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NewsletterUpdated: May 25 |
| May '99 | Volume 34 Number 4 |
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http://www.erols.com/hfespoc |
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I am pleased to announce the election results for our new officers and director who start their terms of office on January 1, 2000. Best wishes to our "Y2K" team: Doug Griffith - President; Secretary - Cliff Baker; Treasurer - John Ruffner; and Director - Dennis Faust.
The election reminded me that with Y2K could be the potential of computer system disruptions (not related to our new officers). Thus, I thought it time to upgrade my software (including Windows 95 and Internet Explorer 4) but I got lost in the process. A check of Microsoft’s web site yielded a Windows 95 Year 2000 upgrade. So far, so good. However, the Windows upgrade suggested that I install Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 2 as well. I have Internet Explorer 4.0 with Service Pack 1 so this generated the question if Internet Explorer 4.0 with Service Pack 1 might be the same as Internet Explorer 4.01. Checking further I found a version number of 4.72.3110.8.
It appears that I do not have to wait until Y2K to be confused, for I’m not sure what I may need to do to update Internet Explorer. Any HF guidance about computer documentation and instructions seems not to have been applied to uniquely identify what software version I have in user understandable terms. While my experience is trivial now, I do anticipate that software vendors will face a flood of questions as Y2K approaches, and many of those questions could have been prevented by a simple version numbering scheme.
Jack Laveson
Voice: 703/642-3677
e-mail: j.i.laveson@ieee.org
Meeting Date: Wednesday, May 19, 1999
Time:
5:30-6:30 Executive Council Meeting
6:30-7:00 Social Time (Cash bar)
7:00-7:45 Dinner
7:45 Presentation
Location:
Charley’s Place, 6930 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, Virginia,
(703) 893-1034
Speaker:
Thomas M. Granda, Ph.D., U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway
Adminstration (FHWA)
Dr. Granda has spent most of his professional career in the Washington, D.C. area. He worked at the U.S. Army Research Institute, Carlow Associates, and SAIC for a total of about 25 years. In June of 1998, Dr. Granda accepted a position as a Team Leader with the FHWA at the Turner Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC). He has an M.A. in General/Experimental Psychology from California State University in Long Beach, California and a Ph.D. in Human Factors from The Catholic University of America in D.C.
Topic:
"FHWA’s Human Centered Systems Program at TFHRC"
Human factors research at TFHRC involves Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and highway safety. ITS research includes such topics as: driver interaction with in-vehicle information systems such as navigation devices; the integration of multiple in-vehicle information systems; icon development and evaluation; behavioral modeling for in-vehicle device usage; and, traffic management center operator issues. Highway safety research includes such topics as: older driver research; behavioral aspects of roadway geometrics; navigating through work/maintenance zones; and, signing and pavement markings. Current and future program areas will be described.
Cost, Dinner Included:
$15.00 – members and guests
$10.00 – students
Reservations:
We need a head count by noon, Tuesday, May 18. Please contact Debbie Park at UserWorks, Inc. by email at dpark@userworks.com, by phone at (301) 431-0500, or by fax at (301) 431-4834. If you respond by email or fax, you will receive a confirmation. If not, please call.
Menu:
Hibachi Chicken Breast with mashed potatoes and vegetable, house salad, assorted desserts,
and beverages.
Directions:
DIRECTIONS TO CHARLEY’S PLACE FROM CAPITAL BELTWAY:
To reach Charley’s Place from the Capital Beltway, Route 495, take exit 11, Dolly Madison Boulevard East, Route 123 towards McLean. Follow Dolley Madison Boulevard East for approximately 2 miles. Just past the traffic light at Old Dominon Drive turn right to Charley’s Place.
DIRECTIONS TO CHARLEY’S PLACE FROM THE GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKWAY:
To reach Charley’s Place from the George Washington Parkway, take the Chain Bridge Road exit West, Route 123 towards McLean. Follow Chain Bridge Road West (name changes to Dolly Madison Boulevard) for approximately 3 miles. Make a left turn onto Old Dominon Drive (traffic light intersection), and an immediate left turn from Old Dominion Drive to Charley’s Place.
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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.
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At the chapter’s April 28th dinner meeting held on George Mason University campus, Lawrence Sklar talked about the "Foundations of the Theory of Machine Learning." Larry explained that to understand Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI), a person needs to understand the basis of intelligence – collect data, store data, solve problems, and learn – which is applicable to humans as well as machines. Using this basis, one has to consider the acquisition and storage of knowledge. For example, the Deep Blue chess playing computer does not by itself learn, but if you consider the computer and the programmers who wrote the computer code, then there is intelligence. Larry went on to address the aspects of learning and the functional ways in which learning occurs, the goal of which is to get consistent coherent definitions of knowledge, learning, and intelligence. He concluded by describing the way in which AI uses these definitions, and the importance of taking advantage of what humans can do and applying that to what computers do best.
Congratulations to the following chapter members who will be our new officers for the Year 2000:
Doug Griffith - President
Secretary - Cliff Baker
Treasurer - John Ruffner
Director - Dennis Faust
Don’t miss our upcoming chapter meetings (details to follow in due time):
June - Larry Schliefer - Internal Revenue Service, topic –
Industrial Ergonomics/Micro Work Breaks
July, August - No meetings during summer
September - No meeting due to HFES Annual Meeting in same month
October 27 - Jake Pauls, topic -- Safety of Stair Design
Late November or early December – Robert Sumwalt, an airline pilot
and chairperson of the Air Line Pilots Associations’ HF and Ergonomics Committee.
There are still a variety of opportunities available to serve the Chapter and the field of Human Factors and Ergonomics. One of these opportunities is as Membership and Directory Chair of the Chapter. If you would like to volunteer for this position or would like to learn more about the duties and opportunities regarding the position, please contact Doug Griffith at 703- 528-5250, extension 4120 or via e-mail at dkgriffith@erols.com.
We also need a Local Arrangements Chair. This person would coordinate locations for the Chapter’s monthly meetings and interact with the food service people at the meeting place. If interested, please contact Jack Laveson at 703-642-3677 or by e-mail at: j.i.laveson@ieee.org.
Dues notices for 1999 have been mailed. Dues are $25 for members and associates, and $15 for students. Corporate memberships are $100. If you are at least 60 years old or disabled and retired from the field of human factors, you are eligible for emeritus status. The emeritus status entails a one-time payment of $40 for a lifetime of membership benefits.
If there are any questions or problems, please contact me via email at dkgriffith@erols.com or by phone at 703 528 5250 x4120.
Prompt payments are much appreciated as second notices require additional expense and effort.
Thanks for your continuing support.
Doug Griffith
HFESPOC Membership Chair
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) will hold a Professional Development Conference & Exposition in Baltimore, Maryland on June 13-16, 1999.
Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory
University of Maryland Institute of Advanced Computer Studies
http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/
16th Annual Symposium & Open House
Friday June 18, 1999
(Pre-Symposium Workshops Thursday June 17, 1999)
to register: contact Cecilia Kullman
cecilia@umiacs.umd.edu
Tel (301) 405-0304
Fax (301) 314-9658
(To guarantee reservation of lunch and materials we need your registration by JUNE 5)
PRE-SYMPOSIUM WORKSHOPS - June 17th
W1- Designing New Technologies for Children -- Allison Druin
W2- Zoomable User Interfaces (ZUIs) -- Ben Bederson
W3- Usability and Social Considerations in On-line Community Design -- Jean Gasen and
Jenny Preece
W4- Design and Implementation of Query Previews for Digital Libraries -- Maya Ventkatraman
and Catherine Plaisant
SYMPOSIUM AND OPEN HOUSE PROGRAM - June 18th
8:15 SIGN IN AND COFFEE: Tyser Auditorium, Van Munching Hall, Room 1212
9:00-2:30 LECTURES
WELCOME: Ben Shneiderman, Head of HCIL; Joseph JaJa, Director of UMIACS
INFORMATION VISUALIZATION
Finding Earth Science Data Using Query Previews -- M. Ventkatraman, K. Ngamkajornwiwat, E. Tanin, C. Plaisant
Visualizing Legal Information
Dynamic Queries for Categorical Information -- D. Feldman, B. Shneiderman
Browsing Session History and Visualizing Case Histories -- A. Komlodi, B. Allen
Snap-together Visualizations -- C. North
Multimedia Digital Libraries -- B. Allen, D. Oard, W. Ding, L. Slaughter, J. Bush
Navigating Web Hierarchies: Sequential or Simultaneous Menus? -- K. Norman, H. Hochheiser
Zoomable User Interfaces -- B. Bederson, B. McAlister, M. Jump
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
SimPLE: Simulation Processes in a Learning Environment
Development Environment Architecture -- A. Rose, G. Rubloff, N. Kositsyna
Application to Advanced Transportation Systems -- C. Plaisant, P. Tarnoff, S. Keswani
The Learning Historian -- R. Salter
Designing Technology with Children -- A. Druin, J. Montemayor, A. Boltman
Collaborative Story Telling Tools for Children -- A. Boltman, B. Bederson, J.P. Hourcade
2:30-5:30 DEMONSTRATIONS - OPEN HOUSE
IBM Teaching/Learning Theater, Van Munching Hall - Room 2203
Computer Science/UMIACS, AV Williams Bldg - Room 3174
Also joint demos with Education Dept., Geography Dept., Lab. for Language and Media
Processing and Center for Advanced Transportation Systems.
Psychology, Zoology-Psychology Bldg - Room 3111
College of Library and Information Services, Hornbake Library - Room 4121
Space Sciences Lab, Neutral Buoyancy Research Facility - Room 2100C
MATERIALS RECEIVED
Registrants for the HCIL 16th Annual Symposium will receive:
* ONE HOUR VIDEOTAPE of our HCIL 1998 Video Reports
* A set of recent TECHNICAL REPORTS and SLIDES from the talks
* 15% off the $69 price of new 686 page full color book of reprints plus commentary,
READINGS IN INFORMATION VISUALIZATION: USING VISION TO THINK, Stuart Card, Jock Mackinlay,
& Ben Shneiderman, (Eds.), Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc., 1999
* 15% off the $39.95 price of the new 320 page book which includes 11 chapters by authors
from around the world discussing how and why new technologies for children are designed.
THE DESIGN OF CHILDREN'S TECHNOLOGY, Allison Druin (Ed.) Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc.,
1999.
George Mason University - August 6 to 9 1999
ACT-R is a cognitive theory and simulation system for developing cognitive models for tasks that vary from simple reaction time to air traffic control. Each year a workshop is held to enable current users to exchange results and ideas. The sixth Annual ACT-R Workshop will be held at George Mason University, outside of Washington, DC from August 6 to 9 1999. Current users, potential users, and knowledgeable observers of cognitive science are invited to attend.
The workshop will take place from the evening of Friday, August 6 through the afternoon of Monday August 9. The pre-workshop will begin Friday morning with a one-day tutorial introduction to ACT-R. The tutorial is suitable for users of other modeling systems as well as for knowledgeable observers of cognitive science. (There is an additional $75 fee for the tutorial.)
A reception and poster session will be held Friday evening. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday mornings will be devoted to a series of research presentations, each lasting from 15 to 30 minutes. Afternoons will feature discussion sessions and instructional tutorials. Evenings will be occupied by demonstration sessions during which participants can gain a more detailed knowledge of the models presented and engage in unstructured discussions.
Admission to the workshop is open to all. (The registration fee will be announced at a later time. Reduced rates will be available to students.)
KEY DATES:
All papers, posters, demonstrations, and tutorial attendees: a notice of
"intent" to participate is due ASAP but at least before June 15th.
Posters and Demonstrations: Abstract due July 1st. One-page, camera-ready copy due August
1st.
Papers: Two-page abstract due June 15th. Camera-ready copy is due August 1st.
Registration: Dates for early and late registration will be announced at a later time.
(http://hfac.gmu.edu/~actr99)
Attendees are encouraged to submit by email a notice of "intent to participate" as soon as possible but prior to June 15th. The notice should be short (less than one email page or < 250 words) and should contain the following information. Category (spoken paper, poster, demonstration, tutorial, or observer). Title, description, and other details are optional as long as the total length is less than 250 words. The purpose of the "intent to participate" is to aid the organizers in planning. It will not be regarded as a commitment to attend.
Spoken presentations can be up to 30 minutes in length. Researchers are invited to submit a 1-2 page extended abstract (500-1000 words) by June 15th. Preference will be given to running ACT-R models, ACT-R as a modeling language, modeling issues or techniques, models with empirical data, or empirical data pertaining to some aspect of the ACT-R theory. These papers will be reviewed and published (as is or in longer form) in the workshop proceedings. Selections will be announced by July 15th. Up to 8 pages will be published in the proceedings. The 8 pages may include an abstract plus slides or a complete paper. Camera-ready copy must be submitted by August 1st if it is to be included in the workshop proceedings. (The format for the extended abstracts and papers will follow that used for the Cognitive Science Conference. Templates will be available from http://hfac.gmu.edu/~actr99 at a later time.)
All attendees may give a poster presentation. Poster abstracts will not be reviewed. A notice of "intent to participate" should be sent as soon as possible but prior to June 15th. A one page abstract will be published in the proceedings if submitted prior to August 1st. (The format for the abstracts will follow that used for the Cognitive Science Conference. Templates will be available from http://hfac.gmu.edu/~actr99 at a later time.)
Demonstrations are solicited for running models, power tools for modelers, or other types of executable systems of interest to the modeling community. A notice of "intent to participate" should be sent as soon as possible but prior to June 15th. A one page abstract will be published in the proceedings if submitted prior to August 1st. (The format for the abstracts will follow that used for the Cognitive Science Conference. Templates will be available from http://hfac.gmu.edu/~actr99 at a later time.)
Suggestions for the topics of the discussion sessions or for tutorials on some aspect of ACT-R are welcomed. Topics do not have to be limited to ACT-R, but may include general issues dealing with some aspect of computational cognitive modeling or unified theories of cognition.
On campus housing and reduced rates at local hotels will be available. Details concerning the registration for the workshop and for housing will be announced at a later date. Additional information (detailed schedule, etc.) will appear on the Human Factors and Applied Cognitive Web site (http://hfac.gmu.edu/~actr99) when available or can be requested at:
Addresses for submissions and for more information:
1999 ACT-R Workshop
George Mason University
Psychology Department
Human Factors & Applied Cognitive Program
MSN 3F5 Attn: Jane Blechman
Fairfax, VA 22030
Fax: +1 (703) 993-1330 Tel: +1 (703) 993-2104
Email: jblechma@gmu.edu
Web site (http://hfac.gmu.edu/~actr99)
June 3, 1999
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, Maryland, USA
http://www.nist.gov/hfweb
The fifth in a series of "Human Factors and the Web" conferences will be held on Thursday, June 3, 1999 at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC.
The purpose of these conferences is to provide a forum for sharing information among a community of human factors engineers, designers, and developers who are interested in producing web sites that are more useful and usable. The first four conferences were sponsored by Sandia National Laboratories (March 1996), Microsoft Corporation (October 1996), US West Communications (June 1997), and AT&T Labs (June 1998). This year's conference is being hosted by NIST and sponsored, in part, by AT&T Labs, ORACLE Corporation, National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD), and Bell Atlantic Corporation.
There is no registration fee.
HFWEB Agenda – June 3, 1999
07:45 am - 08:45 am
Registration and Breakfast
08:45 am - 09:00 am
Welcome and Introduction
Sharon Laskowski, HFWEB99 Chair
Shukri Wakid, Chief Information Officer, NIST
William Mehuron, Director, Information Technology Lab, NIST
TOPIC: Research
09:00 am - 09:30 am
Cognitive Strategies in Web Searching
Raquel Navarro-Prieto, Y. Rogers, M. Scaife,
University of Sussex, UK
09:30 am - 10:00 am
What does getting WET (Web Event-logging Tool) Mean for Web Usability?
Michael P. Etgen, Judy Cantor, AT&T Labs
10:00 am - 10:30 am
Getting Back to Back: Alternate Behaviors for a Web Browser's Back Button
Saul Greenberg, University of Calgary, Canada
Andy Cockburn, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
10:30 am - 11:00 am
The Effects of Cultural Markers on Web Site Use
Charles Sheppard, Jean Scholtz, NIST
11:00 am - 11:30 am
Break
TOPIC: Models and Methods
11:30 am - 12:00 pm
The Max Model: A Standard Web Site User Model
Gene Lynch, Susan Palmiter, Design Technologies, Inc.
Chris Tilt, WebCriteria, Inc.
12:00 pm - 12:30 pm
Globalization of User-Interface Design for the Web
Aaron Marcus, Edward Guttman, John Armitage, Volker Frank, Aaron Marcus and Associates,
Inc.
12:30 pm - 01:00 pm
Towards Web Macros: a Model and a Prototype System for Automating Common Tasks on the Web
Alex Safonov, Joseph Konstan, John Carlis, University of Minnesota
01:00 pm - 02:00 pm
Lunch
02:00 pm - 03:00 pm
Panel: The Future of Web Applications
Mike Paciello, WebABLE Solutions
Jakob Nielsen, Nielsen Norman Group
Shawn Lawton Henry, Compuware
TOPIC: Applications
03:00 pm - 03:30 pm
Web Navigation: How to Make Your Web Site Fast and Usable
Eugene Tiller, Phillip Green, American Management Systems
03:30 pm - 04:00 pm
Break
04:00 pm - 04:30 pm
Browsing Innovations in the Effective C++ CD-ROM
Scott Meyers
Jason Jones, Pearson PTR
04:30 pm - 05:00 pm
The Treasury Report on Receivables: A Case Study in Transforming a DOS-Based Mainframe
System to the Internet
Nicole J. Burton, U.S. Department of Treasury
05:00 pm - 05:30 pm
AT&T Chat 'N Talk: Getting to Know You without Getting to Know All About You
Helen A. Fairbrother, Elizabeth A. Hohne,
Steven Todd, AT&T Labs
Technology Transfer Society - Washington Area Chapter
Brown Bag Luncheon Series for Members and Guests
On Thursday, May 20, 1999, the Washington, D.C. Area Chapter of the Technology Transfer Society welcomes Dr. Gregory Tassey, from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He will speak about understanding the nature and magnitude of the impacts of government R&D on industrial growth and competitiveness using microeconomic analysis (as opposed to macroeconomic approaches, using input-output models). Major elements of the methodology are (1) technology assessment, including both the overall industrial technology affected and the infrastructural elements of that technology targeted by the government research project; (2) characterization of industry structure (supply chains) potentially affected by the targeted technology; (3) the path and nature of the hypothesized technical and economic impacts (in particular, stages of economic activity affected and diffusion/assimilation paths); and (4) selection and use of impact metrics (R&D investment, innovation and productivity, net present value, benefit-cost ratios, rates of return). Presenting the results of the analysis in forms understandable by stakeholders (industry and government officials) is essential. Gregory Tassey is Senior Economist for the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He is engaged in analyses of the economics of high-tech industries; strategic planning and economic impact studies; and economic growth policy assessments. Dr. Tassey has a Ph.D. in economics from The George Washington University. He has published 25 articles in policy and economic journals and has written three books, including Technology Infrastructure and Competitive Position (1992) and most recently The Economics of R&D Policy (1997).
Date: Thursday, May 20, 1999
Time: Noon to 1:30 p.m.
Place: American Association for the Advancement of Science Bldg.
1200 New York Avenue, NW. (near Metro Center)
Haskins/Abelson Conference Rooms
No reservation or RSVP is necessary.
Cosponsored by the AAAS Science and Policy Programs Directorate
Please mark your calendars for the following dates when we plan to continue to bring in
interesting speakers who will speak on a broad range of technology transfer issues:
Thursday, June 17, 1999,
Visit the Chapter Web site at http://millkern.com/washtts
How do you get from business startup to 17 million customers? When does it make sense to give your stuff away for free? What are the next big ideas?
Find out on June 8 at:
Register now: http://netpreneur.org/gorilla/
Join the netpreneur community as we welcome:
* Marc Andreessen-Chief Technology Officer, America Online, Inc.
* Ted Leonsis- President, AOL Interactive Properties Group
* Danny Krifcher- Vice President, AOL Interactive Properties
Hear them talk about experiences, offer advice and predictions, and then take your questions.
Many claim that the Internet has enabled a New Economy with new obstacles and opportunities. Are the rules for starting and growing a successful business really changing? What will the big opportunities be for Internet startups? Join us in a town hall discussion with industry revolutionaries and executives from America Online to learn from their startup experiences, get their advice on where the opportunities are, and hear their vision for the future.
June 8, 1999: Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Washington, DC.
5:30 p.m. - Registration, networking and reception
7:00 p.m. - Program presentations and live Q&A
9:00 p.m. - Post-event reception and networking
This event is free but you must pre-register online to attend. Seating
is limited! Register today to reserve a seat at what is sure to be a sell-out event.
To register: http://netpreneur.org/gorilla/
Do you want to ask the panel a question? Great, send questions to gorilla@netpreneur.org and watch our Web site for more event information.
Netpreneur Program newcomers may wonder -- What's a netpreneur? It's an entrepreneur who creates products and services that are for or delivered over the Internet. The Netpreneur Program supports these digital age entrepreneurs and the businesses they create. For the latest on the Netpreneur Program: http://netpreneur.org/.
See you on June 8!
Internship, GE Information Services, Inc.
Job Description: The User Interface group at GE Information Services, Inc. is seeking applicants for six-month to one-year positions as paid student interns at our Rockville, Maryland headquarters. GE Information Services is a leading, worldwide provider of electronic commerce services such as Supply Chain Management, Logistics, and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). The User Interface group consults to design, develop, and test user interfaces of commercial business products on various delivery platforms (e.g., web and Windows '95).
Student interns work primarily in our Usability Lab collecting and analyzing data, producing recommendations for improving product usability, and reporting results to cross-functional product development teams. In addition, student interns work with user interface professionals to complete various user interface design activities (e.g., task analysis, prototyping, standards writing) as part of the software development lifecycle.
Requirements:
Deadlines: For positions starting in May/June, submit resume by April 1st. For positions starting in Aug/Sept, submit resume by June 1st. For positions starting in December/January, submit resume by October 10.
Send or E-Mail Resumes To:
Kelly Pritchard
401 North Washington Street
Mailstop MC03A
Rockville, MD 20850
Kelly.pritchard@geis.ge.com
If the boss finds you dozing, try one of these tongue-in-cheek responses:
Source: www.superkids.com, cited in Workforce, ACC Communications Inc. 245 Fischer Ave., Ste. B-2, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
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Recent Meetings:
November, 1998 December, 1998 January, 1999 February, 1999 March, 1999 |
April, 1999 Coming Attractions: May 19, 1999 June (Date TBD), 1999 October 27, 1999 Nov/Dec, 1999 |
