Geek of the Week – Page 2 of 12

Geek of the Week: BlackSky’s Andrew Steen finds a job within his orbit, keeping satellites ‘happy’

by Kurt Schlosser on May 1, 2020May 1, 2020 at 12:44 pm

As a boy growing up in New Jersey, Andrew Steen had a range of hobbies and interests. He tried his hand at just about every sport, a dozen instruments, art,… Read More

Geek of the Week: Brea Starmer found freedom — and her own company — in flexible, remote work

by Kurt Schlosser on April 18, 2020April 18, 2020 at 9:14 am

From the “she shed” that serves as a home office sanctuary in her yard, Brea Starmer has learned a thing or two about working remotely over the years. But even… Read More

Video

What is effect of COVID-19 on pregnancy? UW’s Kristina Adams Waldorf wants to deliver answers

by Kurt Schlosser on April 4, 2020April 4, 2020 at 1:27 pm

As an obstetrician, Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf said there’s nothing that she likes more than to be involved in a totally healthy pregnancy and a beautiful birth, where mom and… Read More

Geek of the Week: Jordan Zager uses plant science to make cannabis more environmentally efficient

by Kurt Schlosser on March 28, 2020March 28, 2020 at 8:25 am

Jordan Zager grew up on the eastern slope of the Sierras, admiring the work started by John Muir and Jeanne Carr and learning the importance of protecting nature’s scarce resources.… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: Jen Haller got first coronavirus vaccine shot, and like all of us, misses normal life

by Kurt Schlosser on March 20, 2020March 20, 2020 at 1:55 pm

Jennifer Haller’s job, in part, as an operations manager at Attunely, is to help others feel comfortable and valued. This week, as the first person to get a shot in… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: With laser focus, Jon-Tait Beason embraces iOS engineering at Glowforge

by Kurt Schlosser on March 6, 2020March 7, 2020 at 2:27 pm

When Jon-Tait “Jazbo” Beason moved from Jamaica to the United States 15 years ago, he was pursuing his goal to become a physician. While studying Radiologic Technology and Biochemistry at… Read More

Video

The science of getting you your stuff: Amazon’s Salal Humair fills a critical role in the supply chain

by Kurt Schlosser on February 28, 2020February 29, 2020 at 8:29 am

If you’ve ever stopped to think about the journey your Amazon order made from your online cart to your doorstep at home, consider the work of Salal Humair, a senior… Read More

Geek of the Week: Slalom’s Maya Peterson is a Salesforce force for women entering tech

by Kurt Schlosser on February 14, 2020February 12, 2020 at 2:11 pm

Unable to finish college and working as many as three jobs at once in the service and nonprofit industries, Maya Peterson took a risk and borrowed money from family in… Read More

Geek of the Week: Trupanion’s David Jaw uses machine learning to help facilitate better pet care

by Kurt Schlosser on February 7, 2020February 7, 2020 at 1:59 pm

Plenty of people have a pet project that they are drawn to or consider themselves particularly good at. As the leader of the data science department at Trupanion in Seattle, David… Read More

Geek of the Week: Ahead of Super Bowl, data scientist Elijah Hall competes in NFL event to improve player safety

by Kurt Schlosser on January 30, 2020January 30, 2020 at 2:45 pm

Plenty of football fans will analyze all sorts of scenarios and plays in Super Bowl LIV in hopes of better understanding the big game. Elijah Hall is crunching data around… Read More

Video

After startup burnout, Seattle’s Kyle Kesterson resets on the road and launches a portal for rituals

by Kurt Schlosser on January 24, 2020January 24, 2020 at 4:33 pm

Dipping into what he called one of the juiciest bowls of guacamole he’d ever come across, Kyle Kesterson emailed from a cafe in Oaxaca, Mexico, days after ringing in the… Read More

Geek of the Week: Fred Hutch’s Jeanne Chowning committed to diversity and inclusion in science

by Kurt Schlosser on January 17, 2020February 6, 2020 at 2:01 pm

Dr. Jeanne Ting Chowning is a lifelong educator with a passion for science — and a commitment to making sure that that passion reaches and is of service to underrepresented… Read More

Geek of the Week: Maryssa Barron brings her (renewable) energy to clean tech and LevelTen

by Kurt Schlosser on January 10, 2020January 10, 2020 at 12:07 pm

Maryssa Barron grew up in a small, rural town in East Texas and spent most of her childhood playing music and running around the woods with friends. She went on… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: Automaton! Golden Idols! One’s a startup, one’s a band — Eric Peterson rocks for both

by Kurt Schlosser on January 3, 2020January 4, 2020 at 10:31 am

Eric Peterson has two main creative pursuits in Seattle, and both are well-suited to a city known for both. He creates software (most of the time) and music (some of… Read More

Best ways to manage everyday work and life? Here are tips and tricks from our 2019 Geeks of the Week

by Kurt Schlosser on December 27, 2019January 2, 2020 at 1:28 pm

Data scientists, students, oceanographers, retail shop owners, professional soccer goalies — we had an eclectic bunch of people to profile this year in our recurring Geek of the Week column.… Read More

Geek of the Week: Bioengineer by day and artist by night, Amanda Woodcock lives to create

by Kurt Schlosser on December 13, 2019December 12, 2019 at 3:54 pm

Whether she is brainstorming solutions to a medical problem, or coming up with a new ceramic form, Amanda Woodcock is constantly creating in her worlds as both a bioengineer and… Read More

Geek of the Week: Luis Ceze of Univ. of Washington and OctoML driven by ‘intellectual excitement’

by Kurt Schlosser on December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 at 8:19 pm

If you struggle keeping up with the daily tasks associated with whatever you do for a living, consider the three hats that Luis Ceze wears. He’s a professor in the… Read More

Geek of the Week: Doctor-turned-administrator Khin Latt relies on data analytics to inform care

by Kurt Schlosser on November 29, 2019November 29, 2019 at 10:23 am

When Khin Latt was a young girl growing up in Myanmar (Burma), she wanted to be an engineer, work for NASA, go to the moon and visit Mars. Perhaps’s she’ll… Read More

Geek of the Week: At 16, Nikolas Ioannou develops apps, goes to college and plans a health startup

by Kurt Schlosser on November 22, 2019November 23, 2019 at 3:52 pm

Like many entrepreneurs, technology has played a significant role in the life of Nikolas Ioannou. It just so happens that Ioannou’s life seems like it’s just getting started. The 16-year-old… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: If there’s roadwork ahead, Kurt Stiles uses 3D modeling and more to drive project

by Kurt Schlosser on November 15, 2019November 15, 2019 at 1:52 pm

If a new roadway or bridge or other infrastructure element in Washington state looks and drives exactly like you’d hoped it would, perhaps Kurt Stiles and his team at the… Read More

Video

How this college student and e-sports pro caught the attention of Shopify’s CEO — and got a job offer

by Kurt Schlosser on November 8, 2019November 8, 2019 at 6:55 am

Look, mom, a life of video games really does provide a resume boost. Certainly there are countless numbers of people making a living around games, with even more these days… Read More

Geek of the Week: Ryan Hogan’s Hunt A Killer doesn’t need screens to deliver immersive gaming

by Kurt Schlosser on November 1, 2019November 1, 2019 at 1:18 pm

For Ryan Hogan and the team behind the immersive entertainment company Hunt A Killer, the future of gaming is not coming at us through a screen. It’s coming right to… Read More

Geek of the Week: UX researcher Ender Ricart harnesses human know-how to make bots better

by Kurt Schlosser on October 25, 2019November 6, 2019 at 2:06 pm

You’ve likely heard someone complain, “I just want to speak to a human!” when dealing with a customer service issue. This desire is getting more and more difficult to fulfill… Read More

Geek of the Week: Kathleen Hoza’s on- and off-Earth curiosity fuels science work at First Mode

by Kurt Schlosser on October 18, 2019October 18, 2019 at 12:28 pm

Kathleen Hoza had a curiosity about Curiosity. During an internship at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, working on the engineering operations team for Curiosity, Hoza was always intrigued by the science… Read More

Geek of the Week: Intertox scientist Anne Galyean is also a mountain biking weekend warrior

by Kurt Schlosser on October 11, 2019October 10, 2019 at 8:45 pm

As Anne Galyean set a course to move up through the ranks of a science career, another path sent her down — as in downhill — as she took on… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: A star at Getty Images, Dan Gifford turned from astronomy to computer vision

by Kurt Schlosser on October 4, 2019October 4, 2019 at 12:48 pm

Growing up, Dan Gifford was encouraged to use both the creative and analytical parts of his brain in a variety of ways and to be well rounded. Gifford played lots… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: Matthew Burchette is flying high as Museum of Flight’s new senior curator

by Kurt Schlosser on September 27, 2019September 26, 2019 at 1:24 pm

Lots of interesting things have landed at The Museum of Flight over the years, Seattle’s home to a significant collection of artifacts related to the history of flight. Now, a… Read More

Geek of the Week: Ben Mussi finds love in creating the Seattle Dating App, a localized tool for singles

by Kurt Schlosser on September 19, 2019September 19, 2019 at 10:29 am

Ben Mussi is single in Seattle, and hasn’t been dating much at all lately because he’s been busy building a dating app for singles in Seattle. But there’s hope for… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: UW’s Justin Chan uses computer science skills to democratize medical devices

by Kurt Schlosser on September 13, 2019September 13, 2019 at 1:06 pm

Whenever Justin Chan visited a hospital, he was surprised to see the physically large and expensive devices that are rolled around for various diagnostics. It was a seemingly ordinary observation,… Read More

Video

Seattle Sounders goalie Stefan Frei saves some passion for off the pitch with art and tech pursuits

by Kurt Schlosser on September 6, 2019September 5, 2019 at 9:40 pm

There is artistry in athletics. And certainly that is true for those who play goaltender in soccer — just go rewatch “The Save.” Now the man behind that iconic Seattle… Read More