The Information Science and Technology Center (ISTeC) at Colorado State University held the first ThingsCon Salon – Colorado on Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019. Below, we share the team’s write-up of the first ThingsCon event in Colorado.
ThingsCon Colorado Salon #1
At our inaugural ThingsCon Colorado Salon, held in Denver and hosted by partner Colorado State University’s Information Science and Technology Center, we hosted speakers exploring IOT product design, human factors and civic applications.
Eric Lustgarten is the director of growth and strategy at Hygge Power, a Boulder, Colorado-based energy startup working on the future of energy generation, distribution and storage. The company is building intelligent hardware and software that enable renewable energy on the grid while enhancing consumer experiences.
Ashton M. Smithis Hygge Power’s Human Interaction Design Lead, bringing the best experience to users by seamlessly merging the experience of physical product features and behaviors with a user-friendly software interface. His background of industrial design blended with his passion for consumer behavior and psychology has resulted in unique solutions and products to include medical tools, architectural installations, furniture, and bicycles with integrated electronics.
Download Ashton’s presentation here (PDF).
Dr. Timothy Amidon Dr. Amidon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Colorado State University and holds an appointment within the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the Colorado School of Public Health. As a researcher working across the fields of writing studies, professional and technical communication, and digital rhetoric, he explores the literacy and communication practices people utilize in workplace and educational settings with special interests in the nexus of design, risk, and information technology. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the U.S. fire service, serves as a reserve firefighter for the Wellington Fire Protection District in his free time.
Tim summarized his efforts to develop a wearable firefighter physiology monitor, and his remarks highlighted the importance of informating rather than automating firefighters practice of safety.
Tyler Svitak has built his career solving problems at the intersection of technology and urbanism. Tyler has held strategic roles advancing connected, automated, and electric mobility initiatives at the City and County of Denver, Colorado Department of Transportation, and American Lung Association in Colorado. Tyler is the Executive Director of the Colorado Smart Cities Alliance, the first and only statewide coalition of public, private, academic and research organizations committed to advancing smart cities initiatives across sectors and jurisdictions.