The largest scientific association for human factors and ergonomics professionals in the world, the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES), has awarded the student chapter at Rice University with a Gold level of recognition. The Outstanding Student Chapter Awards honor HFES student chapters that have demonstrated an exceptional contribution to their campus, their community, the discipline, or HFES. According to the HFES website, applications for student chapter recognition were “judged on the number and quality of activities engaged in across several categories,” emphasizing a demonstration of excellence in multiple areas.
“The students involved with the Rice Human Factors and Ergonomics Society chapter are so deserving of the recognition that this gold status brings,” said Philip Kortum, professor of psychological sciences and faculty advisor to the Rice HFES chapter. Kortum continued, “Their dedication to helping students advance their professional careers and promote the science of human factors simply reinforces the fact that we have amazing students here at Rice who want to contribute to the betterment of society.”
Human factors, defined by HFES, is the science concerned with the application of what is known about people, their abilities, characteristics, and limitations to the design of equipment they use, environments in which they function, and jobs they perform. Members of the Rice chapter of HFES are primarily undergraduate and graduate students in the Department of Psychological Sciences. The group serves the Rice community by providing opportunities for networking, professional development, and education to foster growth in knowledge and skills in the domain of human factors.
"The Rice HFES student chapter was started only a few years ago, and we have worked very hard to create and host activities that fit the needs of the students,” said Christine Petersen, doctoral student in human factors and human-computer interaction who served as the Rice HFES student chapter president during the ‘22-‘23 academic year. She continued, “I am extremely proud of what we have accomplished, and I'm grateful for the recognition of our efforts."
The awards will be announced and presented during the student reception of the HFES Annual Meeting on Tuesday, October 24, 2023 in Washington, DC.
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