Chapters

CSU Long Beach Conference
By Paige Bacon

     The 4th Annual Regional Human Factors Conference, hosted by the HFES California State University, Long Beach Student Chapter, was held on February 28 in Long Beach. Three keynote speakers headlined the event.

     Fred Garcia, assistant director of the Center for Usability and Design Accessibility at Cal State, Long Beach, discussed the challenges of product accessibility evaluation, the relationship between accessibility and usability, and the importance of taking users with disabilities into account when designing usable products. Ray Kowalewski, manager of Central User Testing at Activision- Blizzard, highlighted his journey through the field of human factors and the implementation of user testing in video game design. Douglas H. Harris, former HFES president and chairman and principal scientist of Anacapa Sciences, Inc., led an open forum during which he discussed his perspectives on the human factors discipline over the past 50 years. He spoke about the new challenges faced by HF/E professionals in terms of training, technology, and the changing role of HF/E in large organizations.

     The conference also included a poster session featuring students and professionals from throughout Southern California, a series of displays from industrial design students at Cal State, Long Beach, and a panel of Cal State graduates who discussed strategies for obtaining internships and entry-level human factors positions.

     We look forward to seeing you at the 5th Annual Regional Conference in 2010!

Paige Bacon is a first-year graduate student in the MS human factors program at California State University, Long Beach. She received her BA in psychology from Wichita State University.

Table of Contents for July 2009 HFES Bulletin

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