These students are currently working on their certificates in Human Computer Interaction at Iowa State University. Through online distance learning, students who are working in business and industry are able to take courses to learn more about HCI without having to travel to the ISU campus or committing to a full graduate program. The certificate can be earned in one to two years.

For additional information about the HCI Certificate program: HCI Certificate

Lynda Baker

Bio: By trade, Lynda is a Web Content and User Experience Professional. Her first career was that of a Corporate Paralegal. However, in 1998, she “accidentally” changed her career and began building websites. A self-professed late bloomer, she finally completed her undergraduate work in August of 2008. She graduated summa cum laude from Widener University whereshe majored in English. She was inducted into Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Lamda Sigma, both of which are centered around academic achievement. Lynda has been married for almost 20 years and has two teenage daughters. It is her goal to complete the HCI Grad Certificate and then hopefully move on to earn a Master’s degree.

Samantha Dahlby

Bio: Samantha is a software engineer at Intermec Technologies in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She designs and develops short range, wireless technology software for Intermec handheld computers. Her undergraduate degree is in Computer Engineering and was completed at Iowa State. She is interested in applying HCI research to their products to improve the user experience and make our customers more productive.

Tracy Goldbach

Ashley Kline

John McSwain

Bio: John is originally from Atlanta, GA and is pursuing a graduate certificate and a MS in Human Computer Interaction. John is interested in gaining a mastery of the humanistic perspective of interface and interaction design to compliment his knowledge of computer science and web technologies. John works primarily as a User Interface / Interaction Designer and Information Architect for hire in the Metro Atlanta area. He has developed interactive applications for several large corporations which include Coca-Cola, IBM, 3M, AT&T, and Showtime. John’s research interests focus primarily on adaptive interface technology and its role in consumer based applications. John’s future goals include graduate study in field of software engineering and authoring books focused on adaptive interfaces and accessibility.

William Morse

Jessica Nemec

Bio: Jessica is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. After earning her BS degree in Computer Science she spent several years as both a front and back end developer. It was during this time that she developed an interest in HCI, particularly how it impacts Web Development.

Monica Simpson

David Watkins

Bio: David is employed at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids as a Systems Engineer. He has worked on various projects involving flight displays and communication system and is currently working towards a Masters degree in Systems Engineering at Iowa State. HCI is a natural complement within Systems Engineering and provides the proper focus for his professional and educational goals. In this way, when designing or updating systems involving human-machine interfaces, he will have the necessary foundation to make better technical decisions. He also believes there are many entrepreneurial ideas and projects within HCI. This provides more options fo rhis future, professionally and educationally.