September 22, 2007 —

Najmedin Meshkati, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has been awarded the highly competitive Oliver Keith Hansen Outreach Award from the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). 

Meshkati, an HFES Fellow since 1997, was honored for his "scholarly efforts on human factors of complex, large-scale technological systems... [and] efforts to enhance public awareness of critical human factors issues."

Najmedin Meshkati

According to the HFES president’s letter, the award recognizes members “who engage in significant activities that broaden awareness of the existence of the human factors/ergonomics profession and the benefits it brings to humankind.”
 
Meshkati’s work on human systems integration and cognitive engineering problems has far-ranging applications, from air traffic control to nuclear reactor, aviation and public transit safety, and patient safety in the health care industry.  He has served in an advisory capacity on various national boards, such as the National Research Council and, most recently, the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazards Investigation Board, which conducted an extensive examination of a major accident in 2005 at the British Petroleum refinery in Texas City, Texas.

“Najm Meshkati has consistently chosen to serve the public interest by placing cogent, compelling explanations of complex safety problems and potential solutions in the public eye,” said James Moore, II, chair of the Epstein Department.  “He carries out some of the most socially relevant technical systems research that the university has to offer and is a shining example of what can be accomplished at the intersection of research, education and purpose.”

Meshkati will receive the award at the opening Plenary Session of the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society’s 51st annual meeting, to be held October 2, 2007 in Baltimore, MD.