Society News

Table of Contents

• #IAMHFES: Lixiao Huang
• Coming Soon: A New HFES Digital Experience
• New Technical Group: The User Experience Technical Group (UXTG)
• Winners Announced: 2024 Student Member With Honors and Outstanding Student Chapter Awards
• Help Support HFES MSI Outreach
• Regular Registration Ends on August 30 for ASPIRE—The HFES Annual Meeting
• Last Chance: August 29 Deadline for ASPIRE Hotel Accommodations
• Add Technical Tours to Your ASPIRE Registration
• Usability Competition at ASPIRE
• Noteworthy Events To Check Out During ASPIRE
• HFES Volunteer Registration
• Help Organize the Titans of HFE Symposium
• Upcoming Meetings and Activities
• Community Updates
• A Special Thanks to Our Sponsor

#IAMHFES: Lixiao Huang

This month's #IAMHFES member spotlight video is from Lixiao Huang, the founding chair of the Human-AI-Robot Teaming (HART) Technical Group at HFES and a research assistant professor at Arizona State University. With a background in I/O psychology, Lixiao realized the importance of effective interface and system design in optimizing human performance. She emphasizes the need for collaboration between human factors experts and AI/robotics professionals to enhance research and application.

Click the picture above to see the full video.

The #IAMHFES campaign will highlight members from across HFES throughout the year. Stay tuned for more videos!

Coming Soon: A New HFES Digital Experience

After months of research, thoughtful development, volunteer input and extensive testing, we are proud to unveil the newly enhanced HEFS website, designed with a human-first strategy and user experience in mind.

The new website’s architecture has been restructured based on leading UX principles and user feedback. We’ve also added landing pages, accessibility compliance and new functionality to support your experience—no matter what type of device you are using.

Additionally, you’ll find an easy approach to networking, collaboration and knowledge exchange with new landing pages for each technical group that includes key contacts, resources and current discussions from HFES Connect.

The HFES website was built with the most important thing in mind: you. The new HFES website will launch next week.

New Technical Group: The User Experience Technical Group (UXTG)

The Council of Technical Groups (COTG) and the HFES Executive Council have approved the proposal to merge the Computer Systems Technical Group and Internet Technical Groups. As a result, a new Technical Group has been created: The User Experience Technical Group (UXTG).

We hope this new combined Technical Group helps its members advance their professional interests and generate new and ongoing discussion with others in UXTG.

Winners Announced: 2024 Student Member With Honors and Outstanding Student Chapter Awards

HFES is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 student member with honors and outstanding student chapter awards! The purpose of this designation is to honor students and student chapters that have made outstanding contributions to the discipline, HFES, their campus, or their community. These awards honor the hard work, dedication and excellence demonstrated by our student members and chapters.

Help Support HFES MSI Outreach

The BIPOC affinity group is seeking support to host students and faculty from minority serving institutions (MSIs) at ASPIRE, with a focus on Hispanic serving institutions (HSIs). To better assist these students, we aim to cover transportation and lodging costs.

Sponsorship Opportunities:

• Inclusive Excellence (<$299): Name/logo display on event materials and social media.
• Inclusive Innovation ($300-$999): All of the above, plus recognition at events and a luncheon invitation.
• Inclusive Trail Blazing (≥$1,000): All benefits above, plus additional promotion on the HFES Sponsorship Website and at the Annual Meeting.

For questions or more details, reach out to philart@gmail.com.

Regular Registration Ends on August 30 for ASPIRE—The HFES Annual Meeting

Register before August 30 to save and make plans to join us from September 9-13 in Phoenix at ASPIRE—The HFES International Annual Meeting with the mission to advance systems and practices through innovation, research and education. We’re amplifying our commitment to education with a diverse range of sessions tailored for everyone, from seasoned professionals to students. Program highlights include:

• 27 tracks
• 180+ sessions
• 425+ presentations
• 250+ posters

View the full schedule for ASPIRE and register for an engaging week filled with insightful sessions, workshops and networking opportunities designed to help you connect and grow.

The regular registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. PT on Friday, August 30. Fees increase after August 30.

Last Chance: August 29 Deadline for ASPIRE Hotel Accommodations

The hotel cutoff date to secure a room within the HFES room block is now extended to today, August 29, or until rooms sell out, whichever occurs first. 

Reserve your accommodations for ASPIRE at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel! Enjoy our group rate of $269 with various lodging options available. As a special discount for ASPIRE attendees, the daily resort fee is waived if you reserve within the HFES room block—a $45 savings each day.

As always, please be aware that scammers claiming to have lower rates target associations like HFES. Hotel reservations should be secured only via the online registration link found on our website.

Looking to share costs? Use the ASPIRE Roommate Finder to engage with other attendees looking for roommates to share lodging costs.

Add Technical Tours to Your ASPIRE Registration

Enhance your ASPIRE experience by registering for exclusive Technical Tours to your registration. These technical tours provide a unique opportunity to see HF/E research and practice in action, offering invaluable insights into the industry’s latest advancements. 

Tuesday, September 10:

• J.S. Held, LLC, Phoenix User Research Labs (URL)

Wednesday, September 11:

• Arizona State University CHART Lab
• Exponent, Inc. Test & Engineering Center

Thursday, September 12:

• Amazon Fulfillment Center

Usability Competition at ASPIRE

All students attending ASPIRE are invited to join the student research competition, hosted by the Perception & Performance Technical Group. This competition provides undergraduate and graduate students an excellent opportunity to showcase their strategic research planning skills.

Teams will use their HF/E knowledge to design a multi-stage research plan for scenarios in either hardware/software assessment, service design or biomechanical product evaluation.

Each member of the winning team will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Please sign up by Wednesday, September 4 to provide sufficient time for team assignments.

Noteworthy Events To Check Out During ASPIRE

The following opportunities are available only for those registered for ASPIRE.

Student Career and Professional Development Day

September 9 | 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. MST



Student Career and Professional Development Day is Monday, September 9. HFES holds a full day of program dedicated to the professional development of student members during ASPIRE. Interactive panels and presentations focus on job search, transition and early career success, diversity, mentorship and networking.  

Speed Dating With Human Factors Professionals 

September 9 | 3:45-5:00 p.m. MST



We are looking for human factors professionals in academia, government and industry to volunteer for a networking event at the student career and professional development day during ASPIRE on Monday, September 9.

The goal for this event is to connect professionals with students in a "speed dating" style event where professionals rotate between small groups of students to talk about career paths, professional advice and valuable experience that would help emerging professionals excel in their future careers.

Interested professionals may contact Alec Gonzales or Dr. Xiaomei Wang.

Collaborative Solutions Showcase

September 10-12



As a new educational opportunity at ASPIRE, the collaborative solutions showcase provides a platform for engaging discussions, idea exchange and collaborative problem-solving among attendees. It aims to facilitate knowledge exchange and networking opportunities.

Participants will be presenting posters outlining industry or research-related problems they wish to address, inviting feedback from ASPIRE attendees. Suggestions will be provided by attendees through written comments pinned to the presenter's board.

Lightning Lessons

September 10-12



As another new educational opportunity debuting at ASPIRE, lightning lessons are brief, focused presentations designed to spark collaboration and discussion. Each speaker has seven minutes and limited slides to convey their main point on any HF/E topic. These sessions provide a platform to share ideas succinctly and encourage engagement among attendees. Lightning lessons offer a low-pressure environment for presenters to showcase their work and promote dialogue.

Click the button to see the full schedule of lightning lessons presentations in the corner section of the exhibition area.

Mentor-Mentee Luncheons

September 10-12



Join our mentor-mentee luncheons at ASPIRE on September 10-12, designed for students, early-career professionals and those in career transition. Enjoy a complimentary lunch while building valuable connections with established professionals.

Attendance is limited to 20 mentees and five mentors per session. Reserve your spot through our online registration form, available on a first-come, first-served basis. 

For any questions, reach out to mentor-mentee luncheon coordinator, Baron C. Summers.

Attend the Unconference at ASPIRE

September 13 | 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. MST

Join fellow members of the Society in a casual setting on Friday, September 13, to share what you are grateful for and recognize your peers. From expressing pride in completing a large human factors study or signing a big client for your practice, to submitting your thesis or dissertation or delivering a new human-centered product to market, let HFES members know what brightens your professional life.

Recognize your colleagues and partners for their accomplishments and service to our professional field. Unsung heroes and those working behind the scenes deserve their time in the spotlight. This is it!

Every participant will earn a commemorative UNCONFERENCE KUDOS pin, and those recognized by their peers will receive a small gift as a token of appreciation from a grateful community. 

HFES Volunteer Registration

Do you want more from your HFES membership? Are you wondering what HFES can do for you? As members, HFES is our organization, and the organization thrives when its members thrive. HFES functions because of its volunteers, including our Executive Council, committee leaders, and committee members, just to name a few of the groups. 

The best way for this relationship to flourish is for HFES members to get involved.

If you feel that HFES is missing something, it is probably missing you! We invite you to get involved, share your vision and help to mold our organization to fit each individual’s needs. See the list below for different volunteer opportunities:

• General volunteer sign-up
• Open volunteer activities
• Create a new volunteer activity
• Volunteer as a mentor

Help Organize the Titans of HFE Symposium

We are pleased to announce the return of the virtual "Titans of HFE Symposium" in February 2025. As we work on developing the one-day program, our focus is to honor many of our late Titans—individuals who made remarkable contributions to our Society and whose legacies are commemorated through our major awards.

Our goal is to dedicate a panel to each of these individuals, featuring 3-4 speakers who will discuss the contributions of our Titans over a 50-minute session. While the focus will be less on discussion, we hope to gather personal stories from those who knew them best.

We are currently seeking leads or co-leads for the panels dedicated to the Titans listed below. As a lead, you would have the opportunity to select participants to join your panel.

You can also send suggestions of individuals who would be great to be involved in any of these Titans discussions:

• Etienne Grandjean
• Oliver Keith Hansen
• Jack A. Kraft
• R. Lauer
• Raymond S. Nickerson

If you are interested in leading or participating in a panel for one of these distinguished individuals, please contact Kermit Davis, the chair of the Titans of HFE Symposium.

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.

Community Updates



HFES wants to promote the important achievements of our members in the biweekly Bulletin. Appropriate topics include research milestones or other significant achievements, professional accolades, awards or recognitions, promotions or new positions and similar professionally oriented topics.

A Special Thanks to Our Sponsor

HFES extends our gratitude to Explico, the proud sponsor of the ASPIRE mobile app. Their support helps us bring valuable resources and innovative tools directly to you.

Tel.: +1 (202) 367-1114, Monday-Friday: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET | Fax: +1 (202) 367-2114 | info@hfes.org