If you have not yet renewed your HFES membership, this is your second to last issue of the Bulletin. This is an exclusive member benefit, among many others that come with HFES membership. Visit the HFES membership page to learn how to renew.  

Good afternoon, Steve Kemp - HFES. Please enjoy this issue of the HFES Bulletin.

Table of Contents:

• Renew Your HFES Membership for 2024
• Submit Your Application for the 2024 Fellows Program
• HFES Seeks Nominees for Prestigious Society Awards 
• New HFES Sustainability Technical Group
• Register Today for the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care 2024
• Meet the Titans of the HFE Symposium and Register Today
• HFES Dues Waiver Program
• Upcoming HFES Webinar
• HFES Technical Group Circle of Excellence (CoE) Program
• Thomas R. Waters Memorial MSD Scholarship Award
• HFES Schedule of Events

Renew Your HFES Membership for 2024

If you have yet to renew your membership for 2024, you have until January 31 before your benefits expire. Renew your membership now to maintain access to HFES for 2024. We are grateful you were a member of HFES this past year, and we appreciate your continued association with us.

Simply log in to My.HFES.org to renew your membership and update your demographic information. Thank you for your support, and here’s to an exciting new year!

Submit Your Application for the 2024 Fellows Program

The Fellows Selection Committee invites HFES members to submit applications for the 2024 HFES Fellow designation.

Election to Fellow status is an honor conferred by distinguished colleagues to recognize outstanding achievement, consistently superior professional performance, exceptional contributions, personal service to the Society and other meritorious accomplishments.

Individuals may apply for Fellow status on their own behalf or submit an application on behalf of another.

Applications are due by Friday, March 15, 2024.

HFES Seeks Nominees for Prestigious Society Awards

HFES full members and Fellows are invited to submit nominations for eight society awards to be presented at ASPIRE — the HFES 2024 International Annual Meeting convening September 9-13, 2024, at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Arizona.

Award nominations are invited for individuals whose contributions merit special recognition. The eight awards for which nominees are sought are:

• Hal W. Hendrick Distinguished International Colleague Award
• Paul M. Fitts Education Award
• R. Lauer Safety Award
• Alexander C. Williams, Jr., Design Award
• Jack A. Kraft Innovator Award
• Oliver Keith Hansen Outreach Award
• William C. Howell Young Investigator Award
• Bentzi Karsh Early-Career Service Award

Nominees are not required to be HFES members, but only members of HFES may submit nominations.

The nomination submission deadline for each award above is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, April 5, 2024.

New HFES Sustainability Technical Group

HFES is excited to announce the creation of the new Sustainability Technical Group. The COTG and Executive Council voted in the fall to approve the creation of this new group, which was formally established in October 2023.

The Sustainability Technical Group is concerned with the application of human factors and ergonomic principles to systems related to sustainability. Examples include the design of changes in transportation, food and energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; the application of circularity to product design; maintaining sustainable food and water resources; and the shift from technology-driven progress in industry to a human-centric and sustainable approach. We will partner with other technical groups in HFES on topics that overlap with sustainability.

Register Today for the International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care 2024

Register by January 26 for our lowest rates for the 2024 International Symposium on Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health Care. This symposium offers a unique opportunity to learn, connect and contribute to the advancement of healthcare through the application of human factors and ergonomic principles.

NEW: HFES is accepting proposals for the Healthcare Robotics Summit that will take place at the Symposium. Submit your proposal by January 19.

The symposium convenes March 24-27, 2024, at the Hilton Chicago Hotel.

Meet the Titans of the HFE Symposium and Register Today

The Titans of HFE Symposium is a virtual showcase of some of the premier researchers, practitioners, and academicians in HFES, held on February 5-6, 2024. Speakers will present on the foundational areas of the science of human factors and ergonomics and will provide their insights into the future of HFE. Student members receive free registration.

HFES Dues Waiver Program

The HFES Dues Waiver Program was established to support current Full, Associate, Affiliate and Early-Career Associate members who may need assistance with membership dues. Requests may be related to one's temporary leave from the workforce for any reason except retirement. All applications will remain confidential.

Current members needing assistance with dues and who attest that they anticipate earning no significant income from human factors/ergonomics activities in the forthcoming year may apply. Applicants must have been an HFES member for at least three consecutive years preceding their request for a dues waiver.

Approved member applicants will have their annual dues waived for one cycle (one calendar year). Annual reapplication will be required should the member have continued hardship and wish to remain a member of HFES. Members may have their dues waived for up to two consecutive years but no more than five years during their lifetime.

HFES retains the right to modify or terminate this program. In the event it is terminated, participants will be permitted to remain members until the end of that membership cycle.

Upcoming HFES Webinar

Don't miss out on this upcoming HFES webinar and boost your expertise in the process! Join us for:

HFES Sustainability TG Webinar: Sustainable Aerospace Together – Boeing’s Sustainability Strategy — January 10, 2023 at noon Eastern Time

HFES Technical Group Circle of Excellence (CoE) Program

Technical Groups (TGs) within HFES are rich sources of information, with varying levels of activity. While some TGs primarily focus on paper reviews for the Annual Meeting, engaging them at a higher level could significantly contribute to HFES's growth in membership and community impact. The HFES Technical Group Circle of Excellence (TG CoE) is introduced as a society-wide recognition program to enhance TG visibility and knowledge both within and outside HFES.

The TG CoE, an annual program with Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers, encourages all TGs to participate. The Bronze level aligns with the Society's Operating Rules, making it mandatory. The Silver and Gold levels, while optional, offer additional avenues for TG promotion and community awareness. Emphasizing diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, the program encourages TGs to incorporate these components into their activities. In its inaugural year, adjustments to the program are expected, and input from HFES and TG leadership is welcomed.

Thomas R. Waters Memorial MSD Scholarship Award

Thomas R. Waters was a scientist at NIOSH and was the mastermind behind the NIOSH Revised Equation for the Design and Evaluation of Manual Lifting Tasks. This contribution has been adopted by governments and industries all around the world and its applications have prevented countless numbers of back injuries and human suffering over the years. The Waters family would like to encourage the furthering of science in this area and thus sponsor a scholarship for students and recent graduates to further stimulate creative research associated with the prevention of back disorders. 

The Thomas R. Waters MSD Memorial Scholarship Award is a realization of the Waters family's wish to enable students and recent graduates to continue the research to help understand and control MSDs in the workplace. The monetary award for 2024 will be US $3,000.

Criteria for the Award:  

Research that significantly advances the science underpinning physical manipulation of people and materials research. The criteria are intentionally broad to enable scientific understanding about how the human system's (physical and/or cognitive) interaction with physical manipulation tasks could influence the risk to the human musculoskeletal system.

Upcoming Meetings and Activities

Attention Chapters, Technical Groups, Affinity Groups and beyond: HFES is pleased to post information concerning upcoming meetings, webinars or other events you wish to raise awareness about on our Events listing page. We also will post meetings of allied societies provided they do not occur close to any HFES-organized activity.

Let us know about your meetings and other events. Email us at info@hfes.org.

HFES wants to promote the important achievements of our members in the bi-weekly Bulletin. Appropriate topics include research milestones or other significant achievements, professional accolades, awards or recognitions, promotions or new positions, and similar professionally oriented topics. If you would like to share news with the HFES community, please fill out this form. 

Additionally, if you are made aware of the passing of any members of HFES, please let us know. Contact HFES Executive Director Steven Kemp at skemp@hfes.org.