International Ergonomics Association

Human Factors/Ergonomics: An International Perspective
By Christopher B. Mayhorn

     Recently, it was my pleasure and privilege to attend the 17th World Congress on Ergonomics, hosted by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) in Beijing, China. This was my second opportunity to attend this triennial professional meeting, the first being the 16th Congress in Maastricht, Netherlands, in 2006. To me, these conferences provide a wonderful cultural and intellectual opportunity to step outside the box and see what the rest of the world is exploring and accomplishing in our human factors/ergonomics science.

Knowledge-Sharing Benefits

     As an active member of the HFES Aging, Safety, and Internet Technical Groups, I regularly attend our HFES Annual Meetings and feel that I am well read and up to date on topics of interest within the United States. Yet, attending an international conference provides a broader perspective, which I have found to be both informative and refreshing. For instance, I listened to a paper session chaired by Christopher Schlick (Germany) that addressed the use of information and communication technology by older workers. At this session I met and interacted with researchers such as Martina Ziefle (Germany), who investigates how the miniaturization of technology affects the usability of devices for older adults. Because my research interests are similar, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing about alternative research approaches that I had not previously considered in my own lab.

     I believe exposure to such different ideas may shape my future research efforts. In fact, this has already happened, because I gleaned a few ideas regarding information security from another session, chaired by Tomas Berns (Sweden), which have already informed one of my graduate student's dissertation work on the topic. Likewise, my own presentation on cybersecurity in a session chaired by Andrew Thatcher (South Africa) gave me the opportunity to hear direct feedback from an international audience on my work. This feedback will be instrumental during the publication process ahead.

     Although learning about work being done internationally is informative for research topics that we are familiar with, another benefit to attending such conferences is to learn about topics that are less familiar to us. As a scientist interested in human factors and aging, I find independence and accessibility interesting as well but am not very knowledgeable about it from the perspective of engineering and design. After listening to Sritomo Wignjosoebroto (Indonesia) present a new wheelchair design, I am now much better informed on the topic.

     The closing keynote speech by Colin Drury (United States) brought home the point that the world community shares common challenges that can be addressed by human factors/ergonomics professionals. For HF/E practitioners and researchers, these shared methods of investigation and problem solving extend beyond culture and geography to make us a small but valuable resource in making the world a better place in which to work and live.

Cultural Benefits

     The cultural benefits of traveling to an international conference are as valuable as the intellectual ones. At a dinner during the Beijing congress, we watched an impressive show that included a singer from the Beijing Opera, a traditional drum ceremony, and an acrobatic display. Throughout the conference, the volunteers and students from the Chinese Ergonomics Society organized a variety of daytime excursions to places such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and the site of the Beijing Olympic Complex. During the evenings, conference participants could attend the Beijing Opera, feast on Peking duck, and attend the Beijing Night Show, complete with the dragon dance.

     During all these activities, I enjoyed the social benefits of the conference by making new friends and getting reacquainted with old friends whom I see at our own HFES Annual Meetings. Nothing breaks the ice like climbing the Great Wall with Andy Imada (HFES secretary-treasurer and IEA president-elect), touring the Summer Palace with Debbie Boehm-Davis and Dave Kaber, eating roast donkey meat and taking a rickshaw ride through the Hutong alleyways of Beijing with Mike Wogalter, having a Chinese beer with Klaus Zink (IEA secretary) or spending 12 hours on an airplane and many exotic meals with Cheryl Bolstad.

     With all these memories and experiences in mind, I find myself eagerly anticipating the next IEA World Congress, scheduled for 2012 in Recife, Brazil. The closing keynote session by Marcelo Soares (Brazil) made it clear that the upcoming meeting will be equally exciting!

Christopher B. (Chris) Mayhorn, PhD, is an associate professor in the human factors program within the Department of Psychology at North Carolina State University. He is chair of the Council of Technical Groups and president of the HFES Carolinas Chapter. His research interests include applied cognitive aging, medication adherence, human-computer interaction, and risk communication.

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