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HFES SJSU Student Chapter Year in Review

by Jim Beno

It's been a really good year, and I'd like to thank the past executive council (Vice President Mayuko Ueda, Secretary/Treasurer Jose L. Garcia-Chico, Events Coordinator Cassy Rowe), our faculty advisor (Dr. Anthony Andre), and the entire student chapter for making it so!

In our second year as the HFES SJSU Student Chapter, we made a lot of progress, and had a lot of fun! We improved our operational foundation, increased our outreach efforts, maintained the momentum established in the first year, and set new standards for excellence.

Welcoming Students and Growing Membership

At the start of the Fall 2005 semester, per tradition, we welcomed new students with a "Meet Your HF/E Faculty, Staff and New Students Dinner." After the HF/E program orientation, we provided dinner and gave students a chance to talk with faculty and students in a social environment.

As always, membership applications and renewals are a focus at the beginning of the year. While some students graduate from the program and move on, these departures are generally balanced by new students coming in. By the end of the year, we had grown our membership to 49 students, an increase over last year.

Housekeeping and Web Site Launch

One of the first things we did was take care of some housekeeping. Student organization registration was submitted, bank accounts were transferred, e-mail distribution lists were setup, a physical mailing address was established with the ISE department, an events calendar was planned, and funding requests were submitted.

The Web Site Committee, chaired by Jamie Kravitz, launched our official web site, which hosted the "HF/E Student Connection" newsletter, an events calendar, student profiles, photo galleries, and information about the chapter. We also purchased the "sjsuhfes.org" domain name at this time.

HFES Conference and Student Chapter of the Year!

In September, we organized SJSU attendance to the HFES 49th Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida. About a dozen students attended, and a few presented their research. The sessions were very informative, and we had lots of fun at Cirque du Soleil and the theme parks!

We spoke with a number of student members from other student chapters during a student reception, and during a student president's luncheon. It was here that we identified the need to better connect students at future annual meetings, which planted the seeds for the Student Lounge.

During the event, we were recognized as "2005 Outstanding Student Chapter of the Year." This was primarily a recognition of the work done by the first executive council (Kalmi Maheshwari, Alison Kather, and Ruth Loewenhardt), and the rapid growth of the chapter.

National Ergonomics Month

Upon our return from the conference, we started planning outreach activities for National Ergonomics Month, which is October. To start off, we toured Office Relief, an ergonomics showroom in San Leandro. A lot of students attended and got to play with a variety of ergonomic goodies, including springy chairs, sit-stand desks, and adjustable keyboards.

We then created a Student Ergonomics Booth on campus to educate students about the ergonomic issues they face every day. We secured Office Relief as our sponsor and equipment donor, and had help from Michaux Burchard in the campus safety department.

This was our first coordinated outreach effort. Just about the entire student chapter got involved, either in the planning, advertising or running of the booth. We printed a very professional-looking student chapter banner, created a number of pamphlets and poster boards with ergonomic tips, and setup the ergonomic equipment under a canopy.

We distributed handouts to students passing by, and invited many of them in to try out the ergonomic equipment, and learn how to sit properly in a classroom, work at a computer or laptop, wear a backpack, hold a cell phone, etc.

In addition to these chapter-coordinated activities for National Ergonomics Month, Ruth Loewenhardt gave an ergonomic presentation to some middle school classes.

Thesis Salon

Around this time, Jamie Kravitz kicked off "Thesis Salon." The idea was to provide a discussion forum (and perhaps a support group) in a social atmosphere for students pursuing thesis research.

About five students participated, and a number of meetings were held in coffee shops or at Jamie's apartment.

Holiday Party and Spring Registration

With the close of the Fall semester, it was time to produce another issue of the newsletter featuring our regular registration guide. This has always been a popular feature, as it clearly shows what HF/E courses are available, and provides all the information required to register.

We then capped off the semester with our traditional "Holiday Potluck Party," which was held this time at Jamie's apartment in San Jose. Over 20 students attended. Christmas lights were strung up, the student chapter provided pizza and treats, and we had a fun gift exchange.

Spring 2006: Lots of Speakers!

Upon our return from Winter break, the student chapter hosted a "Welcome Back to School Dinner" that welcomed both returning students, as well as the new students starting that semester.

Another issue of the newsletter was published, and then the focus of the student chapter was on speakers. Lots and lots of speakers!

In February, Dr. Del Coates, a former SJSU professor, spoke about the "Interactions of Aesthetics and Ergonomics." Dr. Coates presented his theory on how aesthetics could be quantitatively measured. It was a very intriguing topic, and was well attended. There wasn't even any standing room!

In March, Jeff McCandless, Deputy Manager for Space Human Factors Engineering at NASA Ames Research Center, spoke about the "Human Factors of Spaceflight." We learned about many of the issues facing the designers and engineers of the space shuttle. It was another well-attended event, and was followed by dinner.

In April, Aaron Marcus of Aaron Marcus and Associates (AM+A) spoke about "Cross-Cultural User-Experience Design." From the legendary designer himself, we learned about a number of issues that arise when performing user-centered design for a global audience. As a gesture of thanks, we took Aaron out to dinner afterward at the local Thai restaurant.

Also in April, we went to IDEO in Palo Alto to attend a talk by Jane Fulton Suri. She discussed her latest book, "Thoughtless Acts?: Observations on Intuitive Design." Many thought-provoking photos were presented that revealed how humans interact with their environment.

50th Annual Meeting Student Host Committee

In March of 2006, we formed the Student Host Committee to help plan the HFES 50th Annual Meeting, scheduled for October in San Francisco. In addition to the speaker events, this became the primary focus of the student chapter.

Many members volunteered on the subcommittees: Newsletter, Hospitality and Social Events, PR and Marketing, Keynote Speaker, and 50th Anniversary Theme. A detailed summary of our progress is covered in a separate article.

Elections and New Executive Council

At the end of the semester, we began preparations to elect a new executive council. Jon Hull and Mayuko Ueda streamlined the election process. Officers were now elected one-by-one to give people a chance to run for multiple positions, and a web survey tool was used to collect votes.

There was a lot of participation, and in the end, David Law was elected President, D'Anne Harp was elected Vice President, Kirsten Peters was elected Events Coordinator, and Steve Hays was elected Secretary/Treasurer.

Shortly after the final exams, a transition meeting was held to pass on the knowledge and responsibilities from the past council to the new one. In June, we also had an end of year celebration at Kapp's Pizza Bar and Grill in Mountain View, which was a bit more celebratory!

So congratulations to the new executive council, and good luck next year with the HFES SJSU Student Chapter! I'm confident our third year will be just as fun and amazing as our first two.