The Human-Centered Engineering Symposium 2026
The Human-Centered Engineering Symposium
March 5-6, 2026
Siebel Center for Design, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The Symposium will bring together educators, practitioners, and researchers from all disciplines of Engineering, to collaborate and share insights on how Human-Centered perspectives inform their work.
brought to you by:
In collaboration with the Grainger College of Engineering and Siebel Center for Design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Human-Centered Engineering Consortium is hosting the first symposium on Human-Centered Engineering.
Attendance is FREE. All are welcome!
Come join us in the conversation.
Schedule at a Glance
The Symposium will take place, in-person, at Siebel Center for Design at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
On Friday only, some sessions will be hybrid.
Symposium Goals
Strengthen national leadership in HCE by fostering cross-sector collaboration among academia, industry, and policy.
Sustain and grow the HCE community through structured knowledge exchange and networking opportunities.
Define strategic priorities for the field by identifying key challenges, opportunities, and directions for future work.
Engineering for People: Purpose, Practice, and Impact
We recently hosted Dr. Brock Craft, teaching professor at Washington University and co-founder of the HCE Consortium, at SCD. Read our recap of his presentation to get a taste of what will be covered at the Symposium!
Getting to Champaign-Urbana & Siebel Center for Design
From Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
Peoria Charter Bus
- Take the free Airport Transit System (ATS) from Terminals 1–3 or 5 to the Multi-Modal Facility (MMF) to access the Peoria Charter bus.
- Choose from three Champaign-Urbana arrival points:
- The Armory (on campus)
- ISR (on campus)
- Illinois Terminal (downtown Champaign)
- Take the Blue Line toward Forest Park & get off at Clinton.
- Walk about 5 minutes to:
- Union Station (Amtrak Train)
- Chicago Greyhound Station (Greyhound Bus)
- Arrive at the Illinois Terminal in Downtown Champaign (convenient access to restaurants, hotels, and shopping)
All major rental companies available on-site.
Drive time: 2.5 to 3 hours via I-90 → I-294 S → I-57 S
From Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
Peoria Charter
- The Peoria Charter bus picks up directly at Midway Airport.
- Choose from three Champaign-Urbana arrival points:
- The Armory (on campus)
- ISR (on campus)
- Illinois Terminal (downtown Champaign)
- Take the Orange Line toward The Loop & get off at Quincy.
- Walk about 10 minutes to:
- Union Station (Amtrak Train)
- Chicago Greyhound Station (Greyhound Bus)
- Arrive at the Illinois Terminal in Downtown Champaign (convenient access to restaurants, hotels, and shopping)
All major rental companies available on-site.
Drive time: 2.5 to 3 hours via I-55 S → I-57 S
From Savoy Willard Airport (CMI)
Rideshare or Taxi
Uber, Lyft, and local taxis available curbside.
Approx. 12 to 15 minutes to campus.
Willard Airport offers on-site rental services through major companies.
Drive time: 12-15 min via US-45 N straight into Champaign-Urbana
MTD (Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District) offers limited bus service depending on time of day.
Arriving at Siebel Center for Design
Address:
Siebel Center for Design1208 South Fourth StreetChampaign, IL 61820
Guests can enter through the main doors on Fourth Street.
Parking: Pay-by-plate meter parking is available in nearby campus lots and streets
Rideshare drop-off: located directly in front of the building.
Shuttle: A shuttle bus will be available for those staying at the Symposium's contracted hotel (Home2Suites by Hilton).
Hotel Information
Financial Assistance for Hotel Costs
Although there is no fee to attend the symposium, we recognize that travel costs may be impactful to some.
We have limited funds available to help cover hotel costs, to be distributed by lottery. When you register, please let us know if you would like to be included in the lottery. All lottery applicant and recipient information will be kept private.