Programming Languages (PL), Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), and Software Engineering (SE) have a key overlapping interest: getting computers to do what we want. Each field has a different balance of methods and beneficiaries, from novice programmers to professional programmers. This talk will highlight the overlaps between HCI and PL, a powerful but under-explored pairing with much mutual benefit. HCI is concerned with creating new ways of interacting with computers and using computers to enhance human-to-human interaction, as well as studying how existing systems impact individuals and society. PL is concerned with the theory, design, and implementation of programming languages, program analyses, and program transformations. I will highlight several existing systems that demonstrate how PL and HCI are better together, as well as dispel common misconceptions and lay out some promising future research directions.

The discussion and AMA following this talk will be moderated by Amy Ko.

Elena Glassman is a the Stanley A. Marks and William H. Marks Assistant Professor at the Radcliffe Institute and a professor of computer science at the Harvard Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences specializing in human-computer interaction. She designs, builds and evaluates systems for comprehending and interacting with intelligent systems and population-level structure in large code and data corpora. Prior to joining Harvard as an assistant professor, Glassman earned BS, MEng and PhD degrees from MIT EECS and served as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley EECS department and Berkeley Institute for Design.