The use of graphics in the design of the human-telerobot interface

The Man-Systems Telerobotics Laboratory (MSTL) of NASA's Johnson Space Center employs computer graphics tools in their design and evaluation of the Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) human/telerobot interface on the Shuttle and on the Space Station. It has been determined by the MSTL that the use of computer graphics can promote more expedient and less costly design endeavors. Several specific examples of computer graphics applied to the FTS user interface by the MSTL are described

Telepresence for space: The state of the concept

The purpose here is to examine the concept of telepresence critically. To accomplish this goal, first, the assumptions that underlie telepresence and its applications are examined, and second, the issues raised by that examination are discussed. Also, these assumptions and issues are used as a means of shifting the focus in telepresence from development to user-based research. The most basic assumption of telepresence is that the information being provided to the human must be displayed in a natural fashion, i.e., the information should be displayed to the same human sensory modalities, and in the same fashion, as if the person where actually at the remote site. A further fundamental assumption for the functional use of telepresence is that a sense of being present in the work environment will produce superior performance. In other words, that sense of being there would allow the human operator of a distant machine to take greater advantage of his or her considerable perceptual, cognitive, and motor capabilities in the performance of a task than would more limited task-related feedback. Finally, a third fundamental assumption of functional telepresence is that the distant machine under the operator's control must substantially resemble a human in dexterity

Use Of An Advising Team

The Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University uses selected faculty members on an Advising Team, and provides access to them through walk-in advising hours.  Compared to our previous approach of assigning students to all faculty members, the benefits of this system for the students are more efficient and effective advising.  Students have access to advising at more times, and are more likely to get correct answers quickly.  The benefits for the faculty are that the faculty members on the Team enjoy advising and can have their performance expectations tailored to include advising, while those faculty members who are not interested in advising do not have to participate.  This system acknowledges the differing interests, performance requirements (e.g., research), and abilities of faculty members.  Other colleges and universities may find this approach beneficial for their students and faculty

Rapid Nitrate Analysis of Soil Cores Using ISFETs

An intact core extraction procedure was tested that might be used in the field for real–time prediction of soil nitrates. An extraction solution was pushed through a soil core held between two filters, and an ion–selective field–effect transistor/flow injection analysis (ISFET/FIA) system was used to sense soil nitrates in real time. Laboratory tests were conducted using four soil types and two levels of nitrate concentration, soil moisture, core density, core length, core diameter, and extraction solution flow rate. The extraction solution flow was sampled at the exit face of the core and routed to the ISFET/FIA system. The ISFET output voltage was sampled at 100 Hz. Results of the test indicate that nitrate extraction of the soil cores was successful, and that data descriptors based on response curve peak and slope of the ISFET nitrate response curve might be used in tandem in a real–time prediction system

Short-Term Study Abroad: An Exploratory View of Business Student Outcomes

Acknowledging the importance of fostering global perspectives in students, business educators stress the role that international study plays in increasing interpersonal skills, and broadening knowledge of global business practices. Traditionally offered as semester- or year-long programs, today\u27s programs are more often short-term in nature, raising questions about student outcomes of abbreviated tours. This longitudinal study of students who participated over a nine-year period examines the benefits and limitations of short-term tours. Results suggest that schools of business give careful consideration to desired student outcomes, learning objectives and how these might best be accomplished if delivered in a compressed time frame

Business Programs in Study Abroad: a Reconsideration

In acknowledgement of the importance of fostering a global perspective in their students, business educators stress the role that international study can play in increasing interpersonal skills and also broadening knowledge of global business practices. Traditionally offered as semester- or year- long programs, today’s study abroad programs are more often short-term in nature, raising questions about student outcomes of abbreviated study tours. This longitudinal study of students who participated over a nine-year period examines the benefits and limitations of short-term study tours. Results suggest that schools of business may want to think again about desired student outcomes and learning objectives and whether these can be accomplished in a compressed time frame

Use of Online or Traditional Job Search Tools: Which Do Sales Students Prefer When Searching to Begin Their Post-College Graduate Careers-A Study Revisited

In 2019, a study was conducted to see if college students who studied/majored in professional sales, preferred digital media over face-to-face interactions for post-graduation careers searches. Results showed sales students used multiple methods during these searches. Although sales students engaged with digital media to land entry-level career positions, they still relied heavily upon traditional methods (i.e., college/university career fairs/services, internships, etc.). In March of 2020, as Covid-19 moved just about everyone online, the authors were interested in seeing whether the increased use and familiarity with digital media changed sales students’ preference for and use of job search tools. This follow-up study investigates the use of online and traditional resources for sales students’ career searches as graduation approaches. Results suggest sales students use multiple methods during their first career searches. They engage with digital media to land entry-level career positions while still relying heavily upon traditional methods. This research provides insight into the perceptions of sales students while searching for career positions

Use of Social Media by Sales Students for First Post-Graduation Job-Search: An Exploratory Study

As students who studied/majored in professional sales approach graduation and start looking for their first post-graduation/entry-level positions, what avenues are used to pursue these opportunities? One might suspect that with the explosion of social media and the millennial generation’s prolific use of said media this would be their preferred choice for job hunting. Are sales students engaging social media and other online activities to land entry-level career positions or are they still using traditional methods (i.e. College/University Career Fairs, College/University Career Services, Internships, etc.) to find these positons? This paper looks at the avenues millennial students who studied/majored in professional sales use to land their first post-college graduation sales positions

Programmable display pushbuttons on the Space Station's telerobot control panel

The Man-Systems Telerobotics Laboratory at NASA's Johnson Space Center and supported by Lockheed, is working to ensure that the Flight Telerobotic Servicer (FTS) to be used on the Space Shuttle (Orbiter) and the Space Station has a well designed user interface from a Human Factors perspective. The FTS, which is a project led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, will be a telerobot used for Space Station construction, maintenance, and satellite repair. It will be directly controlled from workstations on the Orbiter and the Space Station and monitored from a ground workstation. The FTS will eventually evolve into a more autonomous system, but in the short-term the system will be manually operated (teleoperated) for many tasks. This emphasizes the importance of the human/telerobot interface on this system. This phase of the FTS workstation evaluation covers a preliminary study of programmable display pushbuttons (PDP's). The PDP is constructed of a matrix of directly addressable electroluminescent (EL) pixels which can be used to form dot-matrix characters. PDP's can be used to display more than one message and to control more than one function. Since the PDP's have these features, then a single PDP may possibly replace the use of many single-function pushbuttons, rotary switches, and toggle switches, thus using less panel space. It is of interest to determine if PDP's can be used to adequately perform complex hierarchically structured task sequences. The objective of this investigation was to compare the performance of experienced and inexperienced Remote Manipulator System (RMS) operators while performing an RMS like task on simulated PDP and non-PDP computer prototypes so that guidelines governing the use of programmable display pushbuttons on the FTS workstation could be created. The functionality of the RMS on the Orbiter was used as a model for this evaluation since the functionality of the FTS at the time of this writing has not been solidified