Vicki M. Bier (Director)
456 Mechanical Engineering Building
1513 University Avenue
Madison, WI 53706-1572 Tel: 608/263-7456
Fax: 608/265-9094
E-mail: chpra@engr.wisc.edu
OVERVIEW
This consortium conducts interdisciplinary research (both basic and
applied) on human performance and decision-making processes in
complex, advanced-technology systems. The goal is to identify the
factors causing degradation in human performance, to develop ways
to prevent or mitigate such degradation, to identify the chains of events
that can lead to accidents, and then to develop interventions to break
those chains. Consortium members are encouraged to propose topics
for research projects, and to offer their facilities as sites for
field research.
The consortium also organizes an annual workshop that focuses on
the latest research.
ADVANTAGES TO MEMBER COMPANIES
- Identification of an area or areas of common interest, and the faculty
members who specialize in these areas.
- Early access to information generated by center research, thereby
short-circuiting the usual one- to two-year delay before publication in the
open literature.
- Opportunity to meet and work with university faculty and students with
technical interests in the same areas.
- Opportunity to lend an applied perspective to ongoing research at the
university.
- Research dollar leverage, when the industrial support serves as seed
money or matching funds for federal or other extramural research grants.
- Opportunity to support cross-disciplinary research relevant to a
particular industry for a relatively small investment.
BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP
To ensure a close working relationship between the Center and individual
member companies in the consortium, the following activities and privileges
form the basis of consortium membership.
- Ability to Influence the Program's Focus
Each member's contribution will be used for general support of one or
more research areas within the Center. Full membership entitles the
member company to a seat on the center's External Advisory Board, which
provides input on the research directions.
- Annual On-campus Presentation
Each full member company will be invited to send up to four participants
to the Center's annual workshop at no charge; affiliate member companies
can send one participant. The workshop is designed to introduce companies
to center-sponsored research and researchers, as well as participants from
other industries with similar research interests.
- Visit to Member Company
A faculty member affiliated with the Center will be available to visit
each member company at least once a year, deliver a seminar concerning
center-sponsored research, and participate in discussions with relevant
company personnel. If desired, selected students can also participate in
this trip.
- Broader Opportunities for Information Exchange
Member company personnel will be invited to attend scientific and
technological meetings at the university in areas of mutual interest. Such
meetings can range from informal days on campus to major international
workshops and symposia.
- Early Access to Research Results
Member companies will have access to pre-publication copies of papers that
have been accepted for publication in the open literature in areas of mutual
interest.
- Discounted Literature Search Capabilities
Wisconsin TechSearch, an information search service at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison, is available to perform literature searches for member
and affiliate companies. The first such search initiated by each company
will be provided at a discounted rate.
- Special Needs
Companies may have special needs that the university can fulfill, such as
information at lectures on new technologies, access to special equipment or
services, and access to unique research environments. In some cases,
arrangements can be made to fulfill such needs at no cost for consortium
members.
INDUSTRIAL SPONSORS
- Amoco Corporation
- ComEd-Byron Nuclear Power Station
- Constellation-Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
- Duke Power-Catawba Nuclear Power Station
- Exxon Corporation
- Honeywell Technology Center
- Lockheed Martin-Government Electronic Systems
