Graduate School Panel
Come and learn about graduate school and see if it's the path you want to take for user experience design, research, or academia careers!
Meet Our Panelists Kaitlyn Ouverson is currently a third-year graduate student at Iowa State University, working toward a Ph.D. in Human Computer Interaction. Her dissertation work centers on the use of VR by a group in a single location, and how the experience of VR can be made more accessible and more useful. Before pursuing graduate work, she earned a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in Statistics. She is passionate about research design, CSCW, UX, XR, video games, and accessibility and inclusion. She has two cats, a love for travel, and a fascination with language.
Maggie Iglesias Pena is a User Experience/Strategist Designer and User Researcher who builds end-to-end digital experiences and a design community-builder. She's currently working as a UX Designer at Hy-Vee, a supermarket chain in the Midwest, focusing on the different experiences around the retail and eCommerce space. She has about 4 years of experience working with SaaS, Cloud-Based Enterprise Software, Reporting, Dashboard products in the Financial and AgroScience industry. She is passionate about UX, research, XR, video games, and building communities. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dog, travel to new places, work on side projects, and try new recipes.
Desmond is a fifth year Phd. Candidate in Human Computer Interaction & Industrial Engineering at Iowa State. His dissertation work primarily focuses on STEM engagement geared towards underrepresented populations. Before graduate study, he earned his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Auburn University. He has worked for the Intel Corporation, is a 2017 GEM Consortium Scholar, and was a 2018 Dissertation Institute Cohort Member. He enjoys finding interesting art, drinking tea, Formula 1/Indycar , and occasionally dabbling in cosplay at comic book conventions.
Dr. Anna Slavina teaches Human Computer Interaction (HCI) at Iowa State University where she received a PhD in HCI and Masters in HCI and psychology. She teaches classes in research methods and other areas of interest which include critical examinations of technology, how information tech interacts with human cognition, different perspectives in HCI, and positive aspects of tech. She is currently working remotely from Park City, UT where there's no end to hiking, mountain biking, and climbing possibilities.
Mindy Hoover is a fourth year graduate student currently pursuing her PhD in Human Computer Interaction (HCI) at Iowa State University. Her research focuses on how virtual reality can be used to create customized and adaptive experiences in training and simulation. Previously, she completed her Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering (ME) as well as a Master's Degree in ME and HCI with a minor in Industrial Engineering. She has gained industry experience through internships at The Boeing Company, and Google. Besides HCI and UX, her passions are baking french macarons, running, and (when there isn't a pandemic happening) traveling the world.
Tyler Musgrave is a first-year Ph.D. student at the University of Michigan's School of Information. Her research interests involve black studies, human centered-interaction, extended reality, and futuristic studies. She has her B.A in global studies and health science from LIU Global, an experiential global college where she studied in Costa Rica, China, South Africa, and New York City. Tyler served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon, where her interests in restorative justice and technology sprouted from the civil movement that was taking place online. She has industry experience through a fellowship with Mozilla and, her recent work at Mursion VR.
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