A Community of Human-Centered Engineers, Together at Last: A Reflection on the Inaugural Human-Centered Engineering Symposium

On March 5–6, 2026, Siebel Center for Design (SCD) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign welcomed a national community of educators, researchers, practitioners, and students for the inaugural Human-Centered Engineering Symposium (HCES).

Hosted in collaboration with The Grainger College of Engineering and the Human-Centered Engineering Consortium, the HCES brought together a field that has largely been built across institutions, disciplines, and digital spaces. For many attendees, this was the first time meeting collaborators and peers in person, leading to long overdue connections.

Day 1

Day One began at 4pm, with attendees arriving, many after long days of travel and still rolling suitcases behind them. But before most even made it fully into the space, they were consumed in hugs and laughter, eager to greet one another. The energy was palpable; conversations sparked in the entryway and carried throughout the building.

What could have been a quiet start quickly became something else entirely: a room full of people who had been waiting for this moment.

The evening featured a keynote panel, “Illuminating the Evolution of Human-Centered Engineering,” moderated by SCD’s Engineering Education Lead Dr. Alexander Pagano, and featuring Dr. Micah Lande from the South Dakota School of Mines, Dr. Julie Kientz from the University of Washington, and Dr. Holly Golecki and Sneha Gayen from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The conversation spanned research, teaching, student experience, administration, and industry. Together, they explored what it truly means to center people in engineering systems and how institutions can evolve to support that work.

The panel concluded with a recap and insights from SCD Engineering Course Development Fellow Taylor Parks.

Day 2

Day Two began early, with breakfast at 8am and conversations picking up right where they left off the night before.

Throughout the morning, a poster session featured over 20 presenters from across the country, presenting projects addressing a wide range of human-centered challenges. Congratulations to Outstanding Poster Award winner Lauren Wojciechowski for her work, “Investigating and Evaluating Equitable Co-Design Methodology in Global Health.”

With unseasonably warm weather, many gathered on the Siebel Center for Design’s outdoor terrace, taking advantage of the sunshine to continue conversations over lunch. Inside and out, the level of engagement was unmistakable. Concurrent information sessions, facilitated by Dr. Eileen Webb, Dr. Chelsea Salinas, Dr. Georges Ayoub, SCD’s Assistant Director of Lab & Equipment Operations Neil Pearse, Dr. Cristián Vargas-Ordóñez, and Dr. Micah Lande created space for deeper reflection, with participants sharing their work, exchanging ideas, and beginning to shape collective priorities for the field.

What stood out most was not just the structure of the sessions, but the way people showed up within them. Thoughtful discussions unfolded in small groups, in passing conversations, and even in line while waiting for lunch. There was a shared sense that these conversations mattered, and a willingness to engage deeply with one another’s perspectives.

Looking Ahead

Across both days, one thing was clear: human-centered engineering is not a niche interest, but a growing, interdisciplinary movement.

By bringing together individuals who had previously only connected online, the Symposium helped transform a distributed network into a more tangible, connected community. The relationships formed, conversations sparked, and ideas exchanged over these two days will continue to shape the future of the field.