RESEARCH

OVERVIEW

I am currently a PhD candidate in the College of Information Sciences and Technology at The Pennsylvania State University. My background is in pyschology, industrial engineering and human factors, and information sciences & technology. I've also spent significant time working in R&D groups at the Boeing Co. and Steelcase Inc., as well as a number of other research and consulting engagements in areas of healthcare, intelligence analysis, emergency and crisis management, new product development, and others. Together, my experiences lead me to focus on sociotechnical aspects of work, organization, and technology. Currently, I particularly enjoy studying creativity and innovation.

In getting to this point, I began as the positivistic psychologist. To be more applied, I moved into macroergonomics and cognitive systems engineering (the first time I met my current adviser I told her I wanted to "design environments to control people's behavior"). After reading a little philosophy I again transformed into something that I am still working out, but philosophically I believe I am somewhere between pluralism, hermeneutics and critical realism. What does this all mean? I don't know, but it sounded interesting when I wrote it.

If you want something more concrete, my DiSC score was a moderately-high "D", an even higher "i", a low "S", and a moderately high "C"... if that means anything for you. Otherwise, here are a few of my current and past research projects, affilations, and areas of interest.

CURRENT PROJECTS

• Dissertation: "Investigating emergence at the front-end of innovation" (Abstract .pdf)
• Generations@Work: Implications on Culture, Technology and Organization in the U.S. Workplace

PAST PROJECTS

• Madison Patient Safety Collaborative: A Macroergonomics Evaluation Assessing the Structures, Processes, and Outcomes of a Collaborative-Based Community Healthcare Network, Center for Quality & Productivity Improvement (CQPI), University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (2002)
• Patient Safety & Information Flow in Outpatient Surgery, Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement (CQPI), University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (2003)
• Impact of Supply Chain Decisions on Small to Mid-Size Manufacturers in the Medical Industry, College of Information Sciences & Technology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (2004)
• GeoCollaborative Crisis Management (GCCM) Project, College of Information Sciences & Technology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (2005)
• Cognitive Work Analysis: Identification of Problem Solving Tasks and Work Constraints of Intelligence Analysts, Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (2005)
• Converging Perspectives on Data (CPoD) Consortium, Cognitive Systems Engineering Laboratory/Institute for Ergonomics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH (2005)
• Impact of Supply Chain Practices on Manufacturing Firms, Enterprise Informatics & Integration Center, College of Information Sciences & Technology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA (2007)

ADVISERS

• Dissertation Committee:
  • Irene Petrick (IST, Chair, Adviser)
  • Jack Carroll (IST)
  • Raghu Garud (Smeal College of Business)
  • Tim Simpson (Mechanical Eng / Industrial & Manufacturing Eng)
  • Sam Hunter (I/O Pscyhology)
• Masters Thesis Committee:
  • Leah Newman (IE, Adviser),
  • Irene Petrick (IST)
  • Michael McNeese (IST)
  • Rick Koubek (IE)
• Undergraduate Advisers:
  • Pascale Carayon (Industrial Engineering, Univ. of Wisc.),
  • Keith Kluender (Psychology, Univ. of Wisc.)

TERMS OF INTEREST

UPCOMING CONFERENCES & EVENTS

CSST 2010
I was accepted to join CSST2010.

FEI 2010
I was awarded the FEI 2010 Doctoral Travel Scholarship and will be attending FEI2010 in Boston on May 3rd-5th.

Upcoming Conferences I "Should" Submit to
GROUP, CSCW, AOM, GROUP DC, ACIS&T, CHI....

WORKING PAPERS

See "Publications" page for a list of my current working papers and publications

RESUME/CV

My Resume/CV.

JOURNALS, CONFERENCES, COMMUNITIES...

QUICK QUOTE
I don't have any hobbies right now. Only a dissertation. See you on the other side."