Date:Mar 2016
The Executive Committee met on February 19-20 at the San Francisco State University Downtown Center in San Francisco, CA, USA. All of the officers and standing committees participated, as well as two ad hoc committee chairs. We would like to share some of the activities and decisions of this meeting – and offer you the opportunity to provide input or be involved in these activities by contacting me (vpsg@iea.cc)!
IEA is in the process of moving its registration to Geneva, Switzerland, and to consolidate bank services and financial arrangements. We would like to recruit new sponsors and sustaining members to fund our activities – some of which are described below. As part of this emphasis, President Yushi Fujita introduced a stakeholder collaboration model, in which IEA helps members to identify and work with industry, government, and academic stakeholders. Our goal is to launch collaborative projects that are of benefit to stakeholders, and also raise the visibility of IEA and demonstrate our value.
News from the Standing Committees
Awards Committee (Eric Min-yang Wang, Past President and Chair). Calls for awards nominations were sent out early this month. Please note that the due date for Fellowship Award nominations has been changed to April 30.
Science, Technology, and Practice (Christopher Schlick, Chair). We have new Technical Committees (TCs) on Advanced Imaging, Chaired by Takashi Kawai, and Ergonomics and Design for all, chaired by Isabel Steffan. Potential others include Human-Robot Interaction and Neuroergonomics. Prof. Schlick believes that focusing on TCs that deal with current topics can help bring IEA to the forefront of science and technology. He is also working with the IEA 2018 organizers to develop the scientific program for the Congress, and is editing a new “IEA Handbook of Ergonomics,” which will consist of 4 volumes whose chapters will be written by world-class experts.
International Development (Andrew Todd, Chair). A. Todd noted that that areas of the globe where occupational injuries are worst are the same areas in which IEA are not present. His goals for the subcommittee are to have 3-4 new federated societies by 2018, and to develop educational programs as well as society mentorship programs in countries where they are most needed.
Development and Promotion (Christina Jonsson, Chair). IEA Council approved the use of a private company to conduct a marketing research and to help IEA define strategies for increasing visibility around the world. This turned out to be quite a difficult endeavor and it is currently on hold. We will review the proposed plan and may put the topic on the agenda of the 2016 Council meeting in Medellín, Colombia.
Professional Standards and Education (Frederick Tey, Chair). PSE is focusing on certification. Frederick Tey is working with a subcommittee to develop a certification flow chart that can be used as a reference for countries that want to develop certification programs. He suggests an approach that focuses on core competencies. Watch the website for more information.
Communication and Public Relations (Michelle Robertson, Chair). Goals to align CPR plans with the IEA mission are: 1) external outreach – getting knowledge and research out to external stakeholders; 2) internal communication; and 3) engage with standing committees to disseminate information. We need to connect developing countries to resources (e.g., proceedings, learning materials). This will involve strategies of collaboration among TCs, using social media, and providing webinars.
News from Other Committees
2018 IEA Triennial Congress in Florence, Italy (Sara Albolino and Riccardo Tartaglia, organizers). Plans are in place for advertising and promoting IEA 2018, for raising funds within the Technical Committees, and for promoting beyond the IEA network. Watch for some innovative events and venues – perhaps the Piazza! The program will consist of several tracks, implemented with the help of the Science, Technology, and Practice Standing Committee and the Technical Committees. Tentative dates for the Congress are August 26-30, 2018.
Ernst Konigsveld, the IEA Historian, is working on an updated IEA history book. He is in the process of identifying and inviting authors, and has the goal of publishing in 2019 – the 60th anniversary of IEA. If you are interested in IEA history, you can download the 50th Anniversary Booklet of The International Ergonomics Association below.
We are also in the process of digitalizing documents from the IEA archives at CNAM in Paris, France – some documents are over 50 years old and are ready to crumble. A new digital archive will enable us to preserve our history.
IEA Infrastructure Committee. An ad hoc committee chaired by past president David Caple will examine infrastructure and governance issues, including the introduction of a President-Elect office, the creation of a permanent secretariat for administration, arrangements with external organizations, governance on legal matters, and simplification of financial processes. This committee will review these issues and make recommendations to the Executive Committee.
And – a new ad hoc committee on Information and Communication Technology is being led by Takashi Kawai. ICT will take us into future, technology-wise, on our website and beyond….
Kathleen Mosier
Vice President & Secretary General
