Newswise — Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Government Relations Committee Chair, Dr. Mica Endsley, will testify tomorrow on behalf of the Society during a U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing The Boeing 737 MAX: Examining the Federal Aviation Administration’s Oversight of the Aircraft’s Certification. The hearing will examine the Boeing 737 MAX 8 and the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of the aircraft’s certification.

“We are supportive of Dr. Mica Endsley’s testimony tomorrow on behalf of the Society,” said HFES President, Susan Hallbeck. “The way technology is designed affects the performance of its human operator. Understanding how to optimize the relationship between humans and technological systems is at the core of Human Factors.”

The hearing is the latest in a series of investigatory hearings held by the Committee and will be comprised of two separate panels of witnesses. FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson and other FAA officials will serve as the witnesses on the first panel. Dr. Endsley will testify alongside other expert witnesses on the second panel immediately thereafter. Dr. Endsley is the former Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force, and Past-President of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Dr. Endsley’s testimony will focus on how Human Factors Engineering should be applied to aircraft design and development to achieve key safety objectives, and how Human Factors design standards were not followed on the MAX 8 aircraft. She will also discuss key system design deficiencies that HFES believes contributed to the challenges associated with these accidents, including high workload, automation confusion stemming from a lack of needed displays and training, and inadequate situation awareness.

The U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing will take place tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. ET in Washington, DC. Details of the hearing and list of witnesses can be found on the Committee’s hearing notice, and a live webcast of tomorrow’s hearing can be found on the hearing’s webpage.

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About the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, founded in 1957, is the world’s largest scientific association for human factors/ergonomics professionals. HFES serves the needs of members and the public by promoting and advancing the discovery and exchange of knowledge concerning the characteristics of human beings that are applicable to the design of systems, products, tools, and environments of all kinds. For more information, visit www.hfes.org.