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Newsletter
Updated: October 30, 2001
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Contents: HFES Home Overview Newsletter Next Meeting Job Openings Membership Sites of Interest |
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NewsletterUpdated: October 30, 2001 |
| August '01 | Volume 36 Number 4 |
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http://www.erols.com/hfespoc |
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The Potomac Chapter has been fortunate in recent months. Two of our new members not only joined the organization, but also immediately volunteered to serve as chairs for some very difficult assignments. Michael Eidelkind is our new Membership Chair and has also taken on the responsibilities of the Directory Chair. Maureen Hunter has rejoined the Chapter after an absence and has jumped into the fray to become the Program Chair and Public Affairs Chair. Both Michael and Maureen have invested a tremendous amount of time and energy into these jobs. Please join me in welcoming them to the Chapter and expressing appreciation for all their work. While we are on the subject, I want to extend that appreciation to Dick Horst and Jack Laveson for their work on the newsletter and web site.
Cliff Baker is the Treasurer-Elect and he has submitted his resignation. Cliff will be moving to Texas to pursue a new career opportunity. He will be working in the area of marine safety and human performance. I wish him well. [Cliff and I were part of the Essex human factors contingent some time ago, and upon occasion we met for lunch with some of the human factors practitioners that were part of that crowd. At one point Essex may have had as many as 200 human factors professionals in the organization.] This leaves us with a vacant position on the Executive Council. I would like to fill that position so that when the new slate of officers take office in January, there will be a full deck to play with. Since he was the Treasurer-Elect the position cannot be filled by succession. The way I read the by-laws, the Executive Council can appoint someone to fill the position in this case. Please consider taking this position. There is some work associated, but it is not burdensome by any means.
There are several other vacancies that need to be filled by individuals that feel a need to return something to the Chapter and take their turn "on the barrel". We need someone to chair the next election committee so that we have a smooth succession of office, and we could use a Symposium Chair if we are to continue our sponsorship of the American Psychological Association Division 21 meeting. The final need is for someone to help with arrangements for meetings. We have been meeting in Virginia for some time and I have the nagging feeling that we may be neglecting our members that live or work in Maryland or the District. This may be a case where a couple of people need to collaborate on the task to have some balance from a geographical standpoint.
As the economy shows signs of slowing, some of us begin to assume a defensive posture in our career path. All of us that have been in the workforce for any period have been through the employment cycles and adopt a coping strategy. For now, things look good for human factors professionals. I get regular calls and e-mails from employers and recruiting agents looking for people to hire. My first reaction is to steer them to our chapter web site and to the placement service in the HFES. I have spoken to the faculty at several of the universities that have HF programs and generally their students are snapped up as soon as they are close to graduation. This is good.
Dino Piccione
President
September Meeting
Meeting Date:
Thursday, September 27, 2001IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to have a photo ID (driver's license) with you; an ID is needed for access to Ft. Myer.
October Tour
Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2001
Tour: AOL Labs
Location/directions:
22110 Pacific Boulevard (Building CC3)
Sterling, VA 20166
Contact person for directions is Heather Crombie, AOL, cell phone (703) 403-9282
From Baltimore or the Outer Loop of the Beltway
From Downtown DC via Route 66
Four tour group times:
As indicated, there will be four tour groups (A - D), plus a design presentation during the Group D tour. Each tour group will have time for general Q&A. People doing tours in Groups A - C may remain for the design presentation in Group D if they wish. Each tour group will be limited to 12 people. Tours will be joint with the local chapter of the Usability Professionals’ Association.
Interested HFES chapter members should contact Maureen Hunter between 9/4 and 10/15 to reserve a time. Not more than about 24 HFES chapter members can probably be scheduled (6 per time slot), to accommodate people from the other chapter. For information, contact Maureen Hunter: 202-493-3384 or maureen.l.hunter@saic.com. Note that you MUST RSVP to attend.
November Dinner Meeting
Meeting Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2001
Speaker: Hal Hendrick (member of Executive Council-at-Large for the national HFES, and author of Macroergonomics - An Introduction to Work System Design).
Topic: Ergonomics Around the World, including a conceptual overview of Macroergonomics, and success stories.
(Hal will have copies of his book available at the meeting for purchase and autographing).
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to have a photo ID (driver's license) with you; an ID is needed for access to Ft. Myer.
April Chapter Meeting Featured Debbie Boehm-Davis and Wayne Gray on Model Building
On April 19, Debbie Boehm-Davis and Wayne Gray presented their current work on cognitive modeling at the Fort Myer Officers’ Club. Each presented a model of human performance written in ACT-R. Wayne made a presentation based on performance with an Argus Prime Model of a radar operator in a synthetic environment. Debbie presented another ACT-R model based on the interaction between a pilot and an aircraft's Flight Management System (FMS). A theme in both presentations was how cognition modeled at the embodiment level (phenomena that require approximately 30 to 300 msec) emulated human performance at the 15 minute level. The embodiment level is the level at which cognition, perception, and action come together. Newell [Newell, A. (1990). Unified Theories of Cognition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press] termed this the Cognitive Band. Presumably at this level constraints of the human physical system determine the nature of cognitive phenomenon. The notion is that at this level interactive behavior emerges out of the constraints and opportunities provided by the interaction of embodied cognition with the task and the artifacts (device or interface) designed to support the task Thus, this is the level that must be understood and modeled if the goal is to create a human factors of real-time, safety-critical systems.
Wayne described the procedure for developing the model of a radar operator, a simulated cognitive agent, in a synthetic environment. The first step was a task analysis followed by a GOMS analysis (NGOMSL), then the full-up ACT-R model. The ACT-R model was run and simulated a radar operator functioning in the synthetic environment. The bottom line was that modeling at the 100 msec level produced performance at the 15 minute level that emulated human performance at the 15 minute level.
Debbie employed the same basic approach, but developed the ACT-R model in a different task domain, the interaction between a pilot and an aircraft’s FMS. She also ran her model emulating the performance of a human pilot. Once again, modeling at the 100 millisecond level produced performance that emulated the human pilot at the 15 minute level of performance.
The relevance of this modeling approach was appreciated by the audience. It provides a theoretical basis for modeling human performance. Valid models can be used not only in system and interface design, but can serve as surrogate subjects generating additional data.
New Program Chair and Public Affairs/Corporate Membership Chair
Maureen Hunter has answered the call for both Program Chair and Public Affairs/Corporate Membership Chair for the Chapter. In the former role, she will be coordinating chapter meeting programs. In the latter role, she will be responsible for coordinating occasional activities pertaining to corporate members. Her contact information is as follows:
Bill Killam Opens Doors of User-Centered Design, Inc. Bill Killam recently announced the opening of a new consulting practice in the Dulles Technology Corridor of Virginia. User-Centered Design, Inc. opened its doors in January and will be providing usability and accessibility design and testing services, Human Factors Engineering consulting, and corporate training in the user-centered design process. Bill has been active in the Potomac Chapter for many years and, at various times, has served as the Newsletter Editor, Chapter Vice-President, and Chapter President. Please join the Chapter in wishing Bill good luck in his new venture.
In the penultimate President’s Corner during my tenure as President, I offered the following ballot guidelines:
1. Electronic ballots using a touch screen or keyboard are by far the most accurate and efficient means of collecting and tabulating a vote. These ballots should provide feedback to the voter regarding the candidates and options that were chosen.
2. The design and display of the ballot should be unambiguous so that candidates and options can be selected clearly. Pilot testing of ballots with representative samples of voters is strongly recommended.
3. The order of the candidates and options on the ballot should be counterbalanced so that the order of names of a set of candidates or options occurs equally often at each position. This counterbalancing procedure removes positional biases. It also distributes evenly any sources of error that might be operating. This counterbalancing can be done across voting machines.
Since then, David Woods has emphasized the importance of interface design, especially the provision of feedback, in the design of ballots and voting systems [Mumford, G. A vote for democracy in support of the decade of behavior. Psychological Science Agenda. Science Directorate of the American Psychological Association. May/June 2001, volume 14, number 2]. My assumption in making the above recommendations was that computer technology was the only means of providing this feedback. I had excluded optical scanning systems as they were vulnerable to ambiguous markings and did not provide feedback. I was surprised to find in the Caltech/MIT voting Technology Project (Version 2: March 30, 2001) that optical scanning systems performed best.
The most likely reason that the optical scanning systems performed better than the electronic systems was due to the poor interface design of many the electronic systems. Many electronic systems provide no or inadequate feedback. It is not unusual for a voter not being sure that the votes were made or recorded correctly. Moreover, it is possible to provide feedback with optical scanning systems. This feedback is provided by doing the scanning at the voting precinct and getting feedback from the voter that the vote was recorded correctly. Last November in the Florida precincts where optical scanning was done at the precinct level, the accuracy of the vote was quite good [Human Factor at Core of Vote Fiasco. Washington Post, Friday June 1, 2001, Front Page]. So please indulge me and let me include optical scanning when feedback is provided as an equally viable alternative to electronic voting in which feedback is provided. Of course, in both cases unambiguous design of the ballot is essential. Eventually, although it might be in the distant future, it would appear to be inevitable that all voting will be done electronically. I am somewhat less confident that appropriate interface design will be employed.
There have been perfunctory discussions and recommendations regarding pilot testing, but these have been among behavioral researchers. I have not noticed any requirements for pilot testing in the public policy arena.
To date, I have heard no discussion regarding the counterbalancing of candidates/issues on the ballot. Even if counterbalancing were not possible, some type of randomization of the presentation orders should be required. Obviously, this is too ambitious an objective to attempt to achieve at the current time. So a standard procedure that would preclude publication of research results will not be a barrier to the election of our public officials.
Doug Griffith
Human Systems Integration Symposium
"Knowledge Warfare: Making the Human Part of the System"
Sponsored by:
American Society of Naval Engineers (ASNE)
Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)
International Conference on Systems Engineering (INCOSE)
Surface Navy Association (SNA) and
Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (SNAME)
Supported by:
Assistant Secretary of the Navy (RDA) Chief Engineer
To be held at:
Hyatt Regency, Crystal City, Arlington, VA
November 5-6, 2001
Join us for the Human Systems Integration Symposium 2001! The theme is "Knowledge Warfare: Making the Human Part of the System". Leading scientists/engineers and flag officers will discuss how human systems integration (HSI) -- today's most important trend in engineering-needs to revolutionize the structure, training, budgets, and manning of our naval forces. As technology advances, budgets decrease, and manning and training costs increase, defense organizations must make intelligent changes to their systems, acquisition strategies, and cultures. This first of its kind symposium will address these issues, and their importance and impact on the success of the future Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and other maritime defense organizations. Although the focus will be on Navy HSI, the Army and Air Force will be represented on both HSI issues and HSI vision panels. The revolution in Navy training, surface warship reduced-manning initiatives, and DD 21 Blue and Gold teams optimized manning issues to get to a 95-person crew will be discussed.
Key speakers include:
Specific topics/presentations will be on:
| · Human Systems Integration | · Human Factors Engineering |
| · Human Computer Interfaces | · System Safety Policy |
| · Human Systems Integrations Manpower | · Human Factors Engineering Personnel |
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WANT TO REGISTER? OR EXHIBIT? See www.navalengineers.org or e-mail jtullier@bluewateragency.com
Annual Midyear Symposium March 7-8th, 2002
Theme of Symposium:
Contemporary & Emerging Issues in
Human Factors, Engineering and Military Psychology:
Special Applications to the Military and other Federal Agencies
Sponsored by the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Division 21, Applied and Engineering Psychology
and Division 19, Military Psychology, and
the Potomac Chapter, Human Factors & Ergonomics Society
Dates / times:
Feature Exhibits Include:
Submission of topics, 200 word abstracts by January 11th, 2002 to:
Gerald P, Krueger, Ph.D., CPE
Email: JerryKrueg@aol.com or Email: gkrueger@thewexfordgroup.com
Phone: (703) 704-1801 or (703) 768-3421
Presentations, Papers, Posters, Expert Panel Discussions are welcomed on human factors research & applications in the following (but not limited to) areas:
Registration information:
| Advance Registration for symposium | On-Site Registration on March 7th |
| (before February 15th ’02): | |
| Day 1 (March 7th) - $25.00 | Day 1 (March 7th) - $30.00 |
| Day 2 (March 8th) - $30.00 | Day 2 (March 8th) - $50.00 |
| Both Days - $50.00 | Both Days - $75.00 |
Students receive 50% off Advance or On-Site registration fees
| Make checks out to: APA Division 21 | For more information contact: |
| And Mail checks to Richard Kelly at: | |
| Richard T. Kelly, Ph.D. | Gerald P. Krueger [Div. 21]: (703) 704-1801 |
| Pacific Science & Engineering Group, Inc. | Jane M. Arabian [Div. 19]: (703) 697-9271 |
| 6310 Greenwich Drive, Suite #200 | Maureen Hunter [Potomac Chapter, HFES]: |
| San Diego, CA 92122 | (202) 493-3384 |
Symposium Housing: For gov’t employees on travel orders, Ft. Belvoir bachelor officers quarters (BOQ) are available (range $44. to $68.) Other suggested housing likely will be at block rates at Holiday Inn Express, Springfield, VA (current gov’t rate there is $99. + tax.)
We would like to introduce a new web site for task analysis professionals that could be of interest for you and your organization: www.CTAresource.com. CTAresource.com was launched officially in July 2001. The Office of Naval Research is funding this work with an aim to promote awareness and use of cognitive task analysis techniques. CTAresource.com has as its core a digital library of cognitive task analysis materials, from brief write-ups describing and comparing methods to in-depth, how-to documents and full scale task analysis technical reports. Additionally, through CTA Methods and CTA Case Find links it will teach you more about cognitive task analysis and help you find documents particularly relevant to a specific system design problem or research challenge.
We hope to see you soon as an active member. And of course, if you think of some colleagues that might want to become members or contribute to CTAresource.com please do not hesitate to forward this message to them.
CO-EDITORS: Michael Byrne & Wayne D. Gray
One of the goals of research in Human Factors is the prediction of human performance. While verbal theories and empirical results clearly add to the science, they are not especially useful for quantitative performance prediction. Formal models, on the other hand, can be used to make specific quantitative predictions about human performance.
This special issue is intended to examine the use of quantitative formal models in understanding and predicting human performance in a human factors context. "Formal models" are construed to include both computational and mathematical models, and "human performance" is construed widely to encompass the full range of human performance including cognition, perception, and motor control, as well as physical aspects of performance such as biomechanics and anthropometrics. We are especially interested in models that span a broad range of performance, for example, those including vision, cognition, and manual control.
In addition, we explicitly acknowledge that human performance does not exist in a vacuum-it is a function of the tasks undertaken, artifacts used to perform the task, and environments in which it occurs. Thus, we invite submissions that include formal models of the task, artifact, or environment. Models or modeling frameworks that jointly consider the human element, the task, and the artifacts/environment should be of special interest to the human factors community.
DEADLINE: 1 October 2001
SEND FIVE (5) COPIES OF YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO:
FOR QUESTIONS OR QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT THE SPECIAL ISSUE CO-EDITORS AT:
Wayne D. Gray, Program Director
Human Factors and Applied Cognitive Program
George Mason University
ARCH Lab/HFAC Program
MSN 3f5
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
VOICE: +1 (703) 993-1357
FAX: +1 (703) 993-1330
http://hfac.gmu.edu/~gray
Release 2.0 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Web Metrics Testbed is now available. (These tools are in the public domain as NIST is a federal agency of the US Department of Commerce.) As always, the Web Metrics Testbed project is focused on experimenting with innovative tools to help with rapid, remote, and automated usability testing and evaluation of web sites.
The updates include enhancements to existing tools, Windows versions, and new prototypes. All are now directly downloadable from the website:
* Web Static Analyzer Tool (WebSAT 2.0) checks web page HTML against typical usability guidelines
* Web Category Analysis Tool (WebCAT 1.1) lets the usability engineer construct/conduct a web category analysis
* Web Variable Instrumenter Program (WebVIP 2.0) instruments a website to capture a log of user interaction
* Framework for Logging Usability Data (FLUD 1.0) a file format and parser for representation of user interaction logs
* VisVIP Tool (VisVIP 2.0) 3D visualizations of user navigation paths through a website
Please feel free to send out our url to others as appropriate and link to our website: http://www.nist.gov/webmetrics
We would like to collaborate with you. If you are using our tools, please contact us for free advice and possibly participating in the collection of case study data to help validate and improve our tools.
We need your feedback to keep this project going! Please send your comments, bug reports, and questions to webmetrics@nist.gov .
Sharon Laskowski, Information Technology Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Human-Computer Interaction Lab, University of Maryland
http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/
We have recently expanded and organized our offerings of free demonstration programs for educational purposes: http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/pubs/products.shtml
We have also made simplified procedures for commercial licensing by way of our Office of Technology Commercialization: (www.otc.umd.edu, contact Jim Poulos jp227@umail.umd.edu)
The projects drawing high interest include:
We hope you'll take a look and put these ideas to work.
For Further Information Contact:
| Prof. Ben Bederson | Director, Human-Computer Interaction Lab | |
| bederson@cs.umd.edu | Computer Science Department | |
| www.cs.umd.edu/~bederson | 3171 A.V. Williams Building | |
| (301) 405-2764 | University of Maryland | |
| (301) 405-6707 (FAX) | College Park, MD 20742 |
Human Factors Engineer
Advanced Management Technology Inc.
Arlington, VA
Requirements:
Preferred:
Contact:
| Eric Stringer | 1515 Wilson Blvd | |
| Technical Recruiter | Suite 1100 | |
| Advanced Management Technology Inc. | Arlington, VA 22209 | |
| eric.stringer@amti.com | (703) 841-2262 office | |
| www.amti.com | (703) 841-1443 fax |
Environmental Health & Safety Manager
America Online, Inc
America Online, Inc is seeking applicants for The Environmental Health & Safety Manager. This person will be responsible for the safety and compliance operations for specified AOL offices"
This person will also establish and manage an Ergonomics Program:
For additional information and to apply for this position, please contact:
Internships Opportunities User-Centered Design and Evaluation
U.S. Census Bureau
Suitland, MD
(1 mile outside of Washington, DC on the Green Line)
SUMMER: 10-12 weeks, full-time, June-Aug, 2001.
ACADEMIC YEAR: Sept, 2001-May, 2002; half-time (or more): 640 hours minimum.
Salary: $30,000-$47,600 (full-time, 12 months).
Major benefits: Can include full tuition and book allowance for academic year positions. Outstanding training opportunities available including short courses and ongoing educational seminars. Civil service benefits.
Duties: Train and assist in one or more of the following: Software application development; Web site design and maintenance; Usability testing; Heuristic evaluations; User and task analysis; Design and analysis of user surveys and experiments; Authoring and maintaining user-interface standards and style guides.
Application Domains: Primarily electronic questionnaires and information web sites.
Qualifications: Must be a U.S. citizen and a full or part-time student in a graduate degree program, preferably in the social or computer sciences.
| Kent Marquis, Ph.D. | or | David Mingay, Ph.D. | |
| 301-457-4719 | 301-457-4971 | ||
| kent.hammond.marquis@census.gov | david.j.mingay@census.gov |
Aerospace Engineer (Human Factors) or Engineering Research Psychologist (Human Factors)
Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
External Vacancy Announcement
Vacancy Announcement Number: ACE-AIR-01-0403-58622
Close Date: Dec 28,2001
Position: Aerospace Engineer (Human Factors) or Engineering Research Psychologist (Human Factors), FG-861 or 180-13 Salary Range: $62,311 to $81,009
Location: Atlanta,GA
Organization Location: Central Region, Small Airplane Directorate, Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office, Systems & Flight Test Branch
Duties: The incumbent will provide technical expertise to the Aircraft Certification Office and act as focal point in Human Factors relative to flight guidance, flight management, flight display systems, and research and development. Directly participates in and is responsible for planning, developing, reviewing, and evaluating major certification projects and continuing airworthiness programs that have human factors issues. Works closely with National Resource Specialists (NRS), Standards Staffs of Directorates and Headquarters, ACO engineers and pilots. Facilitates communication between ACOs and Standards Staffs, and NRS's. Serves as the Office expert and consultant in the areas of advanced flight deck design approval including: human factors, flight guidance, flight management, flight display systems, and aircraft maintenance.
NOTE: This Human Factors position will be filled either as an Aerospace Engineer, FG-861-13, or as an Engineering Research Psychologist, FG-180-13. NOTE: Salary shown includes locality pay.
Qualification and Specialized Experience Requirements: All qualifications and experience requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement. Applicants must meet the qualifications requirements as either an aerospace engineer or engineering research psychologist as shown below:
FOR AEROSPACE ENGINEER: Applicants must have a bachelor's degree in engineering or its equivalent in education, plus one year professional engineering experience which demonstrated they have the skills and working knowledge of human factors issues affecting the design and certification of advanced flight deck designs and flight display systems in transport category aircraft. For the 13 level, at least one year of the specialized experience must have been equivalent in complexity and level of responsibility to work performed at the FG-12 level in the Federal service.
FOR ENGINEERING RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGIST: Applicants must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree with a major in psychology or an equivalent major. In addition, applicants must have completed at least one year of specialized experience which demonstrated that they have the skills and working knowledge of human factors issues affecting the design and certification of advanced flight deck designs and flight display systems in transport category aircraft. For the 13 level, at least one year of specialized experience must have been equivalent in complexity and level of responsibility to work performed at the FG-12 level in the Federal service.
RATING AND RANKING: Should rating be required, all candidates will be rated and ranked against the following knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs).
NOTE: Written KSAO responses are required from all candidates.
KSAO EVALUATION CRITERIA In narrative format, give specific examples of your accomplishments or work experience to show that you have the following Knowledge, Skills, Abilities or Other Characteristics (KSAOs) which are critical for successful performance in this position. Using plain paper please address each KSAO separately.
1. Knowledge of Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) 25 related to Advanced Flight Deck Designs and Flight Display Systems. The incumbent must have a working knowledge of transport aircraft design and certification requirements of advanced flight deck designs and flight display systems. Describe your experience that would indicate knowledge of the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs), policies, and procedures used in design and certification of advanced flight desk designs and flight display systems. Show the kind of experience, training, awards, etc., that would be an indication of your knowledge in this area.
2. Ability to Coordinate with and Provide Direction to Others. The incumbent must have the ability to acquire and dispense information through direction and coordination with people in many different disciplines. The incumbent must have the ability to foster cooperation among project team members. Describe your skills and experience working with others in controversial situations, experience in project management, team member qualifications and the degree of successful completion.
3. Knowledge of Human Factors Issues.
APPLICANTS APPLYING FOR AN ENGINEERING RESEARCH PSYCHOLOGIST POSITION: The incumbent must have the skills and working knowledge of the study of human factors issues affecting the design and certification of advanced flight deck designs and flight display systems in transport category aircraft. Describe your experiences which demonstrate your skill, experience, and level of involvement in the study and application of
human factors issues affecting the design and certification of advanced flight deck designs and flight display systems.
APPLICANTS APPLYING FOR AN AEROSPACE ENGINEER POSITION: The incumbent requires knowledge of the principles of aerospace engineering affecting the design and certification of advanced flight deck design and flight display systems in transport category aircraft. Describe your experiences which demonstrate your skill, experience, and level of involvement in the application of aerospace engineering principles to human factors issues affecting the design and certification of advanced flight deck design and flight display systems.
4. Ability to Communicate Orally and in Writing. The incumbent must have the ability to develop and organize thoughts and information and to present controversial and/or complex material orally. Incumbent will also prepare technical reports, letters, memoranda, directives, etc., in order to correspond with transmit/receive information to, or from applicants, government personnel, as well as the public. Describe the various situations you have encountered which required you to speak effectively and any results that would indicate the measure of your success. Also describe the types of material you have.
HOW TO APPLY: FAA vacancy information and certain application forms are now available on the FAA's World Wide Web site at: http://jobs.faa.gov or by calling our Faxback system at (405)954-0250. What resume must contain is detailed here. The point of contact for information is: Carol Slaughter, 770-703-6040.
Scientific and Technical Advisor for Human Factors
Federal Aviation Administration
Washington, DC
Vacancy Announcement Number: ASW-AC-01-402-58709
The Federal Aviation Administration is seeking applicants for a senior human factors professional in the Fort Worth, Texas area.
Basic requirements include a degree (advanced degree preferred) in human factors, industrial engineering, behavioral science, or ability to build coalitions and communicate; and (6) In-depth knowledge and expertise in designing, implementing, and managing human factors programs. Applicants must be US citizens.
For vacancy information and application forms, please see the FAA’s World Wide Web site at http://jobs.faa.gov or call (202) 267-8012.
Cancer Research Training Award Fellowship
Office of Communications, CommunicationTechnologies Branch,
Bethesda, MD
The National Cancer Institute's Office of Communications, Communication Technologies Branch, has an opening for a Technology Transfer Fellow in Rockville, Maryland. This is a unique training opportunity in the Web Design and Usability Section.
The Fellow will be responsible for the design, iterative testing, and production of a range of cancer Web sites, applications, and emerging technologies that will improve the presentation and communication of cancer information.
Applicants should hold a Master's degree in usability engineering, human factors design, cognitive psychology or a related field. Fellowships are awarded for an initial 2-year period, with potential for renewal up to 5 years. Fellows receive a stipend commensurate with his or her education and experience ($24,000 - $39,000) as well as $5000 for training and travel each year.
To be eligible for consideration, candidates must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and have graduated from an accredited U.S. college or university. Benefits include health insurance, Federal holidays, training and travel. Send resumes to: Marcia Changkit, changkit@mail.nih.gov
Faculty Appointment
Rehabilitation Engineering R&D Lab
National Rehabilitation Hospital
Collaborative and independent research and development on applications of Virtual Reality methods and technologies to rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities. The setting is a rehabilitation engineering R&D lab with clinical goals, a strong interdisciplinary orientation, and active connections with academic departments of biomedical engineering and experimental psychology at the nearby Catholic University of America. The lab is housed in the Rehabilitation Engineering Service at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, a private not-for-profit 130-bed hospital in northwest Washington, DC. Disabilities that are currently the focus of VR research include stroke, autistic spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy. A faculty appointment and direct involvement with graduate students is likely.
Credentials:
Required: Applicants must have a Ph.D. in a discipline of engineering, computer science or experimental psychology, with strong capabilities in virtual environment development and related programming; demonstrated capability to conceptualize and implement R&D programs independently and to publish results; high level working familiarity with PCs and graphics work stations; particular specialty knowledge in current VR tools and techniques and their application to medical and research problems; excellent written and spoken communication skills; and a professional commitment to applications of engineering to medical challenges, in particular rehabilitation.
Desirable: Experience beyond graduate school; experience with haptics; knowledge of modeling of human oculomotor control and related optics; demonstrated ability to prepare winning research proposals; strong capabilities in analog and digital circuit design; and a demonstrated ability to carry a product design initiative from conceptualization to prototype completion.
Human Performance Investigator
National Transportation Safety Board
Irvine, Texas or Washington, D.C.
The National Transportation Safety Board is looking for qualified individuals to apply for one of two Human Performance Investigator
positions, located in either Irvine, Texas or Washington, D.C. The
positions are open to all candidates with at least a Bachelor's degree in
human factors or psychology, and who have a strong interest in
transportation safety. However, preference will be given to those who
posses a Master's degree or higher.
A Human Performance investigator is required to travel to accident scenes, assemble information consistent with the standards of science, analyze the evidence, and develop conclusions based on analyses of the accident evidence and facts. Further, the investigator may develop and execute independent audits and data gathering activities at other government agencies and in industry to produce human performance related safety recommendations. The investigator generally exchanges information and views with groups involved with the accident, and interprets their practices, procedures and regulations. The investigator deals with the public, the transportation industry, and government officials.
The starting salary range for the positions is between $36,500 and $68,000, depending on academic and professional experience. Its a great oppurtunity for an individual to develop and utilize knowledge and skills in transportation safety. Investigators are often faced with issues as wide-ranging as vehicle design, training, driver distraction, driver fitness, carrier operations, and intelligent transportation systems.
For more information, please visit the NTSB's website (www.ntsb.gov) or click on the following link to access the job announcement (job number WA-TB-1-054) directly: http://www.ntsb.gov/Vacancies/listing.htm. You may also contact Bruce Magladry (magladb@ntsb.gov) or Rafael Marshall (marshar@ntsb.gov) for more information.
User Interface Designer/Web Interaction Specialist
SRA International
Fairfax, Virginia
SRA International has some challenging opportunities for User Interface Designers in its Knowledge Discovery Solutions practice. This practice supports a market and trading analysis system used by NASD Regulation. These positions are located in Fairfax, VA.
Candidates should possess a BS in CS or a related field and at least 5 years of related experience. Position requires:
SRA is a privately held information technology firm that provides systems integration, consulting, and eBusiness and eGovernment services and solutions tailored to government and commercial client needs. We specialize in Internet systems development, systems and software engineering, network integration and management, information security, enterprise systems management, knowledge discovery, and e-mail management systems.
Fortune Magazine recently chose SRA as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" and Business Week has named SRA as one of the leading private information technology companies for the second consecutive year. Founded in 1978, SRA serves clients from its headquarters in Fairfax, VA, and across the United States. Our staff of more than 1,900 talented and dedicated people carry out the company's commitment to high-quality work, honesty and service, and customer satisfaction.
Should you be interested in this opportunity, please forward your resume to Judy_Whipple@sra.com
| Judy L. Whipple | Voice: (540) 972-4229 | |
| Sr. Staffing Consultant | Email: Judy_Whipple@sra.com | |
| SRA International | http://www.sra.com/ |
Consultants (Ergonomics Analyst and Usability Analyst positions)
Evans Incorporated
Vienna, VA
Evans Incorporated is a dynamic, woman-owned consulting firm committed to helping our clients improve their organizations by evolving their business processes, the way they use technology, and their work environments. We specialize in Business Process Improvement, Human Centered IT Solutions and Ergonomics Specialty Services. Our clients include Ford Motor Company, General Motors, the International Monetary Fund, Girl Scouts of America and the Social Security Administration.
Description: Entry- and mid-level ergonomics analysts will aid clients in designing and managing their ergonomics programs using innovative e-business solutions. Usability analysts will work with software engineers to design useful and usable web and PC-based systems. Either position may involve related activities that include re-engineering business processes, facilitating user-oriented design sessions, gathering functional and technical requirements for new program management solutions, serving as a user advocate during the software development cycle, and guiding clients through the implementation of new business processes and software applications.
Basic/Minimum Qualifications: Entry-level positions require a Bachelors degree in a related field and demonstrated experience in the fields of industrial ergonomics and safety, HCI/usability or information design. Mid-level positions require a Bachelors degree and 4 years experience or MA/MS degree and 2 years experience. In addition, they must have excellent analytical and oral communication skills, document writing and editing skills, and outstanding interpersonal and leadership skills. Candidates must be able to work comfortably in cross-functional teams and have good negotiation and problem-solving skills. Candidates should have proficiency with the MS Office suite of software.
Desired Qualifications: Experience in one or more of the following areas: usability testing or interface design and the application of user-centered design theory and methods, design session facilitation, project management, instructional design, technical writing, requirements gathering using a variety of techniques, process and data modeling, and database management.
Salary: Commensurate with experience. Outstanding benefits, including medical, dental and vision care, disability insurance, 401(k) and matching contributions.
When Available: Immediately
Employer's URL: http://www.evansincorporated.com/
How to Apply: Send resume and cover letter to:
| Human Resources | tel. 703-281-1445 | |
| Evans Incorporated | fax. 703-281-1472 | |
| 301 Maple Avenue, West | e-mail: sevans@evansincorporated.com | |
| Suite 602 | ||
| Vienna, Va 22180 |
Senior Functional Analyst - Human Factors
Sverdrup Technology, Inc.
Dumfries, VA
The JE/Sverdrup Engineering Group Inc. is one of the world's largest and most diverse providers of professional technical services. With annual revenues exceeding $3.5 billion, we offer full-spectrum support to industrial, commercial, and government clients across multiple markets. Services include scientific and specialty consulting as well as all aspects of engineering and construction, and operations & maintenance.
The JE/Sverdrup Team is seeking qualified candidates interested in immediate employment! We are currently providing the full range of engineering, analytical, technical, and business services to the Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) Combat Support and Logistics Equipment (CSLE) Directorate at Dumfries/Quantico, VA. All positions will be subject to a U.S. government security investigation and personnel must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
Job Requirements:
A BS/BA degree in human factors engineering, industrial engineering, sociology, psychology or similar discipline, plus eight (8) to twelve (12) years of progressive and relevant experience in the field of human factors engineering. This position requires a minimum of eight (8) years experience comprehensively demonstrating an ability to apply human factors engineering practices and procedures in support of DoD procurements. Must have experience in conducting system safety analysis in the development and life cycle of a program. Experience providing expert analysis in converting technical requirements into contractual language is essential. Must be intimately familiar with Mil-Std 1472D and other applicable HFE criteria, i.e., MANPRINT. Government acquisition certifications and acquisition simulation experience is highly desired. Familiarization with modeling and simulation tools, e.g., JACK and Ergo are also desired. Must be familiar with the use of Microsoft Office application
Visit www.sverdrup.com
If you are interested in joining the SverdrupTeam and possess the necessary credentials and experience, email, or fax your resume for confidential consideration to:
Equal Opportunity Employer (M/F/D/V). All positions will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and personnel must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
Post Doctoral Researcher
The University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland is seeking a bright and energetic postdoc to work on research in computational linguistics, information retrieval, and related areas. Our laboratory has several cutting-edge projects that explore a wide range of natural language processing issues. Some of our top current interests include:
We offer a friendly working environment with extensive interaction across academic departments and neighboring institutions.
To apply, please send a resume and a description of your research interests to: Denise Best (denise@cfar.umd.edu ).
UMIACS strongly encourages applications from minorities and women. EOE/AA
Faculty Position in Human-Computer Interaction
Department of Computer Science
The University of Maryland, College Park
The Department of Computer Science is seeking faculty members at all ranks. Truly outstanding candidates in all areas will be considered, but we are especially seeking candidates in the areas of networks, mobile computing, multimedia systems, graphics, Human Computer Interaction, databases, information security, programming languages and software engineering.
Under the University of Maryland Flagship Initiative, candidates with established research programs will be considered for joint appointments between the Department and the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, The Department of Electrical Engineering, and the Institute for Systems Research.
Candidates who are interested should send curriculum vitae, research summary, and at least four names of references with (3) emphasizing research and (1) emphasizing teaching to:
At the time they apply, candidates must request their references to send written recommendations. Failure to do so will delay the application process. Beginning January 15, 2001 we will begin the review of candidates to be interviewed and therefore encourage your early application. Additional information about academic and research units at Maryland is available on the World Wide Web. Department of Computer Science, http://www.cs.umd.edu/
The University of Maryland is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.
| Prof. Ben Bederson | Director, Human-Computer Interaction Lab | |
| bederson@cs.umd.edu | Computer Science Department | |
| www.cs.umd.edu/~bederson | 3171 A.V. Williams Building | |
| (301) 405-2764 | University of Maryland | |
| (301) 405-6707 (FAX) | College Park, MD 20742 |
Rules Of The Air
Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.
If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.
Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is dangerous.
It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.
The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.
When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided with the sky.
A "good" landing is one from which you can walk away. A "great" landing is one after which they can use the plane again.
Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.
You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.
The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival. Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival and vice versa.
Stay out of clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in the opposite direction. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.
Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of take offs you've made.
There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing. Unfortunately no one knows what they are.
You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.
Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly the earth repels them.
If all you can see out of the window is ground that's going round and round and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, things are not at all as they should be.
In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminum going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.
Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.
It's always a good idea to keep the pointy end going forward as much as possible.
Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law. And it's not subject to repeal.
President
Dino Piccione
Federal Aviation Administration
Phone: (202) 366-0128
email: dino.piccione@faa.gov
President-Elect
John Ruffner
DCS Corporation
Phone: (703) 683-8430 x243
Email: jruffner@dcscorp.com
Past President
Doug Griffith
ERIM
Phone: (703) 803-0100, x4120
email: dkgriffith@erols.com
Secretary
Susan Evans
Evans Incorporated
Phone: (703) 281-1445
email: sevans@evansincorporated.com
Secretary-Elect
Colleen Donovan
Federal Aviation Administration
Phone: 202-267-3313
Email: colleen.donovan@faa.gov
Past Secretary
Cliff Baker
(no longer in the DC area)
Treasurer
Kris Knutson
National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Phone: (301) 435-6624
email: krisknut@msn.com
Treasurer-Elect
vacant
Past Treasurer
John Ruffner
DCS Corporation
Phone: (703) 683-8430 x243
Email: jruffner@dcscorp.com
Directors-at-Large
Jack Laveson
Integrated Systems Research
Phone: (703) 642-3677
email: j.i.laveson@ieee.org
Ron Hoffman
Mitretek Systems
Phone: 703-610-2156
email: rhoffman@mitretek.org
Awards
Tyson Rose
IBM/ISSC
Phone: (301) 803-3378
email:ctrose@vnet.ibm.com
Membership/Directory
Michael Eidelkind
TRW
Phone: 703-575-0782
email: Michael.Eidelkind@trw.com
Newsletter
Dick Horst
UserWorks, Inc.
Phone: (301) 431-0500
email: dhorst@userworks.com
Student Affairs
Vacant
Phone:
email:
Public Affairs/Corporate Membership
Maureen Hunter
SAIC
Phone: (202) 493-3383
email: maureen.l.hunter@saic.com
Program
Maureen Hunter
SAIC
Phone: (202) 493-3383
email: maureen.l.hunter@saic.com
WebMaster
Jack Laveson
Integrated Systems Research
Phone: (703) 642-3677
email: j.l.laveson@ieee.org
Local Arrangements
Don Weitzman
TRW
Phone: (202) 651-2280
email: don.ctr.weitzman@faa.gov
Recent
Meetings:
February, 2000
Mike Fineberg, "A New Vision for CSERIAC: The Right
Information to the Right People at the Right Time"
July, 2000
Aliza Geretz, "America Online: Bringing Consumers into Product Development"
September, 2000
John Brock, "If We're so Smart, Why Ain't We Rich?"
October, 2000
Jeff Fernandez, "Ergonomics on the Web"
December, 2000
Sue Archer, "A Modeling Success Story"
February, 2001
Dino Piccione and John Ruffner: "Driving with Night Vision Devices: A (Thin) Link to Air Traffic Control"
March, 2001
D. J. Imbs, "MANPRINT"
April, 2001
Debbie Boehm-Davis and Wayne Gray: "Why Milliseconds Matter: Building Models at the 100 msec Level to Explain Human Performance at the 15 min Level"
