The HCI Graduate Program invites you to celebrate 20 years!

Join us for a series of events from Thursday, April 11 – Friday, April 12, 2024

Schedule of Events

>> Thursday, April 11

  • 1:00-5:00 PM – VRAC Research Center/HCI Poster Event, Howe Hall Atrium
  • 5:00-5:15 PM – The History of ISU HCI presented by Dr. Jim Oliver, Howe Hall, Lee Liu Auditorium
  • 5:15-6:15 PM – Featured speaker, Dr. Allison Woodruff, Howe Hall, Lee Liu Auditorium
  • 6:15-7:30 PM – Buffet Dinner, Reception and Networking, Howe Hall Atrium
  • 7:30-8:30 PM – Featured alum, Dr. Anicia Peters, Howe Hall, Lee Liu Auditorium
 

FEATURED SPEAKER
Dr. Allison Woodruff
User Experience Researcher, Google

Title: How Knowledge Workers Think Generative AI Will (Not) Transform Their Industries

Allison Woodruff is a human-computer interaction researcher who focuses on societal issues such as privacy, AI literacy, algorithmic fairness, and sustainability. Allison has 20+ years experience as a corporate researcher, and she has a strong record of translating her interdisciplinary research into significant product and organizational change. Allison is currently a user experience researcher at Google. Prior to working at Google, Allison worked at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and Intel Labs Berkeley. Allison is a
co-inventor on over 30 issued patents and has co-authored over 70 papers. She has conducted research in a wide range of settings, such as green homes, low-income neighborhoods, religious environments, museums, amusement parks, traditional work environments, and street sweeper maintenance yards. Allison is a member of the SIGCHI Academy, and she has served on program committees for AIES, AVI, CHI, CSCW, DIS, SOUPS, UbiComp, UIST, WWW, and more. She received her PhD in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

FEATURED ALUM
Dr. Anicia Peters 
CEO of the Namibia National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST)

Title: Transforming Africa: Navigating the AI Revolution in the African Landscape

Learn more about Dr. Peters here.


>> Friday, April 12

  • 9:00-10:30 AM – HCI Alumni Panel, Hach Hall, Thiel Lobby
    • Dr. Chase Meusel (Netflix): Dr. Chase Meusel is a Senior Researcher at Netflix, where he explores what goes into great gaming experiences. Previously, he spent 5 years conducting UX Research at Microsoft, primarily with the Xbox team. He earned his M.S. in HCI in 2014 and Ph.D. in HCI in 2017, and now lives in Minnesota and enjoys playing music, games, and swimming with his wife and two children.
    • Brandon Newendorp (Apple): Senior Software Engineering Manager. Brandon leads the team that’s responsible for Siri on Apple Watch, working with machine learning and engineering teams across Apple to create well-designed and tightly integrated experiences for Siri users around the world. He earned his B.S. in Computer Engineering in 2007 and his M.S. in human computer interaction in 2009. He was also known for many years at Iowa State as the co-chair and emcee for FIRST LEGO League.
    • Kate Peloquin (Intel): Catherine “Kate” Peloquin, Executive Research Assistant, Intel. Kate began her career conducting research for products used by tech employees and has since leveraged her foundation of engineering and UX insights across a variety of roles including program management, business operations, and roadmap planning for personal computing and datacenter products sold worldwide.
    • Dr. Lori Sjolund (3M): Lori Sjolund, PhD, Digital Software Development Specialist. Dr. Sjolund is a 2016 PhD graduate from the HCI and Psychology programs at ISU and currently works in the Corporate Research Systems Lab at 3M. In her role, she leads the early technical development of both physical and digital products. Her responsibilities vary based on project needs, but she is particularly passionate about connecting with end-users and frequently conducts usability tests and user interviews. Additionally, Lori has held multiple leadership roles at 3M, including serving as a 2022 Chair of 3M’s Tech Forum, a self-governed technical organization with 10,000 members, and as a 2023-2024 Lab Operations Manager in the Corporate Research Labs.
  • 10:30-10:45 AM – Break
  • 10:45-11:05 AM – HCI Awards, Brief comments from Stephen Gilbert, Eliot Winer, and the HCI Student Group, Hach Hall, Thiel Lobby
  • 11:05 AM-12:00 PM – Young HCI Faculty Speaker Panel, Hach Hall, Thiel Lobby
  • 12:00 PM – Buffet Lunch, Hach Hall, Thiel Lobby

Not associated with the HCI Anniversary Celebration – if you’re interested, we recommend you attend!

Natural and Artificial Intelligence: How Rational Are Humans?

  • Speaker: Steven Pinker
  • Friday, April 12, 2024
  • 6:00 PM
  • Sun Room, Memorial Union
  • Learn more here.