Schwarz Named to Forbes "30 Under 30"
News
HCII Ph.D. student Julia Schwarz has been named to Forbes' "30 Under 30 in 2015 Science" list, which recognizes the movers and shakers who are doing everything from bringing physics to medicine to deciphering the genomes of humans and other organisms.
For Schwarz, the honor comes for her work to translate a user's movements into better judgments about their intent — allowing computers to read the user's gestures. Her work with advisors Scott Hudson and Jennifer Mankoff has resulted in software that leverages probabilistic modeling, computer vision and machine learning to improve user interfaces.
In her spare time, Schwarz founded Qeexo with HCII Assistant Professor Chris Harrison and entrepreneur Sang Won Lee to create and commercialize a tool that will change how users interact with touchscreens. Qeexo's FingerSense technology understands how a user is touching the screen — with a fingertip, nail or knuckle — and uses that information to create more powerful, intelligent interactions with touch-enabled devices.
“This is a great honor,” Schwarz said. “I’d like to especially thank my colleagues and advisors at the HCII for supporting me — it is because of them that I was able to get this far.”
Read more about the "30 Under 30" list here.