AFFILIATED FACULTY - Click here
CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS AND STAFF
Name	Title	Department  & Degree Sought	Semester Joined	Profile	Email
Tracy M. Zafian	Staff, Administrative Manager	Ind. Engr.	Spring 2008
Matthew R. E. Romoser	Post Doc Researcher	Ind. Engr. Ph.D., completed 2008	Spring 2000
Gautam Divekar	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr. / Ph.D.	Summer 2008
Hasmik K. Mehranian	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr. / Ph.D.	Spring 2000
Jeff W. Muttart	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr. / Ph.D	Fall 2005
Katie Masserang	Research Assistant	Psychology/ Ph.D.	Spring 2008
Radha Gomez	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr./Ph.D.	Fall 2009
Tara Demeyer	Research Assistant	Ind. Engr./ M.S.	Spring 2008
Yan Shen	Student	Ind. Engr. / M.S.	Fall 2007
Anuj K. Pradhan	Affiliated Researcher Lab Manager Emeritus	Ind. Engr. Ph.D. completed 2009	Summer 2001

            The graduate program in human factors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has been active for more than 20 years.  Most graduates of the program are listed. Current students are listed as well.  The lists here include students and graduates who have conducted research at the Human Performance Laboratory through various departments including industrial engineering, civil engineering, and psychology. 

CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS AND STAFF

        
    Matthew R. E. Romoser.  (B.S.E.E., Purdue University - 1995 ; M.S.I.E., Purdue University - 1999. Ph.D., University of Massachusetts - 2008)  I recently completed my PhD at the University of Massachusetts, and am now working in the Human Performance Lab as a Post-Doc Researcher.  My dissertation focused on driver training for older adults.  I have been involved with the cognitive side of Human Factors Engineering since leaving General Electric in 1998 where I worked as a design and application engineer.  My research interests include computer-assisted instruction, human-computer interface, usability analysis, quality control, engineering management, and the cognitive aspects of human interaction with machines and computers in the workplace.   My past research at UMass has included studying mental rotation and spatial reasoning in college students. Ultimately, the results of these experiments will be used to increase the effectiveness of online tutors and computer training programs.  Email: mromoser@ecs.umass.edu. 

        
    Hasmik Mehranian.  (B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Polytechnic University of Republic of Armenia).  My home place is Armenia, a country that celebrates the 1700 years of Christianity this year.  I started my education back home with a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Polytechnic University of Republic of Armenia at Yerevan.  I have seven years of work experience as an engineer - designer. I am a graduate student in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department and am pursuing a PhD in Industrial Engineering. My area of interest is Human Factors, specifically the Usability of Design. At the HPL, I have worked on the Logan International Airport Project, testing usability of Alternative Design Format for Logan Terminal Signs. My E-mail address is hmehrani@ecs.umass.edu.

      
    Jeff Muttart.  (B.A., Economic Decision Making, Eastern Connecticut State University - 1982; M.A., Experimental Psychology, University of Hartford - 2002). I am currently enrolled in the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and am working towards my PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.  My research deals with driver search patterns, driver distraction, driver response times and traffic safety systems (work zones, collision warning and ice sensing systems).  I have authored more than 20 studies regarding driver response times and response choice.  My Master's thesis involved developing mathematical algorithms that predict real life driver response times and have been validated using crashes and near crashes that have been captured on traffic safety cameras.  While at the University of Hartford, I received the Graduate Research Award and the Wallace Award for Excellence in Research.  I am also a former patrol officer with the Groton Town Police in Connecticut and an accredited traffic crash reconstructionist.  I can be contacted at jmuttart@engin.umass.edu  Website: http://www.accidentdynamics.com

        
    Tracy Zafian.  (A.B., Mathematics, Dartmouth College - 1992; M.S., Urban and Regional Planning, University of Wisconsin Madison - 1995; M.S. Transportation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 2000).  I joined the Human Performance Laboratory in the spring of 2008 and am assisting with lab administration and research projects.  I came to UMass after working for 7 years as a regional transportation planner in western Massachusetts, and have a diverse background in regional and urban planning, transportation planning and analysis, and statistical analysis.  My primary interests involve the design of transportation systems, transportation safety, and improving transportation facilities to accommodate drivers and other roadway users, including pedestrians and bicyclists.  I am particularly interested in the transportation needs of older adults.  My thesis research at MIT's Age Lab examined the transportation issues faced by older adults as they age and may need or want to stop driving, including the issues they face with accessing medical services and care.  I can be reached at tzafian@ecs.umass.edu.

     
    Gautam Divekar.

Katie Masserang.

Radha Gomez

        
    Tara Demeyer.

        
    Yan Shen.

AFFILIATED FACULTY, UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS

John Collura.  Professor, Director of the University of Massachusetts Transportation Center.  Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.   http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?id=3908             

Donald L. Fisher.  Professor, Director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Program, Director of the Human Performance Laboratory, Area Coordinator for Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.  Ph.D., 1982, University of Michigan; Ed.M., Harvard University.  Interests: quantitative and computer models of human performance, visual search, visualization, transportation ergonomics, human-computer interaction, learning and training, cumulative trauma disorders of the upper extremities.   http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?id=4071

 Patty Freedson.  Professor, Department of Exercise Science.  PhD 1980, U of Michigan.  Interests:  physiological basis of human performance. http://www.umass.edu/cnshp/freedson.html  

Richard L. Freyman.  Associate Professor, Department of Communications Disorders.  PhD 1984, University of Minnesota.  Interests: sound localization. http://www.umass.edu/ug_programguide/comdis.html

Robert Gao.  Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering. Ph.D. 1991, Technical University of Berlin.  Interests: electromechanical systems, assistive technologies. http://www.ecs.umass.edu/mie/faculty/gao.html 

Song Gao.  Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.  Ph.D. 2005.  Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Interests:  Optimization in stochastic networks, econometric models of (adaptive) travel behavior, traffic models of uncertain networks with traveler information. http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?iid=4916

Joseph Hamill.  Professor, Chair of the Department of Exercise Science.  PhD 1981, University of Oregon.  Interests: biomechanics. http://www.umass.edu/research/rld/bioportal/viewfac.php?fid=151

Ian Grosse.  Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ph.D. 1987, Virginia Polytechnic and State University.  Interests: finite element analysis, intelligent tutors, visualization and spatial reasoning.   http://www.ecs.umass.edu/mie/faculty/grosse.html 

Michael A. Knodler, Jr.  Director, UMassSafe Program, Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,  Ph.D. University of Massachusetts.  Interests: Transportation Safety, driver behavior, traffic operations, human factors, geometric design, pedestrians and bicycles, geometric design, traffic operations, intelligent transportation systems, and geographic information systems.  http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?id=3913

Jenna Marquard.  Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.  Ph.D. 2007. University of Wisconsin.  Interests: Presenting models and analyses to decision makers; consumer, executive and policy-level decision-making in health care; measuring decision quality for decisions under uncertainty.  http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?id=5344

Alexander Pollatsek.  Professor, Department of Psychology.  Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1969; M.S., Harvard, 1971.  Interests: eye movements, visual search, transportation human factors, visualization. http://www.psych.umass.edu/people/alexanderpollatsek/

Keith Rayner.  Distinguished University Professor, Department of Psychology.  PhD 1974, Cornell.  Interests: eye movements, language comprehension, visualization. http://www.umass.edu/research/rld/bioportal/viewfac.php?fid=275

Donald A. Robinson.  Director, Environmental Health and Safety.   PhD, University of Massachusetts;.  Interests:  safety engineering.  http://www.ehs.umass.edu/staff-listing.html

Beverly P. Woolf.  Associate Research Professor, Computer Science Department Director, Center for Knowledge Communication, and Center for Computer-based Instructional Technology.  Interests:  Intelligent tutoring and training, computational strategies in learning and education. http://ccbit.cs.umass.edu/people/bev/

FORMER GRADUATE STUDENTS

Note: We realize that this list is not currently complete and apologize.  Also, this section of the HPL web site used to include descriptions of the current activities and whereabouts of HPL alumni.  Many of these descriptions are now woefully out of date.  They have consequently been moved here for the time being.  If you can help with any missing or outdated information, please do let us know.  Updates and corrections can be emailed to Don Fisher or the webmaster (click to email).  Thank you! 

Ph.D. Students (listed by year of graduation)

Name	Degree Earned (in Industrial Engineering, unless otherwise noted)	Year Graduated	Thesis/Dissertation Title
Anuj Pradhan	Ph.D.	2009
Matthew R. E. Romoser	Ph.D.	2008	Improving the Road Scanning Behavior of Older Drivers through the Use of Situation-Based Learning Strategies and Customized Feedback
Lisandra Garay-Vega	Ph.D., Civil Engineering (also completed a M.S. thesis)	2008	Drivers Performance in Response to Sight-Limited and Multiple-Threat Scenarios at Mid-Block Crosswalks: An Evaluation of Advance Yield Markings and Sign Prompts
Rosa DeRamus	Ph.D.	2004	The Effect of Driver Age and Experience on Risk Assessment and Risk Prediction
Michael A. Knodler, Jr.	Ph.D., Civil Engineering (also completed a M.S. thesis)	2004	Driver Comprehension and Behavioral Analysis of a Novel Traffic Control Device: Implementation of the Flashing Yellow Arrow Permissive Indication
Nancy Laurie	Ph.D.	2001	Development and Demonstration of a Tendon Adaptation Model to Aid in the Evaluation of Repetitive Jobs
Miriam Pabon-Gonzalez	Ph.D.	2000	Effects of Worker Anthropometry and Workplace Design upon Shoulder Discomfort and Task Productivity
Andrea Szymkowiak	Ph.D.	2000	Selective Attention in Younger and Older Adults
Konstantinos Katsikopoulos	Ph.D./ Post-Doc	1999	Characterizing and Optimizing the Performance of Younger and Older Adults in Paired Associate Tasks: a Markov Modeling Approach
Thomas A. Ranney	Ph.D.	1998	Models of Visual Scanning for Homogeneous Displays: a Test of Two Underlying Assumptions
Eric F. Nusbaum	Ph.D.	1997	Models of Large Scale Visual Search
Stanley Hughes	Ph.D.	1993	The Perception of Risk for Non-Lethal Events and its Relation to Risk-Taking Behavior
Margery Davidson Boulette	Ph.D.	1990	The Effect of Display Format and Data Reliability on Classification of Multidimensional Data in a Process Control Class
Christopher B. Young	Ph.D.	1988	Some Qualifications of the Alphanumeric Category Effect
Kim R. Hammel
Michael Gorman
Pat Nnaji

M.S. Students (listed by year of graduation)

Name	Degree (in Industrial Engineering, unless otherwise noted)	Year Graduated	Thesis/Dissertation Title
Frank Diete	M.S.	2008	Evaluation of a Simulator-Based, Novice Driver Risk Awareness Training Program
George Gadiel	M.S.	2007	An Analysis of the Safety Effects of Crosswalks with In-Pavement Warning Lights
David S. Hurwitz	M.S., Civil Engineering	2006	Static and Dynamic Evaluation of the Driver Speed Perception and Selection Process
Bhupinder Waraich	M.S.	2006	Evaluating Alternative Single Destination, Two Lane Exit Signs with an Optional Through Lane
Arup Dutta	M.S.	2004	Variable Message Signs in a Tunnel:  Effect of Repetition and Location
Lisandra Garay-Vega	M.S., Civil Engineering (also earned a Ph.D.)	2004	Evaluation of Driving Performance among Young Novice Drivers during Reduced Visibility Conditions
Reddy Kichhanagari	M.S.	2004	Comparison of Older and Younger Adults Search Strategies
Michael A. Knodler, Jr.	M.S., Civil Engineering (also earned a Ph.D.)	2002	Driver Understanding of the Green Ball and Flashing Yellow Arrow Left-Turn Permitted Indications
Rick Carpenter	M.S.	2002	Static and Dynamic Legibility Distances of Simulated Signs
Ravi Mundoli	M.S., Civil Engineering	2000	Alternative terminal signage at Logan International Airport
Amy Holton Hester	M.S.	1998	Advanced Parking Management Systems: Effects of APMS on Driver Decision Behavior
Ishani Kulatilaka	M.S.	1998
Ozgur Simsek	M.S.	1998
Rob Glaser	M.S.	1997	The Effect of Age on the Usability of Control Interfaces
Stephanie Napoli	M.S.	1997
Shuping Zhang	M.S.	1997	Three Dimensional DO NOT ENTER Signs: Reducing Wrong Way Entries
Michael Kozloski	M.S.	1996	Age Related Cognitive Slowing
John Wallace	M.S.	1996	Evaluation of an Auditory Interface for Vehicle Collision Avoidance Warning
Michael Zuschlag	M.S.	1996	Predicting Computer Menu Learning with a Feature-Based Cognitive Model
Michael T. Pullen	M.S.	1995	An Optimal Training Theory : a Paired-Associate Learning Task
David D. Wood	M.S.	1994	Development of a Model to Predict Localized Muscle Fatigue during Maximal and Submaximal Work
Richard A. Strauss	M.S.	1994	Exploring the Components of the Inference Process within an Ecological Framework
Ruth C. (Boule) Goulet	M.S.	1993	Optimizing Menu Hierarchy Navigation
John H. Kelleher, Jr.	M.S.	1992	The Influence of Personality in the Perception and Judgment of Display Formats
William M. Crocoll	M.S.	1990	Status or Recommendation: Selecting the Type of Information for Decision Aiding
Mindy S. Howard	M.S.	1990	Predicting Fault Diagnosis Behavior
Janine A. Purcell	M.S.	1990	Transfer of Training between Integral and Separable Displays of Multidimensional Data
Stan Preczewski	M.S.	1989	The Selection of Alphanumeric Code Sequences
Dan Workman	M.S.	1989	Selecting Symbols for Graphic Displays : Similarity and Visual Search Processes
Nancy Tanner	M.S.	1988	Selection of Graphic Symbols for Visual Displays: The FI Model
Tammy Tengs	M.S.	1987	The Framing Effect in Medical Decision Making
Kay Tan	M.S.	1987	Highlighting and Search Strategy Considerations in Computer- Generated Displays
Mark F. Kanter	M.S.	1985	The Effects of Cognitive Style upon Complex Decision Making
Gordon Van Tassel	M.S.
Yawa Duse-Anthony	M.S.
Kevin Jones	M.S.
Jody Renna	M.S., Civil Engineering

Last Updated Sept 3, 2008
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