Nov 98 Newsletter

I warn you now, before you read too far, that I intend to ramble. In the spirit of Robert Fulgum, I find this to be a time of year to reflect on what’s been happening, and I am caught by a desire to jot down some thoughts, even if they don’t all thread together nicely. If that’s not enough of a warning, I’ll start off by saying that my professional identity crisis is alive and well (in case anyone was wondering).

Thoughts of professional identity are fueled by my recent efforts to update notes for a class that I teach on Human Factors. I just finished reviewing the section I titled "names of people who do this job." And, as I sit here writing this article, I have in my pocket a check to renew my certification as a professional Human Factors Engineer. At home on my desk is my application to renew membership in the American Psychological Association. In January, my membership is due to be renewed in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. (Sure, there is overlap between these organizations, but they are distinct entities in many fundamental ways. Then there are details to consider – APA Division 21, the HFES Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making technical group, and the HFES Computer Systems technical group, to name my few recent picks. Add to that the System Safety Society, usability specialist groups, and training specialty groups. The Potomac Chapter of the HFES is an affiliated organization of the Washington Academy of Sciences and the Safety and Health Intersociety. Next month, we’re having a joint meeting with the IIE because of the overlap in interest between groups. There’s a local chapter of the ACM SIGCHI being formed because "there is no organization of its type in the area" (and I confess to once being a member of this organization at the national level). My list goes on and on. You probably have a list, too and it probably includes groups I’ve never even heard of. Yes, some of this litany is due to individual specialization. But some isn’t.

In a related item, I noted with some interest an article in the November issue of the Monitor (the monthly newspaper of the American Psychological Association). The article outlines the career of Dr. James Callan, from Navy navigator and engineer to Biological Psychologist to founder of Pacific Science and Engineering Group, a human factors consulting firm. It is a nice piece, describing well the interest of a Human Factors Engineer in "the interaction between [hardware] and human behavior" and "making the equipment easier to use." It also identifies Dr. Callan as a member of Division 21, the Applied Experimental and Engineering Division, of the APA. This is the first time I recall seeing an article specifically on Human Factors. I couldn’t help but also notice that the article in the section entitled "Off the Beaten Career Path – A Series of Articles Profiling Psychologists in Diverse Career Settings." "Diverse from what?" echoed through my mind. At last month’s chapter meeting, outgoing National HFES president Harold Van Cott gave us a reprise of the address he presented at the Annual HFES meeting on the "the shifting paradigm of human factors." The shift Van predicts is from "hard" engineering ("knobs and dials") to "soft" engineering (technology and its impact on human-to-human interaction and relationships).

So what are we today? Is the Zeitgeist engineers or psychologists? When asked what you do for a living, do you automatically include terms like applied psychologist, usability specialist, or cognitive engineer? What organization (or organizations) do you associate with, and for what reasons? Speaking of Robert Fulgum, I recall a story he tells about asking a gentleman what he does for a living. The man gives him a business card to read. "Yes," Fulgum says, "but what do you do for a living." The gentleman points to the business card as though he didn’t see it. "Yes, yes," Fulgum says again, "but if I followed you around all day, what would I see you do?" The gentleman is nonplussed.

OK, so you’re a Human Factors Engineer, you say. If I followed you around all day, what would I see you do?

December Meeting Announcement

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Please Make Your Reservations Immediately! Space is limited and we are expecting a crowd, given that this is a joint meeting with the Institute for Industrial Engineers. A festive, holiday atmosphere will prevail, and the speaker is of general interest, so non-member, spouses, and significant others are also encouraged to attend! Note that advanced PAYMENT is required.
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From Route 66, take the Rosslyn exit; go to the second light and turn right onto Ft. Myer Dr; see below.

From Route 395, take the Ft. Myer exit; go 300 yds and take the off ramp to Ft. Myer; see below

From the 14^th St. Bridge; cross the bridge into VA and take the Washington Blvd. Exit; from Washington Blvd, take the Ft. Myers exit; see below

Take Ft. Myer Dr. to where it dead ends at the wall outside Arlington Cemetary. The gate to Ft. Myer will be within sight from there. You will need to show a photo ID to the guard at the gate. Proceed to the Officers' Club by driving up the hill, past the Parade Ground on the right, and then past the tennis courts on the right. Turn right into the parking lot just beyond the tennis courts. The Officers' Club is the building next to the swimming pool. We are meeting in the Devers Room.

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Note – We have a standing offer to Student Members of the Chapter: Dinner at a monthly meeting FOR FREE if you write up a synopsis of the meeting for publication in the Newsletter. Contact the Newsletter Editor when interested.

December Chapter Meeting to be Held Jointly with the Institute for Industrial Engineers

The meeting on December 8 will be a joint meeting with the National Capitol Chapter of the Institute for Industrial Engineers (IIE). Founded in 1948, IIE is an international, nonprofit, professional society dedicated to advancing the technical and managerial excellence of industrial engineers. The Institute is committed to provide the most timely information about the profession to its members, professionals who share industrial engineering concerns, businesses and industries that employ industrial engineers, and the general public. IIE strives to provide full-value continuing education opportunities that enhance members’ capabilities to improve productivity and quality in the workplace while imaging the progressive contributions made by the profession. IIE provides a number of products and services to aid in this endeavor, including professional trade books, periodicals, professional journals, conferences, seminars and workshops. The local chapter has about 300 members.

Other Upcoming Chapter Meetings

The January, 1999 meeting of the Chapter will be a tour and presentation of ongoing research activities of the Applied Research in Cognition and Human Factors (ARCH) Lab at George Mason University. This meeting will be hosted by Dr. Debbie Boehm-Davis of GMU. Stay tuned for the date and time.

Member News

The Chapter welcomes Kathleen Ash as a new member. Katy has recently completed her MS in Human Factors from George Mason University and is working at Carlow International, Inc.

Summary of October Meeting - Dr. Harold Van Cott

At the October chapter meeting, Dr. Hal Van Cott, outgoing President of the national HFES and a member of the Potomac Chapter, presented a "big picture" talk calling for a paradigm shift in the way we view the field of human factors and ergonomics. He began by speaking about scientific "paradigms," in the sense popularized by Thomas Kuhn, and conceptualized some of the previous paradigms that have influenced our field. In the 1950’s, there was an emphasis on human-machine interactions and analog control systems. In the 1960’s, personnel issues came into consideration. In the 1970’s, cognitive psychology contributed heavily to the field of human factors, and supervisory control systems replaced strictly manual control. In the 1980’s, issues such as workplace stress, mental modeling, human-computer interactions, and expert systems came to the forefront. In the 1990’s, the Internet and virtual communities influence much of what we do. Van now sees the need to move beyond a view of the human operator as a component of a system and towards a goal of facilitating inter-human relationships. Interestingly, he does not see this approach as necessarily anti-technology. Rather, the challenge is to design technology so that it is invisible, thus allowing a focus on the reasons for using the technology in the first place. These ideas led to a lively discussion.

HFES Membership vs. HFES Placement Service Offerings

On September 26 I reviewed the listing in the new HFES Placement Service on the HFES website (www,hfes.org). Before proceeding, I think the HFES should be commended for putting this service on their website and for providing free listing of resumes for applicants as well as the ability for anyone to peruse the job listings (this was the not the way the HFES Placement Service used to function).

I found 59 listings. Actually, there were a few more, but I excluded the listings for interns, and for one that did not express a degree preference. Bear in mind, that there might be more than one job associated with a given listing, but the listings did express a degree preference. What is compared here is the degree preferred for the listings versus the highest degree attained by member of both the national, HFES, and our local chapter, HFESPOC.

Highest Degree Attained vs. Degree Preference in Job Listings
(Percentages)

	Bachelors	Masters	Doctorate
Job Listings	27.1	55.9	17.0
HFES (adj.)	20.7	36.2	43.1
HFESPOC	12.7	35.3	52.0

A perusal of this table might lead one to ask, "Are we overqualified for our own job bank?" It is also interesting to note there were three listings stating certification as a requirement or as highly desirable.

A Vision for CSERIAC

As we approach the new millennium, our military must conduct many types of missions against unforeseen enemies, civil systems must detour around a crumbling infrastructure via the information super-highway, and medical care delivery and training must be even more responsive to cost-effectiveness. This can be accomplished most effectively by enhancing performance of personnel engaged in critical tasks in stressful environments such as the military, law enforcement, civil aviation, emergency medicine, and the process control industry. The necessary condition for this approach is ready access to the wealth of scientific and technical information (STI) in the fields of crew system ergonomics (CSE) and human systems technology (HST). The Crew System Ergonomics Information Analysis Center (CSERIAC) supports this need. In many cases, by enhancement we mean avoiding the disastrous consequences of human error fostered by a poor human-system interface design. Information on past problems can avoid repeating the same or similar problem in the future.

CSERIAC is an information-processing machine collecting, analyzing, and disseminating CSE/HST STI to the international user community. CSERIAC supports US military and commercial superiority by providing the research, development, and acquisition communities with "the right human factors information at the right time." In doing so, CSERIAC also promotes the application of the scientific method to problem solving and provides users with tools, techniques, and data. CSERIAC transforms today’s deluge of sti into an advantage for the warfighter and others "in harm’s way" and does all this with less.

CSERIAC’s activities include basic and applied research, development, and test and evaluation efforts for DoD, other U.S. Government agencies, and their contractors, state and local governments, and academic, as well as international organizations, in which the U.S. is a participant. Our areas of expertise include design guidance on human characteristics and limitations, health and safety, environmental effects on human performance, automation and human-computer interaction, information presentation and communication, and the design of displays and controls, equipment and vehicles, workstations, facilities, and organizations.

Our most recent tasks concern training support for the Intelligence Community Assignment Program, nuclear power plant control room standards, air traffic controller performance measurement, organizational model review, strength aptitude test validation, fire-fighter fitness program, and analysis of in-flight data-link displays. In addition, we answer over 30 technical inquiries each month. Some typical requests have addressed weight-lifting limits for pregnant women, design of automated voice messaging systems, simulator effectiveness for collective training, Asian anthropometry for automobile design, communication devices for respirators, ergonomics for school furniture, standards for cold weather boots, and internal aircraft lighting environments.

In addition conducting tasks and responding to inquiries, CSERIAC maintains a repository of human performance models (HPM) and simulations that have been proven over the years to be extremely useful. However, to be viewed as current in this important field, we must add "state of the art" HPMs applicable to constructive, virtual, and man-in-the-loop simulation. Therefore, CSERIAC has undertaken an in-depth survey of this vibrant area with the goal of increasing our knowledge regarding HPM. One of the biggest problems with HPM today is that the term is used to denote different concepts among different model developers and users. Therefore, our first activity is to define the term "human performance model" to differentiate it from other types of models and other phenomena associated with the analysis and measurement of human performance. Next, we will interview and survey the many players in the HP modeling arena to gain a better understanding of their respective roles and accomplishments. These organizations include DMSO, MATRIS, DMSTTIAC, NAWC-AD at Patuxent River, NAWC-TSD in Orlando, Army Research Institute, SPAWAR (formerly NRaD), IDA, RAND, University of Illinois, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, University of Houston, and many more. We will then reduce and analyze the data from the interviews and document each model in a standardized format based on our interview protocol. Finally, we will collate the forms to construct an HPM catalog for review by a panel of experts at our HPM conference. Once reviewed, this catalog will be displayed on our website.

As the highlight of this study, CSERIAC will host a three-day technical conference on human performance modeling in Dayton, Ohio in mid-September 1999. The conference will include tutorials, keynote presentations, plenary sessions, panel discussions, and workshops. Our keynote talk may address the benefit to the warfighter of modeling human performance, investment relative to the type of HPM implemented, or the HP modeling process. Tutorials might cover knowledge acquisition (KA), cognitive task analysis, model architectures, or the use of theory in modeling. Topics for conference sessions could include learning models, organizational models, adaptive models, neural nets, and the value of static versus dynamic models.

CSERIAC is also committed to community service. As an example, CSERIAC and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) are finalizing an agreement to jointly promote the dissemination of human factors/ergonomics information within the HFE community. Accordingly, CSERIAC will offer the HFES members a 20% discount on all our products and publications. Further, CSERIAC will provide HFES with free advertising space within the Gateway Bulletin, a hot link on the CSERIAC home page, and a display of HFES information at the CSERIAC booth wherever it goes. In return, HFES will refer all technical inquiries to CSERIAC, provide some free advertising space in HFES publications, and establish a CSERIAC hot link on the HFES home page.

In summary, our military customers benefit from the transfer of commercial best practices to human factors questions in support of the warfighter. Our civilian customers get reciprocal benefit. Since we serve government, industry, and academe, the entire community benefits from the relationships we develop. In the process of conducting our studies, CSERIAC broadens its experience base, supplements its libraries and databases, and establishes new contacts, thus promoting enhanced awareness of what our discipline can accomplish.

Dr. Fineberg serves as Chief Scientist for CSERIAC. He earned his Ph.D. in Applied Experimental Psychology at Catholic University and did post-doctoral work in systems theory at Georgetown Medical School. He has over 30 years experience as a research psychologist devoted to enhancing human performance in stressful situations, including 10 years working in the US Department of Defense. Dr. Fineberg can be reached via telephone at 703-902-5171 or via email at fineberg_michael@bah.com. CSERIAC can be reached at 937-255-4842 or http://cseriac.flight.wpafb.af.mil.

Web Sites for Surfing

The following websites might be of interest to some HFESPOC members:
www.sandia.gov/itg/newsletter.sep98 -- hosts the latest newsletter from the Internet Technical Group. It presents some interesting articles and reviews.
www.illusionworks.com -- is a website dealing with illusions. It has two levels: one for novices, and one for people with an extensive knowledge of illusions.

Guide to Usability for Software Engineers

The University of Maryland, Masters of Software Engineering, Fall 98, Usability Engineering class (MSWE 613) is pleased to announce a web resource called: "The Guide to Usability for Software Engineers" (GUSE). GUSE is a collection of pages intended for software engineers, software project managers, and usability engineering practitioners to find relevant resources on the Web relating to computer usability.

We have divided the collection into a top level page, which serves as an entry point, and ten subsections that contain information relevant to the study of usability engineering:

1) Methodologies for Development (LUCID, MUSIC, etc.)
2) Management Strategies, Teamwork, and Case Studies
3) Standards & Guidelines Documents- Macintosh, Windows, Web, etc.
4) User Interface Building Tools - not Java (Visual Basic, PowerBuilder, HTML, etc.)
5) User Interface Building Tools - Java
6) Testing methods and tools
7) Metrics and evaluation tools
8) Formal methods in interface specification
9) University degree programs and professional training courses
10) Conferences, books, videos, resources

These subsections each have their own page and collection of links relevant to their respective subjects. For more information send mail to the GUSE Advisory Board: mailto:mswe613-guse@python.org

Coffee and DoughNets Goes Latenight

"Coffee & DoughNets Goes Latenight: The Young and the Restless -- Netpreneurs Conquer the Generation Gap"
Sheraton Premiere, Tysons Corner
December 2, 1998
5:30 p.m. Registration & Networking
6:45 p.m. Program Begins

Join us as we learn how the generations are working together in the region's netpreneur companies. What makes this industry different when it comes to the 20 somethings versus the 40 somethings? Our panelists, (soon to be announced) will talk about communications, the challenges in building a great team, the 20 somethings' need for speed versus the 40 somethings' need for planning,and more.

Job Opportunities

Wild things are happening! At Bell Atlantic, we are committed to being a trusted guide in the confusing world of communications. Here, you'll have a chance to work with some of the best and brightest people in the industry on projects that are changing the face of communications. Not an idle promise, big things are happening here, and we're poised to become the premier communications company in the 21st century. To help us get there, we are now seeking a Usability Engineering Specialist to join our team.

If selected, you will design, conduct and analyze the results of usability tests; conduct usability evaluations and quality assurance testing throughout the design and development lifecycle; consult with clients on interface design and redesign; and provide general human factors research support. You will also identify and disseminate relevant human factors research, industry developments, style guides and process improvements.

To qualify, you will need at least a Master's degree in Human Factors or Applied Psychology or a related field, relevant experience with usability testing/evaluation, knowledge of quality assurance testing, and excellent communication skills. Extensive experience with PC and UNIX platforms is required. Experience in GUI design is highly desirable.

DCS Corporation is seeking resumes from interested individuals for an opening in the Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia area.

Job requirements: Advanced degree in Human Factors or related area, with at least 8 years experience in an applied setting. Candidate must be experienced in providing Human Factors Engineering support for hardware and software systems development to achieve program objectives. The position requires experience in the generation and execution of Human Factors Program plans, HFE test and evaluation plans, review of technical material for HFE implications, directing HFE efforts using assets that may be drawn from several organizations, participating in program and design reviews, performing HFE analyses to support the development of systems to execute an operational concept, and evaluating HFE products delivered by other organizations. The focus will be on systems development for air traffic control and air traffic management. The position requires working closely with the customer, operational users, maintainers, vendors, and R&D organizations.

The Instructional Technology program at George Mason University is offering a Human Computer Interface Design elective course this spring semester and is looking for a knowledgeable person in this area to teach the course. It is offered on Wednesday evenings on the Fairfax campus, 7:20-10:00 p.m. For more information on the Instructional Technology program at George Mason University, please see the following web-site: http://gse.gmu.edu/programs/it.

MANPRINT Specialist (Human Factors Engineer), Science and Technology Corporation (STC)

Function: Contractual support for the Army's Operational Test and Evaluation Command. Preparation of plans and evaluations of developmental materiel. Observation of testing.

Degree required - Masters degree desired
Experience with Operational Test and Evaluation involving Army soldiers and equipment desired.
Prefer part time employment - will consider full time
Some travel involved - Primary place of employment is STC Regional Office Edgewood, MD
Salary commensurate with skill level. Resume required.
Forward salary requirements and resume to:

Associate Professor, University of Maryland College Park, Department of Human Development

We are seeking a faculty member in cognition and computer-based technologies. Candidates should have an outstanding program of research with a developmental perspective and interests in such areas as language development, problem solving, strategy learning or knowledge acquisition. Secondary interests in social cognition, emotion, and/or motivation would mesh well with those of the faculty.

Candidates should have expertise in using and developing computer-based technologies for research on cognition, learning, and the acquisition of knowledge. Relevant lines of research might include the roles of hypermedia in learning, computer simulations, collaborative problem solving, multimedia in knowledge acquisition, spatial cognition or computer-based assessments.

Candidates are expected to assume a leadership role in the Department, teach, and mentor graduate students.

Candidates should have a distinguished record of publication, demonstrated evidence of external funding, a history of effective teaching, and sustained service to the profession and academic community. The position is available September 1, 1999. Salary, compensation and technology support are competitive with leading Universities. We encourage applications from minority candidates, women, and persons with disabilities. The University of Maryland is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is dedicated to increasing the diversity of its faculty through hiring and retention of minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. Review of submissions will begin December 11 and will proceed continuously until the position is filled.

The Department of Human Development consists of 21 faculty members who represent a broad range of disciplines including cognition and learning; knowledge acquisition and problem solving; motivation and the development of the self system; social cognition; social, emotional and personality development; biological bases of behavior and personality; and the roles of cultural variations and contextual effects on development and learning. Collectively, the faculty have research interests that cover all periods of the life-span. Within the Department, a specialization in Educational Psychology is highly ranked nationally for research productivity in school learning and motivation. A Developmental Science specialization, in collaboration with the Psychology Department, provides leadership nationally and internationally in psychobiological and social influences on human development. The Department has strong ties to the internationally known Department of Computer Science with its associated Institutes. Many Human Development faculty members are funded by Federal agencies and private foundations. A strong, mentorship doctoral program provides graduate students excellent research opportunities in College Park and across the Washington metropolitan area. Undergraduate courses are provided for the campus and the College of Education, with a major for students in Early Childhood Education.

Candidates are requested to submit a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, and names of four references to:

Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland College Park, Department of Computer Science to teach Human Computer Interaction in Spring 1999.

The senior undergrad course that I teach has 35+ students on the waiting list so there is a chance I can get the Computer Science Dept at the Univ. of Maryland, College Park to open another section of:

This would be for the Spring semester starting on January 26, till mid-May. It is a three credit course using the third edition of my book "Designing the User Interface" as a text. You could follow my strategy of requiring team projects that are experiments, or you could change the projects to suit your style. You could have some flexibility in choosing when to meet. The usual pattern is two 75 minute sessions but once a week, for example, 4 pm - 6:45 pm is possible.

I need a full resume and descriptions of your previous teaching of this or related courses. A Ph.D. in Computer Science or related disciplines is expected. I hope a decision can be made by December 1. You can find more info on the department and courses at http://www.cs.umd.edu.

Ben Shneiderman
Dept. of Computer Science
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742

Humor Me!

In case you needed further proof that the human race is doomed, here are some actual label instructions on consumer goods:

Nominations for Chapter Officers

It's nominations time again! We are soliciting nominations for 1999 for the offices listed below. You can print out this pre-addressed sheet and mail it back. This form is also being distributed by e-mail. Use whichever version is most convenient for you.

(Newsletter editor’s note -- The deadline for receipt of nominations was publicized by e-mail to be November 30, 1998. Since I am not getting the newsletter out until now, you can have a few extra days. However, please get your nominations to Ron as soon as possible.)

Please contact me (Ron Hoffman) with any questions regarding these offices. Return your responses via:

November '98	Volume 33 Number 9
The Users' Perspective
http://www.erols.com/hfespoc

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