Tech Human Factors Paper Wins Best Award at Conference

MELBOURNE, FLA.—A Florida Institute of Technology paper won the “Best Graduate Student Research Project” award recently at the Fourth Florida Student Conference on Human Factors and Applied Psychology. John Deaton, Florida Tech professor in the College of Aeronautics, attended the conference at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.along with the primary graduate student researcher, Dave Shrader. Additional co-researchers of the project included Dennis Vincenzi, adjunct professor in the College of Aeronautics, and Tim Buker, a 2009 Florida Tech graduate from the College of Aeronautics.

Shrader presented the team’s research paper, which was based on a study funded by the U.S. Navy. The study was conducted to evaluate and provide feedback on a new system interface that was designed to provide military operators tactical information about multiple Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) that may be under their control. The idea behind the interface is to evaluate whether a single human operator can monitor or control multiple UAVs simultaneously.

The conference’s purpose is to provide undergraduate and graduate students a human factors and applied psychology platform to present their research work. This is also an opportunity for students to network with other Florida students and faculty who have similar research interests.