REU Site: Translational Research in Psychological Sciences: Human Factors at Texas Tech University

该项目由SBE理事会的本科生研究经验(REU)站点计划资助。因此，它兼具科学和社会效益，并将研究和教育融为一体。德克萨斯理工大学的REU网站推进了旨在了解人们的认知、社交和身体能力和限制的研究，并将这些知识转化为对社会的实际好处。这一心理科学领域被称为人的因素，是应用实验心理学的一个子领域，对于应对包括航空、医疗保健、能源、交通和网络安全在内的社会挑战至关重要，创造了对人的因素专业人员的大量且不断增加的劳动力需求。REU网站将向本科生介绍一个有大量就业机会的领域，并发展他们的研究技能，使他们对不同学科的研究生课程具有吸引力，并吸引行业雇主寻找能够将研究培训应用于实际问题的个人，如评估产品和用户界面。REU网站通过招募代表性不足的群体参与，支持社会和行为科学的多样性。研究结果将推进该领域的最新水平，并将具有广泛的实际意义，包括交通事故、患者安全、教育、人机交互、物质使用和误用、基于健康的差异、行李筛查和职业伤害。REU网站的主要目标是让本科生参与对解决现实世界问题有明显价值的行为研究，培养适用于社会科学和行为科学任何职业的研究、团队合作和沟通技能，并增加本科生的数量--特别是那些在没有充分代表的群体中攻读研究生教育和从事人类因素心理学职业的本科生。在三年的每一年里，8名本科生将与德克萨斯理工大学的教职员工在行为研究方面密切合作，这些行为研究的重要应用包括驾驶、人机交互、外科手术、增强学生学习能力、将神经科学应用于行李检查、物质使用和误用、基于健康的差异和职业伤害。

This project is funded from the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Sites program in the SBE Directorate. As such, it has both scientific and societal benefits, and it integrates research and education. The REU Site at Texas Tech University advances research that aims to understand the cognitive, social, and physical capabilities and limitations of people and translates that knowledge to practical benefits for society. This area of psychological sciences, known as human factors, which is a subfield of applied experimental psychology, is vital in addressing societal challenges including those in aviation, health care, energy, transportation, and cyber-security, creating a large and increasing workforce need for human factors professionals. The REU Site will introduce undergraduates to an area with plentiful job opportunities and develop their research skills, making them attractive to graduate programs in various disciplines, and to industry employers seeking individuals who can apply research training to practical issues such as evaluating products and user interfaces. The REU Site supports diversity in social and behavioral sciences by recruiting under-represented groups to participate. Results of the research will advance the state of the art in the field and will have broad practical implications including traffic crashes, patient safety, education, human-robot interaction, substance use and misuse, health-based disparities, baggage screening, and occupational injuries. The main goals of the REU Site are to engage undergraduates in behavioral research that has clear value in solving real-world problems, to develop research, teamwork, and communication skills applicable to any career in social and behavioral sciences, and to increase the number of undergraduates-- particularly those in underrepresented groups, who pursue graduate education and careers in human factors psychology. During each of three years, 8 undergraduates will work closely with faculty members at Texas Tech University on behavioral research with important applications such as driving, human-robot interaction; surgery; enhancement of student learning; applications of neuroscience to baggage screening; substance use and misuse; health-based disparities; and occupational injuries.