Gavriel Salvendy

Gavriel Salvendy

Gavriel Salvendy (born 30 September 1938) is a pioneer in the field of human factors and ergonomics, the first in this field elected to the National Academy of Engineering. He is a professor emeritus of Industrial Engineering at Purdue University and Chair Professor Emeritus and Former Head (2001-2011) of the Department of Industrial Engineering at Tsinghua University.

Biography

Salvendy grew up in a Jewish family. Though his family lived in Czechoslovakia, his mother went to Budapest to deliver him. His father was a very high achiever, who got his PhD and was a captain in the army by age 23 at which time he sold his invention to the Germans. Salvendy dropped out of school after 8th grade and never went to high school. Instead, Salvendy went to trade school for two years and at age 16 he started to work and took evening courses in cost accounting and productivity improvements.

In his youth, Salvendy and his family moved from Europe to Israel.,[1][2] where he worked for the Israeli army and a car manufacturer and electric cable manufacturer in Israel. Apart from work, he became the champion of weight-lifting and held the record for about seven years. He was also was on the Israeli team in shot-put and in rowing[2]

Later, Salvendy worked in a factory in London, his natural flair for reorganizing manufacturing systems spread to a British engineering professor, E.N.Corlett., who recruited him to be his graduate student at University of Birmingham,[2] where he got his mater's degree and PhD in three years. When Salvendy was studying for master's degree, he noticed an important opportunity from the daily newspaper: the Department of Labor will issue a request for proposal aim at improving the selection of factory workers. Therefore, he wrote a full proposal over the weekend and his professor liked it a lot. As a result, the proposal was funded and Salvendy supervised the work of the four Master students and was elevated to a research associate which payed 2.5 times the rate of student. Besides, Salvendy developed a test and sold it to a company who paid 15% royalty to the department in support of PhDs. By 1984, the test was used in 27 countries.

After that, Salvendy started his academic career in the United States. At age 33, he went to Purdue University. Five years later, Salvendy was invited to give the keynote address at the International Conference on Production Research (ICPR) which was attended by over 1,000 people in Tokyo, 1977. Over the following 20 or so years, he was the keynote presenter at ICPR for a total of 5 times. At age 39, Salvendy become the full professor of Purdue university. His reputation was spread to the chairman of Japan Management Association(JMA), who specially come to Purdue to invite him to be the keynote speaker from the USA at the 40th anniversary of JMA in 1982 (the other two speakers were the chairman of IBM Europe and the chairman of NEC of Japan). After his talk, the NEC chairman offered him a private professorship at Purdue which he had for 15 years. Due to his great success and high impact, he was invited to establish a new department (Industrial Engineering) in Tsinghua University, which is the first time that a Western researcher head a university department in P.R. China. The ten-year heading experience finally makes the undergraduate program in department of Industrial Engineering of Tsinghua University achieve the top ten level of that in United States.[3] Salvendy's experience of establishing world-class department is so successful that Louisiana State University and University of Central Florida invited him to increase their international impact.

Education

Salvendy studied business administration and management at Brunel University, England and got graduate diploma in 1964. Then, he studied ergonomics and work design in department of Engineering production at University of Birmingham, England and got the graduate diploma in 1965. Next, he studied industrial psychology in department of engineering production at University of Birmingham, England and got M.Sc. in 1966 and Ph.D. in 1968.

Work

Work Overview

Salvendy's first gig is working for the Israeli military in the construction and maintenance of military hardware [2] Then, he worked as research associate in department of Engineering production of University of Birmingham, England from 1965 to 1968.

Salvendy began his academic career in the United States. He was an assistant professor at Department of Industrial Engineering in State University of New York at Buffalo from 1968 to 1971. From then on, he worked at School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, where he was promoted to be an associate professor in 1971, a full professor in 1999, NEC professor ( a private chair) in 1984, professor emeritus in 2008. During 1978 to 1981, Salvendy was a visiting professor at Leon Recanti Graduate, School of Business Administration, Tel-Aviv University, Israel and was offered fulbright “Distinguished Professor,” Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Belgrade, Yugoslavia.

Salvendy reached the pinnacle of his career in China. He built up department of industrial engineering in Tsinghua University (from 2001 to 2011), which makes him the first western department head in China. He was offered chair professor emeritus in 2011.

Salvendy's experience of building up world-class department was valued by universities in the United States. Therefore, Louisiana State University invited him to be research professor from 2013 to 2016, and University of Central Florida invited him to be CAE link professor of Engineering and computer science from 2016 to 2021.

Professional Experience

Salvendy founded two international journals in 1980s and is the editor of them: International Journal on Human-Computer Interaction (1987 – present) and Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing and Service Industries (1989-2015). He also joined the editorial board of eight journals: Behaviour and Information Technology, Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science (TIES), Integrated Computer-Aided Engineering, International Journal of Universal Access in Information Society, Ergonomia, International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, AIS Transactions on Human – Computer Interaction, and Service Science.

He also founded two international conferences and is the conference chair and scientific advisor of them: International Conference on Human Computer Interaction (HCII) and International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics (AHFE).Besides, he was also the conference chair or co-chair of four conferences: First International Conference on Applied Ergonomics (1996), First USA-Japan Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (1984), International Conference on Machine-pacing and Occupational Stress (1981), and Workshop on Human Aspects in Nuclear Power Plants, Purdue University (1975).

Salvendy has consulted and/or lectured to over 100 organizations in 31 countries on increasing the effectiveness of human-computer interaction on methods for raising productivity, job satisfaction and health and safety.These countries included: Austria; Belgium; Brazil; Canada; China; Czech Republic; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Hong Kong; Hungary; Israel; Italy; Japan; Mexico; Netherlands; Slovakia, South Korea; Norway; Poland; Philippines; Portugal; Spain; Sweden; Taiwan; Thailand; Turkey, United Kingdom; and Yugoslavia.

Professional Affiliation

Salvendy was elected be elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 1990 "for fundamental contributions to and professional leadership in human, physical, and cognitive aspects of engineering systems." He is a Fellow and Life Member of Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE), Fellow of American Psychological Association (APA),Honorary Fellow and Life Member, Ergonomics Society Fellow, International Ergonomic Association (IEA) Fellow of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Government and State Committee Appointments

Salvendy's appointment at National Research Council lasts a long time. He served on the Committee on NASA’s Human Factors Research (1999-2001), Committee on Advanced Technology for Human Support in Space (1996-1997), Committee on Review and Evaluation of the Army Chemical Stockpile Disposal Program (1992-1994), Panel on Army Research Laboratories (2007-2009), Committee to Review FAA Next Gen (2013-2014), and Committee on "Effective Utilization of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies" (1985-1986).

He also served on Committee on Artificial Intelligence of Indiana Business Modernization and Technology Corporation (1987-1995), Committee on "Productivity Center" in State of Indiana (1984-1985), Nuclear Regulatory Commission Subcommittee on "Human Factors" 1979-1980 Joint Engineering Council's Committee on Three Mile Island (1982-1985).

Publications

He is the author or co-author of 573 research publications including 322 journal papers, and is the author or editor of 47 books. His publications have appeared in seven languages. The complete list of his publications is available on his personal website http://iems.ucf.edu/people/gavriel-salvendy.

Major Influential Projects

U.S. Postal Service Project

One of Salvendy's biggest consulting projects is the U.S. Postal Service Project, which set the tone for one of the largest business ventures in the United States. Salvendy and his team designed the video encoding system to sort letters. In this system, the letters are digitized and the information about the address of the letter is explained on the computer screen. This system revolutionized the old way of letter sorting (letters would go on a conveyor and people would key in where the letters should go). It enables remote letter sorting and is still in use.

Huajian Shoe Manufacturing Project

Salvendy and his team to improve a shoe manufacturer named Hua Jian. They boosted Hua Jian's productivity by 20% every year on average. This gains on this scale are almost unthinkable in the West, where productivity in a fast-improving U.S. factory might rise by 5%.[1]

Awards and Honor

Salvendy has long been recognized and respected by China. In 1995 he received an Honorary Doctorate from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "for great contributions to the development of science and technology and for the great influence upon the development of science and technology in China.” In 2003, he received Great Wall Friendship Award presented by the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality. In 2006, he received the Friendship Award presented by the People’s Republic of China. In 2014, he was offered Honorary Professor of Tsinghua University and received Medal of Merit for Education awarded by Chinese Government Entities, which is one of ten awards given for contributions for education in China the past sixty years.

His contribution was also recognized by internationally. In 2007, he received the John Fritz Medal which is the engineering profession’s highest award for his "fundamental international and seminal leadership and technical contributions to human engineering and industrial engineering education, theory, and practice". In 2015, he was offered Guest Professor of Southeast University and received Elsevier John Wilson Award for major contributions to applied ergonomics presented by the International Ergonomics Association (IEA). In 2008, he received John L. Imhoff Global Excellence Award for Industrial Engineering Education presented by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE). In 2004, he received the Paul M. Fitts Education Award presented by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. In 2003, he received President’s Award and Outstanding Educators Award presented by International Ergonomics Association (IEA), 2003. In 1980s and 1970s, he received IIE - Joint Publishers Award, Book-of-the-Year (Handbook of Human Factors); American Publishers Assoc. Award for the best book in Engineering (Handbook of Industrial Engineering); Award for Excellence in Oral Presentation, Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.; U.S. Government's Fulbright "Distinguished Professor" Award; American Institute of Industrial Engineers' Phil Carroll Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions in Work Measurement and Methods Engineering.

Salvendy's Impact

The journals Ergonomics (2003), Computers in Industry (2010) and Intelligent Manufacturing (2011) have published special issues in honor of Salvendy and the Wall Street Journal reported his impact.

The journals he founded grow to be critical journals in the field human factors and ergonomics. The books he wrote or edited spread over the world in seven languages, including two handbooks known to every industrial engineer- the Handbook of Industrial Engineering and the Handbook of Human Factors and Ergonomics. The conferences he founded grow from the initial 150 participants to over 2000 participants on average from 77 countries. The department of industrial engineering in Tsinghua University that he built up grow to be world-class department.

“Unquestionably professor Salvendy is a pioneer in the field of ergonomics, not as a founder, but as one who has pushed the definition and expansion of what ergonomics is...Salvendy was a prophet in defining the need for this research and emphasis” -Michael Smith, an industrial engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

References

  1. 1 2 http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703794104575546003806171156
  2. 1 2 3 4 ELLIOTT, MONICA. "Big ideas for a small world: Gavriel Salvendy is determined to shrink the world by being an ambassador of industrial engineering.". HighBeam Research. IIE Solutions. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "Department of Industrial Engineering". Tsinghua University. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
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