Assistant Professor of Industrial Engineering, Brandon Pitts, has received the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, which is the NSF’s most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Nade Liang, Ph.D. candidate, and member of the NHanCE research lab, won first place award for his poster presentation on older adults and shared autonomous vehicles (SAV).

Purdue helps innovate design to be inclusive of people with disabilities.

Pitts co-led a team with Brad Duerstock, a professor of practice in industrial engineering and biomedical engineering, that developed a design concept to make autonomous vehicles accessible to people with disabilities. He generously shared some of his time to answer our questions regarding the project

Duerstock and Brandon Pitts, a Purdue assistant professor of industrial engineering, have worked together for four years on topics related to technology accessibility and inclusive design and have constantly sought opportunities to contribute their ideas to help shape the future of transportation. These ideas are already becoming part of a major national conversation on how to make autonomous transportation more inclusive.

During the week of Oct 10th – Oct 14th, the 66th International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) was held in Atlanta, GA. Ph.D. Students Maya Luster, Nade Liang and Shree Frazier, Ph.D. delivered oral presentations during the conference. Nade Liang and Maya Luster won HFES Student Member with Honors Award.

A team of Purdue engineering professors was named the winner of the $1 million 1st place prize on July 26 in the 2020 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Inclusive Design Challenge (IDC). The contest is aimed at improving transportation access to persons with disabilities and individuals with mobility challenges.

During the week of Oct 4th – Oct 7th, the 65th International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) was held in Baltimore, MD. Ph.D. Students Maya Luster and Nade Liang delivered oral presentations during the conference. Nade Liang won a student research scholarship and an honorable mention for his research proposals.

The contest entries provided a snapshot of how life, education, healthcare, work industry, community, and/or innovation has evolved in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and what they believe are the HF/E implications as we approach new national and global normals.

During the week of Oct 28th – Nov 1st, the 63rd International Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) was held in Seattle, WA. A diverse range of professionals and students, including certified ergonomists, academics, practitioners, and consultants attended the conference.