There is a comprehensive array of exceptional facilities and equipment for training and research in ergonomics located throughout the University of Iowa campus. Below are links to, or descriptions of, the facilities and laboratories currently used by the Ergonomics Training Program Faculty.
The Biomechanics and Ergonomics Facility (Dr. Thomas Cook - Director), in the College of Public Health, is the base of operations for various investigations of work-related musculoskeletal disorders and physical risk factors including epidemiologic research, job simulation, intervention effectiveness, and biomechanical studies of occupational activities. The Facility has motion analysis equipment (Flock of Birds), electromyography and electrogoniometer instrumentation, lumbar motion monitors, force platforms, nerve conduction equipment, and digital video equipment available for trainees to conduct ergonomic analysis or experiments. Various data loggers are available for field measurements of physical risk factors. In addition to several desktop and laptop computers, several software packages are available for data acquisition, ergonomic analysis, statistical analysis, and report writing. These packages include LabView, Spike 2, Motion Monitor, Multimedia Video Task Analysis (MVTA), 3D Static Strength Prediction Program (3D SSPP), ErgoMaster, SAS, SPSS, and Microsoft Office.
The Jolt/Vibration/Seating Laboratory (Dr. David Wilder – Director), in the College of Engineering, allows the evaluation of the effect of whole-body impact and vibration using one lab-based device capable of six-degree-of freedom motion and a combination of two uniaxial devices for applying two-degree-of-freedom motion. An electrodynamic shaker is also available for recording human hand-arm response in a vibration environment, and there are other devices available for use in investigating the mechanics of head and neck trauma, and the protective role of helmets.
The Center for Computer Aided Design (CCAD) and and the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS)include a broad range of facilities to support research and training. CCAD houses a state of the art computer laboratory and an array of simulators and tele-robots. Research groups at CCAD maintain a Drive Safety driving simulator that includes an eye tracking system and array of displays to create and evaluate a wide range of in-vehicle information systems. CCAD also maintains an instrumented vehicle for on-road studies. In addition to the facilities to study driver behavior, similar facilities exist to study the effect of new technology on aircraft pilots. CCAD houses several flight simulators and maintains an instrumented airplane. NADS houses the world’s most advanced driving simulator and provides trainees with unique opportunities to study a broad range of driving safety and simulator fidelity issue.
The Cognitive Systems Laboratory (Dr. John Lee – Director), in the College of Engineering, is a unit of the CCAD. The laboratory examines how people adapt to technological innovation, and develops display and control systems that enable people to work effectively with technological innovations. Facilities include a driving simulator that has a 40 degree forward field of view at a resolution of 1024X768. The simulator includes a full body of a 1996 Sable sedan that has been augmented with a range of prototype in-vehicle information systems, such as a collision warning alerts and text-messaging systems. This simulator also has a remote eye-tracking system identical to that used in the on-road vehicle. The laboratory also shares an experimental vehicle (1996 Ford Taurus LX Sedan) so that on-road data can be collected to verify simulator data.
The Operator Performance Laboratory (Dr. Tom Schnell – Director), in the College of Engineering, is a unit of the CCAD. The laboratory conducts research in a number of areas of surface and air transportation including synthetic and enhanced vision, flight test research, flight simulation, pilot eye movements, pilot and crew performance and workload, situation awareness assessment, and display optimization research. The aviation concerns are examined in a Beech Bonanza A-36 flying laboratory, the Computerized Airborne Research Platform, and other state-of-the-art flight simulators. The laboratory has a Boeing 737-800 full flight deck simulator featuring Synthetic Vision Systems, Forward Looking Infrared, Weather Radar, and an HGS4000 HUD combiner. The laboratory also has a generic widebody flight simulator used for display prototyping, a General Aviation Work Station II featuring a proprietary Dynamic Resolution Display System used to study the effects of EFIS display size and resolution, and an F-15 simulator with a HUD.
The Skeletal Biomechanics Laboratory in the College of Engineering, is fully equipped to perform studies of tissue and/or specimen response to mechanical loads. In addition to a well-regarded in-vitro spine testing system, an MTS Bionix testing machine permits application of uniaxial tension or compression in concert with axial torsion under displacement or load control. The laboratory also has an environmental chamber and an independent controller with specialized test control and data acquisition and analysis routines.
Interdisciplinary Research Experiences
Trainees in the Ergonomics Training Program have numerous opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary research. Trainees are matched to research opportunities based on trainee interest, trainee background, faculty and trainee schedule, and need. Trainees can be funded for research through three main mechanisms:
1. Pilot grants. Numerous centers at the University of Iowa have pilot grant programs appropriate for ergonomics/human factors research. These centers include the NIOSH-funded Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety, the CDC-funded Injury Prevention Research Center, the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, and the NIOSH-funded Great Plains Center for Agricultural Safety and Health. These centers fund more than $250,000 in pilot grants each year, most for $15,000 each. Doctoral-level trainees are strongly encouraged to apply for pilot grants and have been extremely successful in receiving funding.
2. Graduate and Staff Research Assistantships. Master's and doctoral-level trainees are eligible for Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA) or Teaching Assistantships (TA) early in their program (GRA). After passing the Comprehensive Examination, doctoral trainees are usually not eligible for ERC stipends. Thus, doctoral trainees in years 3 – 5 of their program are typically supported as GRAs on funded research projects. Doctoral-level trainees, with the appropriate background, are also eligible to apply for research assistantships (RA) on funded research projects. All Core Faculty members of the Ergonomics Training Program have active research programs funded from a variety of external sources. Since 2001, all MS and PhD trainees in the Ergonomics Training Program have had a graduate or staff research assistantship, or a teaching assistantship (IE and BME only) during the program.
3. External grants. When appropriate, trainees in the later stages of their dissertations and post-doctoral trainees will be encouraged to apply for external funding.
Because of its geographic location and several Core Faculty members’ research interests, the Ergonomics Training Program provides ergonomics/human factors research opportunities related to agriculture, construction, and driving simulation, opportunities not widely available at other institutions. Specific to the NORA for MSDs, agriculture and construction are considered understudied industries. Thus, trainees have an excellent opportunity to contribute to this research agenda. Additionally, trainees have the opportunity to participate in ergonomics/human factors research on an international level, through the Preceptorship in Occupational and Environmental Health (175:203) or other foreign exchange programs. Previous trainees have conducted research in several foreign countries including Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.
