From the President

Summer Updates

By Kathleen L. Mosier, HFES President

     As you enjoy the balmy days of summer, let me bring you up to date on various activities and initiatives.

Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker

     In case you haven't checked the HFES Web site lately, I'm excited to tell you that the keynote address for the 54th Annual Meeting in San Francisco will be presented by Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger III, the US Airways pilot who masterfully landed Flight 1549 on the Hudson River on January 15, 2009. Captain Sullenberger's insights should be valuable to both researchers and practitioners. He is highly informed about and sympathetic to issues of safety in aviation and has worked on these issues in his consulting firm and with human factors/ergonomics researchers at NASA Ames Research Center. Read a preview of his talk here, and please join us for what promises to be an interesting and informative keynote address.

Your Executive Council.

     .has been working hard this year to enhance the value of your membership. In addition to our two yearly business meetings, we've initiated the practice of monthly teleconferences to address pressing issues. The HFES organizational structure has evolved somewhat over the past several years, as illustrated by the addition of Division Chairs.

What Is a Division Chair?

     HFES is organized into five divisions (formerly called domains): Internal Affairs, Publications, Outreach, Professionalism, and HFES Institute. Division chairs are appointed by the current HFES president and serve three-year terms. They coordinate the work of committees within their division and report on activities and issues at HFES Executive Council meetings. We are extremely fortunate to have the following excellent Division Chairs: James P. Bliss for Internal Affairs, Kermit G. Davis for Publications, Deborah A. Boehm-Davis for Outreach, S. Camille Peres for Professionalism, and Bruce Bradtmiller for HFES Institute. If you see them at the Annual Meeting (look for the Division Chair ribbons), be sure to tell them thanks for their hard work!

Is Your HF/E Graduate Program Accredited?

     We're improving the process of applying for HFES accreditation for graduate programs. Revisions to the Self-Study Guide make requirements clearer and should facilitate the process of applying for HFES accreditation or reaccreditation. Defining requirements for accreditation is tricky, as our discipline is quite broad, and many HF/E programs have become increasingly specialized in content. The current requirements include a broad range of knowledge across the areas of human factors/ergonomics. We've provided guidance as to what and how much coverage of nonemphasized HF/E areas represents - at least at a minimal level - a sufficient range of knowledge for accreditation. HFES accreditation is an asset for graduate programs and for their faculty and students. Please contact me at kmosier@sfsu.edu or Patricia R. DeLucia, Chair of the Accreditation Committee, at pat.delucia@ttu.edu if you have questions.

Have You Checked Us Out on the Web?

     Friended HFES on Facebook? Checked for the latest on Twitter or LinkedIn? Attended an HFES Webinar? We're definitely on the Web and linked to several social networking sites! However, we need people to provide content, stimulate discussion, and engage members in timely and important topics in order to ensure a continued active presence on the Web. Contact me at kmosier@sfsu.edu if you want to help with this essential task - or contribute your own content!

     Watch the HFES Web site for upcoming announcements on new formats for obtaining publications, on Reviews of Human Factors and Ergonomics, Volume 6, and on an exciting new award to be offered by Human Factors.

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