AccessEngineering Project Staff and Leadership Team

PI Sheryl Burgstahler is the founder and director of the DO-IT Center and the Access Technology Center and is an Affiliate Professor in the College of Education at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle. Her teaching and research focus on the successful transition of students with disabilities to college and careers and on the application of universal design to technology, learning activities, physical spaces, and student services in educational settings.

Co-PI Maya Cakmak is an assistant professor at UW in the Computer Science & Engineering department, where she directs the Human-Centered Robotics lab. She received her PhD in Robotics from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2012, after which she spent a year as a post-doctoral research fellow at the robotics company Willow Garage. Her research interests are in human-robot interaction, end-user programming and assistive robotics. Her work aims to develop robots that can be programmed and controlled by a diverse group of users with unique needs and preferences to do useful tasks. Maya's work has been published at major Robotics and AI conferences and journals, demonstrated live in various venues and has been featured in numerous media outlets. She teaches undergraduate human-computer interaction and robotics courses.

Co-PI Kat Steele is an assistant professor in mechanical engineering at UW and the director of the Ability Lab, focused on using engineering and design to improve human ability. She received her PhD and MS in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and her BS from the Colorado School of Mines. She was recently awarded one of the first NIH K12 Career Development Grants in Interdisciplinary Rehabilitation Engineering. Her research focuses on combining device design, dynamic musculoskeletal simulation, and medical imaging to improve diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. She also teaches courses on medical device innovation and biomechanics. Dr. Steele has worked in multiple clinical environments including the Cleveland Clinic, the Children’s Hospital of Colorado, Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital, and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

Brianna Blaser is a counselor/coordinator at the DO-IT Center. She earned a bachelors degree in math and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University and a PhD in women studies at the University of Washington. She has a background in broadening participation and career development in science and engineering fields. Before joining DO-IT, she was the project director for the AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Science Careers Outreach Program.

​Lyla Mae Crawford is a counselor/coordinator at the DO-IT Center. She holds a Master's degree in Developmental Psychology. With a background in disability testing, support services, and outreach activities, she coordinates publication content development and online community engagement and serves as internal evaluator.