Human Factors Specialist, Expert Witness, Human Engineering and Product Design

Technical Consultant #2248

Summary

Expert testimony in criminal and personal injury trials on subject related to human factors psychology including areas of: product design, medical equipment errors, perception and vision, warnings and labels, cognitive psychology situational awareness, vehicle accidents, industrial and construction accidents, slip and fall, ergonomics and workplace layout.
Instructional system development (ISD), perceptual processes, vehicle driving, human computer interaction, equipment design and evaluation, and physiological processes.
Contributor to the Human Factors Engineering Guidelines and Preferred Practices for the Design of Medical Devices, ANSI/AAMI HE48 -1993, and Human Factors Design Process for Medical Devices, and ANSI/AAMI HE74:2001.
Drunk driving prevention systems such as ignition interlock systems; study of driving safety related to decreased alertness during long duration low event driving.
Development of multimedia training programs for industrial operations, environmental health and safety, and maintenance and quality control for light to heavy industry.
Analysis and design of military and commercial training systems.

Expert Witness Experience

Product and equipment, design induced errors, medical equipment errors, perception and vision, instructions and procedures, warnings and labels, individual differences, cognitive psychology, situational awareness, vehicle accidents, industrial and construction accidents, slip and fall, ergonomics and workplace layout, physics.

Independent Consultant, 1997 - Present

Projects

Professional Experience

Human Factor Engineering

Product and equipment, design induced errors, medical equipment errors, perception and vision, instructions and procedures, warnings and labels, individual differences, cognitive psychology, situational awareness, vehicle accidents, industrial and construction accidents, slip and fall, ergonomics and workplace layout, physics.

Nuclear Power Industry Review

Studied on behalf of The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) the human factors issues and problems in the nuclear power industry.
Studied human engineering issues such as the design of control boards and displays, operating procedures, operator aids, personnel and staffing and training devices in the nuclear industry.
Contributed extensively to the NRC three volume report NUREG/CR 2833 related to human factors and nuclear power plant operation and safety.

Human - Machine Interface Design

Human factors engineer for the design of a ground power generator and air conditioner to replace current Air Force flight line equipment.
Supervised a team of human factor specialists for the design of the Army XM - 82 Automated Liquid Agent Detector system.
Responsible for the development of a handbook for the conduct of design reviews for new aircraft.

Perceptual Processes

Studies of perception included the effects of centrifuge accelerations on human brightness thresholds, analytic, laboratory and field investigations of aircraft visibility.
An evaluation of the effects of blue - tinted lenses on visual acuity, a project in which simplified visual and olfactory tests were incorporated into a "kit" to be used by non chemists for the detection of hazardous materials.
Study of visual adaptation in a uniform visual field. Focused on the perception of motion and visual localization in space.

Vehicle Driving

Directed a project that measured variables related to the level of alertness of an automobile driver, including maintenance of speed and lane position, steering wheel inputs reaction time, EEG, and EKG during long distance, and low event driving on a highway.
A study on glare, used as a stressor to degrade performance during night driving.
Directed a comprehensive evaluation and optimization of an ignition interlock device to prevent intoxicated individuals from starting their cars.

Military Training and Training Devices

Analysis and design of military and commercial training systems.
Primary responsibility for the review of training and training devices for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to review human factors aspects.
Project Manager of the B -1 Aircrew Systems Approach to Training. Instructional System Development (ISD) methodologies and systems analysis techniques were adapted to the task of designing the instructional system for the crew of the future B - 1 strategic bomber.
Supervisor for the development of the instructional system for the Navy E - 2C aircraft crew.
Led further ISD efforts for the Marines F - 4J fighter aircrew, Navy F - 18 fighter/attack pilot, the maintainers and operators for the Navy SH - 60B LAMPS Mk III helicopter, the Douglas Aircraft Corporation development of the Navy VTXTS replacement jet training system, and the Gulfstream - American proposal for the Air Force Next Generation Trainer aircraft.
Supervised a project for the Strategic Air Command to develop procedures for simulator certification (SIMCERT) to be used to evaluate the training effectiveness of simulators. Assisted the Singer - Link Flight Simulation Division in the development of a proposed design for the B - 1B weapon system trainer.

Projects

Created hundreds of hours of human factors training programs for industry, including heavy manufacturing, pharmaceutical, food manufacturing, and high technology companies.
Content has included operations, maintenance, quality, product and company familiarization, environmental, and health and safety.
Built a full scale maintenance trainer for the computerized rear door of an Orion Bus Industries passenger bus. The working model incorporated bus driver controls, electronic and hydraulic systems, and a wheelchair lift interface.
Provided human factors expertise for the safety features and labeling of an integrated filtration/HVAC unit and portable isolation shelter. Also developed the owners' manual and presented emergency medical team training courses for this equipment.
Development of training and certification programs for the SISA (Secure Information Sharing Architecture) Alliance, a joint effort by Microsoft, Cisco, and EMC to provide the government with secure information sharing worldwide.

Training Programs

Credentials

Academic and Professional Affiliations

Fellow, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.
International Ergonomics Association, Technical committee on Slips, Trips and Falls.
American Psychological Association.
ASTM, Voting member on Committees E34, F15, and F38.
Western New York Chapter of the Human Factors Society.
Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, Human Engineering Committee.
Western NY Science Congress, Inc., Board of Directors.
SUNY at Buffalo, Industry/University Center for Biosurfaces, Human Factors Coordinator, Research Assistant Professor.
WNY Life Sciences Industries Association.
Stavatti Corporation, Board of Directors, Director of Human Factors Engineering.
Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association.
Aero Club of Buffalo.