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Remembering the Conference

by Roger Santos

Through the week of October 16-20th, people from all over the country gathered in San Francisco for the 50th Anniversary HFES Conference. Held at the Hilton in San Francisco, the conference consisted of workshops, special events and exhibits that exposed everyone to world of Human Factors and Ergonomics. Businesses, researchers, teachers and students turned out to make the conference a great success. To get a picture of what the conference was like I talked to a couple of students who attended the conference on various days, and here's what they had to say.

The main areas of the conference that the students visited were the exposition area (where businesses displayed future products), the student panel (where students talked about their internship experiences), and various workshops. There was also a student lounge where they were able to take a break from all the happenings and share experiences. "This was my first conference and I can't imagine what it would have been like without the Student Lounge," remarked one student who found the student lounge a great place to meet new people and make contacts.

The conference also included an exposition area that gave people a sneak peak at devices businesses were bringing to market. One device was an eye tracking device that tracked eye movements as they scanned a computer display. Another device was a ergonomic mouse that was used by taking one's thumb and controlling a mouse with a tracking ball.

Another part of the conference that students found to be extremely helpful was the student internship panel. The panel shed light on how to land an internship, keep an internship and make the most of it. The take home message for the students was to get involved in the HFES community and network. Panelists said that beyond doing well in school and getting recommendations from professors, the most important advice they could give to students looking for an internship was for them to meet new people and network. The student lounge was one such area where students had an opportunity to do this.

Students also had the opportunity to learn about public speaking and how to explain the human factors field to others. One student said, "Deborah Boehm-Davis' 'Art of Speaking' presentation was excellent. It was about the Human Factors of giving a good presentation, and all her recommendations had a solid justification. It was definitely something I will be using throughout my career."

However, one suggestion students offered for the next conference was to bring it to San Jose, so they can avoid the 2 hour train commute.

Sorry guys, maybe in a another 50 years.