Thomas Smith, Ph.D.,  presented two papers at the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 59th Annual Meeting, on Oct. 26-30 in Los Angeles, CA. The first of these papers,  Observer Perceptions of Overall System Quality – the Lake Wobegon Effect, has been published in the Proceedings for the meeting. The second paper, Occupancy and Patient Care Quality Benefits of Private Room Relative to Multi-Bed Patient Room Designs for Five Different Children’s Hospital Intensive and Intermediate Care Units, will be published in a 2016 special issue of WORK: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment & Rehabilitation.

Dr. Smith also presented three papers at the 19th Triennial Congress of the International Ergonomics Association, earlier this year on August 9-14 in Melbourne, Australia. The three papers are titled; A Philosophy of Ergonomics/Human Factors – An Updated Perspective, Differing Systems Perspectives on Educational Quality, and Driver Distraction is Greater with Cell Phone Conversation than with Passenger Conversation C A Social Cybernetic Interpretation (with Z. Yang).