Geek of the Week

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 amComment

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 pmComment

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 pm1 Comment

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 pmComment

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 amComment

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 pm1 Comment

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 pmComment

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

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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 amComment

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 pmComment

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 pmComment

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 pmComment

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 pmComment

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

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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 pmComment

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

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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 pmComment

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 am1 Comment

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

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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 pmComment

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

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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 pmComment

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

Geek of the Week: Tableau’s Sarah Battersby finds her way in helping people use maps and spatial data

by Kurt Schlosser on August 31, 2019August 30, 2019 at 10:54 amComment

Sarah Battersby isn’t a “map person” — she doesn’t collect them in any real way or decorate her house with cool maps. But the cartographer, or “psychogeographer,” spends her time… Read More

Geek of the Week: Annee Ngo engages students with e-sports tied to education and real money

by Kurt Schlosser on August 23, 2019August 23, 2019 at 2:19 pmComment

The popular belief may be that gaming and e-sports can serve to distract kids from focusing on what’s “really important,” but at Startup League in Vancouver, B.C., co-founder and CEO… Read More

Geek of the Week: Info security pro Dan Schwalbe has a buzzworthy side job as ‘Dan the Bee Man’

by Kurt Schlosser on August 16, 2019August 18, 2019 at 12:50 pmComment

During the day, in his job as the deputy chief information security officer for Farsight Security, Dan Schwalbe helps root out cybersecurity threats to try to make the internet a… Read More

Geek of the Week: Limeade’s Tiff Napolitano is building better workplaces — starting with her own

by Kurt Schlosser on August 9, 2019August 9, 2019 at 12:32 pmComment

Limeade is a Bellevue, Wash.-based software company focused on elevating the employee experience, helping to build great places to work for enterprise companies. Tiff Napolitano, senior director of product management,… Read More

Geek of the Week: How lifelong entrepreneur Bob Crimmins’ little poker game ballooned to a 2,300-person startup group

by Monica Nickelsburg on August 4, 2019August 4, 2019 at 8:31 amComment

There are plenty of stories of entrepreneurs who got their start in dorm rooms and garages, but how many can trace their startup hustle back to the playground? At 12-years-old,… Read More

Geek of the Week: Sandeep Nain walked away from tech and trekked into a passion for the outdoors

by Kurt Schlosser on July 27, 2019July 27, 2019 at 10:03 amComment

When he was working for the Indian technology company Infosys, back around 2005, Sandeep Nain was contemplating taking a year off to bike and hike around his home country. In… Read More

Geek of the Week: Systima Technologies’ Taylor Banks is a ‘space addict’ hooked on what lies ahead

by Kurt Schlosser on July 20, 2019July 20, 2019 at 10:01 amComment

Taylor Banks is a self-confessed space addict. The CFO for Kirkland, Wash.-based Systima Technologies, Inc., manufacturers of systems and components for the space and defense industries, always had an interest… Read More

Geek of the Week: Researcher, writer, mom Amanda Sullivan pushes importance of STEM for young girls

by Kurt Schlosser on July 12, 2019July 11, 2019 at 1:03 pm1 Comment

As a young girl, Amanda Sullivan never met any female engineers or scientists. She was never encouraged to pursue a hobby or club around STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: Tom Bates is the brains behind the fireworks that burst over Seattle on July 4

by Kurt Schlosser on July 4, 2019July 4, 2019 at 6:53 amComment

For a guy who likes to blow stuff up, Tom Bates can come across as rather reserved. But every Fourth of July he’s a total blast, as the person in… Read More

Geek of the Week: Ganesh Shankar founded Portland’s RFPIO to improve the processes that wasted his time

by Kurt Schlosser on June 28, 2019June 28, 2019 at 12:53 pmComment

Earlier in his career, Ganesh Shankar found himself surrounded by inefficient request for proposal (RFP) processes and time-consuming delays that came with finalizing that work at the companies where he… Read More

Geek of the Week: Amazon’s David Ham takes Pride in his work and his role with LGBTQ group glamazon

by Kurt Schlosser on June 21, 2019June 22, 2019 at 10:54 amComment

June is a busy month for David Ham. The senior video program manager at Amazon Web Services has plenty to do during his day job. But as the president of… Read More

Video

Geek of the Week: ‘Secret superpower’ helps guide Hannah Werbel’s success at the Univ. of Washington

by Kurt Schlosser on June 14, 2019June 14, 2019 at 11:26 amComment

Hannah Werbel’s impact at the University of Washington was recognized early at the school when she was awarded the President’s Freshman Medal as the top student in the UW’s entire… Read More

Geek of the Week: A true people person, Caiman’s Marci Marra embraces rapid transformation

by Kurt Schlosser on June 7, 2019June 7, 2019 at 12:18 pmComment

Before Marci Marra could seize on a career helping to transform people and organizations, she had to go through a bit of a transformation herself. A native Washingtonian, Marra —… Read More

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Geek of the Week: Tableau’s Sarah Battersby finds her way in helping people use maps and spatial data

Geek of the Week: Annee Ngo engages students with e-sports tied to education and real money

Geek of the Week: Info security pro Dan Schwalbe has a buzzworthy side job as ‘Dan the Bee Man’

Geek of the Week: Limeade’s Tiff Napolitano is building better workplaces — starting with her own

Geek of the Week: How lifelong entrepreneur Bob Crimmins’ little poker game ballooned to a 2,300-person startup group

Geek of the Week: Sandeep Nain walked away from tech and trekked into a passion for the outdoors

Geek of the Week: Systima Technologies’ Taylor Banks is a ‘space addict’ hooked on what lies ahead

Geek of the Week: Researcher, writer, mom Amanda Sullivan pushes importance of STEM for young girls

Geek of the Week: Tom Bates is the brains behind the fireworks that burst over Seattle on July 4

Geek of the Week: Ganesh Shankar founded Portland’s RFPIO to improve the processes that wasted his time

Geek of the Week: Amazon’s David Ham takes Pride in his work and his role with LGBTQ group glamazon

Geek of the Week: ‘Secret superpower’ helps guide Hannah Werbel’s success at the Univ. of Washington

Geek of the Week: A true people person, Caiman’s Marci Marra embraces rapid transformation

Winter Fishtival

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Seattle Aerospace BBQ