NetPals Program Brings STEM Outreach to Cambridge 7th Graders
Through the Cambridge School Volunteers NetPals program, Volpe staff help introduce seventh-grade students to careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Human Factors
Department Honors Volpe HR Director for Helping Create Ladders of Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Transportation is honoring Volpe Human Resources Director Sue Connors along with other employees across DOT as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.
New Book Offers Tools for Addressing Worker Fatigue and Transportation Safety
Edited by Volpe’s Dr. Stephen Popkin, a new book by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society provides policy makers, practitioners, and researchers with real-world, practical guidance for addressing worker fatigue and transportation safety.
Human Factors Considerations in the Design and Evaluation of Flight Deck Displays and Controls
The purpose of this document is to identify and prioritize guidance on human factors issues to consider in the design and evaluation of flight deck displays and controls for all types of aircraft (Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) parts 23, 25, 27, and 29), in the...
Effort to Reduce Aviation Accidents Receives International Award
As part of an award-winning international committee, human factors experts Drs. Judith Bürki-Cohen and Janeen Kochan have developed an approach to pilot training to reduce the number of flight accidents caused by loss of control.
New Simulator Enables Testing of Dangerous Driving Scenarios with No Harm to Drivers
Volpe recently acquired a new research simulator to understand driver behavior. Owned by the Federal Railroad Administration, the driving simulator helps researchers examine user reactions to a myriad of scenarios, providing important safety data that shapes new technologies and...
Human Factors Evaluation of Electronic Flight Bags
In order to support the development of an Advisory Circular on electronic flight bags (EFBs), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tasked the Volpe Center to identify EFB human factors considerations.
A Tool for Structured Evaluation of Electronic Flight Bag Usability
The purpose of this report is to document the progress to date on constructing this usability-assessment tool for EFBs. It covers how the tool was developed and tested, what it looks like to date, and how it could be used to help assess and track EFB usability. Further testing is planned to...
Human Factors Considerations for the Design and Evaluation of Electronic Flight Bags
There is currently great interest in developing stand-alone electronic devices to support flight deck tasks. These devices, called "Electronic Flight Bags" (EFBs), were originally seen as a repository for electronic documents. Today, some airlines envision EFBs as multi-function devices...
Striking a Balance Between Automation and Human Control in America’s Skies
Kathy Abbott, FAA's Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor for Flight Deck Human Factors, recently delivered a talk on automated systems in the flight deck and beyond at Volpe.