My personal goal in life is to change the world's perception of technology by raising people's expectations through areas of Interaction Design & Visualization. As a multi-disciplinary Interaction Designer, my scholastic research and professional focus is on creating systems and electronic interfaces that are both effective and efficient. I am particularly interested in improving users' experiences through data-mining and context awareness. I believe such techniques are necessary as users are asked to manage an ever increasing amount of information. Having dual majored in Computer Science and Psychology, I bring a breadth of knowledge in people and technology as well as a passion for business, design, and innovation. I have also completed a M.S. in Human Computer Interaction from Rensselaer. As an advocate of simplicity and usability I have worked on many projects over the past few years to design and develop more efficient and effective systems, including Meeting Processes & Collaboration, Contact Management, Online Health Benefit Management, RSS Aggregation, Web Browsing History, and many others.

Most recently I have started my own venture designing and developing an iPhone application called Stacks. Stacks, a deliciously simple yet refined flashcard application and was designed from the ground up with an uncomprimised user-experience. Stacks is now available on the iTunes App Store. For more information, visit: http://www.dustinkirk.com/stacks

Employment:
Hewlett-Packard - Interaction Designer
Benefitfocus.com - Interaction Designer
MITRE - UI Designer / Engineer

Education:
RPI - B.S. Computer Science & Psychology
RPI - M.S. Human Computer Interaction
MIT - Certificate: Entrepreneurship Development Program

Personal Trajectory:
I grew up on a ranch in western South Dakota feeding cows and fixing fences. Working on cutting edge technology used by millions seemed like a logical path for me to take.

Virtues:
Creative Problem Solving

Vices:
Bad Puns

Special Interest:
Renewable Energy & Genomics