics. Lectures/Seminars. Diversity Equity Inclusion. Target Audience: Grad students and faculty working on accessibility and accessible technology.
Monday, March 9, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
For more info visit create.uw.edu. HCDE Course Showcase: Service Design (HCDE 529)
Join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our end-of-quarter course showcases and view projects by current students. Light refreshments will be provided.
Find additional Winter 2026 Course Showcases on the HCDE calendar. Course Showcase: Service Design (HCDE 529), Instructor: Tyler Fox
Five student teams will share proposals for services that strengthen social infrastructure, addressing community needs through research-driven design. This is a great opportunity to see how HCDE students apply service design methods to real-world challenges.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: SIG 232. Accessibility Contact: hcdehelp@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events. Target Audience: HCDE community, prospective students, and friends of the department.
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.
HCDE Course Showcase: Foundations of Human Centered AI (HCDE 560)
Join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our end-of-quarter course showcases and view projects by current students. Light refreshments will be provided.
Find additional Winter 2026 Course Showcases on the HCDE calendar. Course Showcase: Foundations of Human Centered AI (HCDE 560), Instructor: Sourojit Ghosh
Get a look inside HCDE’s Foundations of Human-Centered AI course. Student teams will present projects demonstrating how they use AI as part of the design process while applying human-centered approaches to ensure these technologies support real user needs.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Odegaard Library (OUG). Campus room: OUG 141. Accessibility Contact: hcdehelp@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events. Target Audience: HCDE community, prospective students, and friends of the department.
Wednesday, March 11, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
HCDE Course Showcase: User Experience Prototyping (HCDE 351)
Join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our end-of-quarter course showcases and view projects by current students. Light refreshments will be provided.
Find additional Winter 2026 Course Showcases on the HCDE calendar. Course Showcase: User Experience Prototyping (HCDE 351), Instructor: Brock Craft
HCDE's User Experience Prototyping class opens their doors for a market-bazaar style showcase of student project concepts and prototype videos. Drop in, explore, and engage with student teams.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Interdisciplinary Engineering Building (IEB). Campus room: IEB 201. Accessibility Contact: hcdehelp@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events. Target Audience: HCDE community, prospective students, and friends of the department.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 10:30 AM – 12:20 PM.
HCDE Course Showcase: Physical Computing (HCDE 439)
Join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our end-of-quarter course showcases and view projects by current students. Light refreshments will be provided.
Find additional Winter 2026 Course Showcases on the HCDE calendar. Course Showcase: Physical Computing (HCDE 439), Instructor: Paula Te
View final presentations from students in HCDE's Physical Computing course. Students will first present their individual projects, followed by an open showcase during the final half hour.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: McMahon Hall (MCM). Campus room: DXARTS Gallery. Accessibility Contact: hcdehelp@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events. Target Audience: HCDE community, prospective students, and friends of the department.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 12:30 PM – 2:20 PM.
HCDE Course Showcase: Usability Research (HCDE 417)
Join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our end-of-quarter course showcases and view projects by current students. Light refreshments will be provided.
Find additional Winter 2026 Course Showcases on the HCDE calendar. Course Showcase: Usability Research (HCDE 417), Instructor: Mina Zavary
In HCDE's Usability Research course, student teams will present final projects based on quarter-long studies of products including Apple Photos, Apple FindMy, RyanAir, and OBS Streaming, and HeyTEA. See how students plan studies, gather user data, and turn insights into design recommendations.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: SIG 329. Accessibility Contact: hcdehelp@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events. Target Audience: HCDE community, prospective students, and friends of the department.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
Steve and Sylvia Burges Endowed Lecture - Professor Yinhai Wang
Enabling Smart Infrastructure with Edge Computing and Customized Artificial Intelligence
Featuring Dr. Yinhai Wang
Thomas and Marilyn Nielsen Endowed Professor in Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, RSVP: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=W9229i_wGkSZoBYqxQYL0rn59D5ejlBGhICvRlq9Cz5URUY2WUw4ODFBUFgwOUpHTEZTTFhHQkNMNC4u&route=shorturl
This lecture is open to the public. Prior registration is encouraged but not required. Abstract
Across the United States, roads, bridges and other infrastructure are aging — while extreme weather and cybersecurity risks are rising. To respond, engineers are exploring “smart infrastructure”: systems that use sensors and AI to spot problems early and support faster, safer decisions.
This talk highlights an approach that processes sensor data directly in the field — on low-cost “edge” devices — instead of sending everything to the cloud or a server. Using examples from the UW’s Smart Transportation…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Alder Hall (ALD). Campus room: Alder Hall. Accessibility Contact: Jon Emard @ jmemard@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
UX Speaker Series: Jess Hollbrook & Mike Davidson, Microsoft AI
Each winter, the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering welcomes designers, researchers, and technology leaders to campus for a 10-week UX Speaker Series. Join us on Thursday afternoons to hear how industry experts are shaping the future of user experience across sectors.
All events are free and open to the public.
Talk titles and descriptions will be added as they become available.
MARCH 12
Jess Hollbrook & Mike Davidson
Head of UX Research for Microsoft AI (Jess Hollbrook)
Corporate Vice President, Design & User Research, Microsoft AI (Mike Davidson), About the presenters, Jess Holbrook has spent the last 12 years researching how people's lives can be meaningfully improved with AI at Google, Meta, and now Microsoft where he leads UX Research for the Microsoft AI team. Prior to that, he was Director of UX Research for Generative AI and Responsible AI at Meta. He got his start in human-AI research at Google where he was a founder and lead of Google’s People + AI Research group (PAIR). His…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: 134 Sieg Building. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 4:30 PM – 5:20 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu. HCDE Course Showcase: Designing a Human Centered Venture (HCDE 534)
Join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our end-of-quarter course showcases and view projects by current students. Light refreshments will be provided.
Find additional Winter 2026 Course Showcases on the HCDE calendar. Course Showcase: Designing a Human Centered Venture (HCDE 534), Instructor: Sheryl Cababa
Get a look inside HCDE’s Designing a Human-Centered Venture course. Student teams will present final pitches for ventures they have developed over the quarter, applying human-centered research, design, and business strategy to address real user needs.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Odegaard Library (OUG). Campus room: OUG 136. Accessibility Contact: hcdehelp@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events. Target Audience: HCDE community, prospective students, and friends of the department.
Thursday, March 12, 2026, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM.
HCDE Course Showcase: Directed Research Group - Co-Creating Solutions for FIFA World Cup Transportation Challenges
Join the Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our end-of-quarter course showcases and view projects by current students. Light refreshments will be provided.
Find additional Winter 2026 Course Showcases on the HCDE calendar. Course Showcase: Co-Creation for Enhanced Collaborative Operations of Diverse Stakeholders Addressing Large, Complex Problems | an HCDE Directed Research Group, Instructor: Mark Haselkorn
Join HCDE for final presentations from this Directed Research Group, where two student teams will share proposals developed for Sound Transit to address transportation challenges during the FIFA World Cup. See how students collaborate with external partners and stakeholders to co-create solutions for large-scale, real-world infrastructure needs.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Sieg Building (SIG). Campus room: SIG 420. Accessibility Contact: hcdehelp@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events. Target Audience: HCDE community, prospective students, and friends of the department.
Tuesday, March 17, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM.
MS in Technology Innovation Info Session
Attend a virtual information session to learn more about the full-time Master of Science in Technology Innovation. Join us to learn about the program, projects, and curriculum, as well as how to apply, application requirements, and best practices.
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://engrwashington.event451.sites.451.io/event/1064635. Accessibility Contact: msti@uw.edu. Event Types: Information Sessions. Target Audience: Prospective Graduate Students.
Thursday, March 19, 2026, 6:00 PM – 6:45 PM.
For more info visit www.gix.uw.edu. MSE Seminar: Yun Hang Hu
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Matthew Yankowitz, myank@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, March 30, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Information Session: Bachelor of Science in HCDE
Are you a prospective student interested in learning about the undergraduate program in Human Centered Design & Engineering? Join our undergraduate peer advisors for an overview of the program, curriculum, and application process.
Bring your questions and join us!
Note: You will need to be logged into a Zoom account and will need to register using the Zoom URL above to join this event.
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/meeting/register/upZjzxYbR9aW3sUBmaXIQA. Campus room: Virtual. Accessibility Contact: Meghan Oxley, what@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Information Sessions. Student Activities. Target Audience: Prospective students interested in learning more about applying to the HCDE BS program.
Monday, March 30, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
MSE Seminar: Fang Liu
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Matthew Yankowitz, myank@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, April 6, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
“Intersection of Engineering and Art” Community Lecture
Human expression sits at the center of human endeavor and world-class engineering is often required to support it. Meet professional sculptor and Burges Visiting Professor Richard Rhodes as he shares highlights from his professional practice. While working at the limits of stone and its expression, Rhodes illuminates one of the primary building materials of our world.
Richard Rhodes is a professional sculptor, Master stonemason, and scholar of stonework worldwide. His book, Stone: Ancient Craft to Modern Mastery (Princeton Architectural Press, June 2025) looks at the last 5000 years of stone architecture and works to decode the design principles. As the first non-Italian admitted into Siena’s medieval masonic guild in 726 years (operative branch of the Freemason’s, heirs to the cathedral builders of Europe), he is known throughout the sculpture and stone community as the “last apprentice” since the guild collapsed in the mid-1990’s. During Rhodes’ UW appointment, he hopes to engage students and faculty with…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Alder Hall (ALD). Campus room: Alder Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: Jon Emard, jmemard@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
MSE Seminar: Jun Xiao
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Matthew Yankowitz, myank@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, April 13, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Distinguished Lecture Series: Mike Dodds - What Happens to Software When Proof is Cheap?
Abstract
In July 2025, three AI systems independently achieved gold-medal standard at the International Math Olympiad. One of them, Harmonic's Aristotle, did it by constructing formal proofs in the Lean proof assistant. Six months later, several AIs working together used Lean to solve an open problem posed by Paul Erdős. We may soon live in a strange world where AI is better at math than any human expert.
Lean and tools like it bridge two worlds: mathematicians use them to formalise theorems, but engineers use them to prove that code behaves correctly. This second use, formal verification, has a long history and a few notable successes in cryptography, operating systems, and parser security. But these successes have always been limited by the sheer difficulty of the mathematical reasoning they require.
Now, AI may be changing this picture. If mathematical reasoning is cheap, we could eliminate entire classes of bugs from systems at scale, guarantee that safety-critical code behaves as intended, or verify au…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus room: Gates Center (CSE2), G20 | Amazon Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, April 16, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
Gates Center (CSE2), G20 | Amazon Auditorium.
For more info visit www.cs.washington.edu. MSE Seminar: Timothy Hebrink
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Matthew Yankowitz, myank@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, April 20, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Digital Accessibility Liaisons' Meeting
Join us as we welcome new and existing Digital Accessibility Liaisons members to our third Community of Practice meeting of the 2025-2026 academic year! We are still fine-tuning our agenda, but stay tuned for more details closer to our meeting date.
Agenda TBD
To become a Digital Accessibility Liaison, please visit the Digital Accessibility Liaisons webpage.
The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: 206.543.6450/V, 206.685.7264 (FAX), or e-mail at dso@uw.edu.
Event interval: Single day event. Online Meeting Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/96052250328. Accessibility Contact: ats-events@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings. Target Audience: Digital Accessibility Liaisons.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM.
Human Centered Design & Engineering Research Showcase
The HCDE Research Showcase highlights ongoing work by faculty, research scientists, postdocs, PhD students, and undergraduates. The event is designed to build community around HCDE research and create space for conversation across our community of students, alumni, friends, and the broader UW community.
Attendees will explore posters and interactive project demos and have the opportunity to speak directly with researchers across HCDE’s research clusters and topic areas.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: University of Washington Club (Faculty Center) (FAC). Accessibility Contact: welliver@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026, 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit hcde.uw.edu. MSE Seminar: Chenhao Jin
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Matthew Yankowitz, myank@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, May 4, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
Distinguished Lecture Series: Kevin Weil - Accelerating Science with AI
Abstract is forthcoming. BIO:
Kevin Weil is VP of OpenAI for Science, focused on building the next great scientific instrument: an AI-powered platform that accelerates scientific discovery. Previously, Kevin served as the Chief Product Officer at OpenAI, where he led the teams turning frontier models into products like ChatGPT, Codex, and the OpenAI API.
Before joining OpenAI, Kevin was the President, Product and Business at Planet Labs. He was previously the co-founder of the Libra cryptocurrency and VP of Product for Novi at Facebook, VP of Product at Instagram and SVP of Product at Twitter. Earlier in his career, Kevin held software engineering and data science roles at Cooliris, Tropos Networks, Microsoft Research and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
Kevin graduated summa cum laude in physics and mathematics from Harvard University and has an M.S. in physics from Stanford University. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and serves on the boards of Cisco and The Nature Co…
Event interval: Single day event. Campus room: Gates Center (CSE2), G20 | Amazon Auditorium. Accessibility Contact: dso@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Thursday, May 7, 2026, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM.
Gates Center (CSE2), G20 | Amazon Auditorium.
For more info visit www.cs.washington.edu. MSE Seminar: TBD
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Matthew Yankowitz, myank@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, May 11, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
MSE Seminar: Robert Hickey
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Matthew Yankowitz, myank@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, May 18, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
UW GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day) 2026
The purpose of GAAD is to get everyone talking, thinking, and learning about digital access and inclusion. This will be a hybrid event. Registration is required as the in-person space available is limited.
The University of Washington is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education and employment for individuals with disabilities. To request disability accommodation contact the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at: 206.543.6450/V, 206.685.7264 (FAX), or e-mail at dso@uw.edu.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: ats-events@uw.edu. Event Types: Meetings. Target Audience: UW.
Thursday, May 21, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Memorial Day
Holidays
No classes. Most University offices and buildings are closed. Check with specific offices to confirm.
Event interval: Single day event. Year: 2026. Quarter: Spring. Event Types: Academics.
Monday, May 25, 2026.
For more info visit www.washington.edu. CREATE Community Day
CREATE Community Day is an annual half-day forum for discussing the concerns about and approaches to sustainable accessibility research and a showcase of research led by CREATE and HuskyADAPT. Student researchers highlight their work and showcase a variety of individual and team projects.
We are currently making plans for Community Day 2026. Details available in spring.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Bill & Melinda Gates Center for Computer Science & Engineering (CSE2). Campus room: Zillow Commons. Accessibility Contact: oliviapb@uw.edu. Event Types: Academics. Diversity Equity Inclusion. Exhibits. Information Sessions. Meetings. Special Events. Target Audience: Anyone interested in research on accessible technology & making the world accessible through tech.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
For more info visit create.uw.edu. MSE Seminar: Joe Falson
Title: TBD
Abstract: TBD
Bio: TBD.
Event interval: Single day event. Accessibility Contact: Matthew Yankowitz, myank@uw.edu. Event Types: Lectures/Seminars.
Monday, June 1, 2026, 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM.
HCDE Capstone Showcase
Join the University of Washington's Department of Human Centered Design & Engineering for our 2026 Capstone Showcase.
Student teams solve real-world problems through a human-centered lens. Projects are proposed by industry sponsors or driven by an interest from the students on the team. Details about projects will be added as the showcase nears.
Questions? Contact Melissa Ewing at mewing3@uw.edu.
Event interval: Single day event. Campus location: Student Union Building (HUB). Campus room: HUB Ballroom. Accessibility Contact: mewing3@uw.edu. Event Types: Exhibits. Special Events.
Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM.
For more info visit www.hcde.washington.edu.