Fluid Power Student Profile: Brittney Jimerson

We’ve written before about the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power (CCEFP)—the network of fluid power research laboratories, academic faculty, graduate and undergraduate students at seven universities—that is making a difference when it comes to preparing a better-educated workforce for the fluid power industry. The CCEFP has created a 500% increase in the number of fluid power focused advanced degrees awarded in the United States, with almost half of its graduates going on to work in the fluid power industry.

Brittney Jimerson is one of the students currently engaged at one of the CCEFP schools—North Carolina A&T State University. When asked to provide a summary of her background and experiences in the CCEFP, this is what she said:

Currently I am a Ph.D. candidate at North Carolina A&T State University (NC A&T) in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. My concentration and area of focus is human factors. I graduated from NC A&T with an M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering in 2013. I also was an undergraduate research scholar and earned my B.S. in Industrial Engineering & Management with a minor in Math from the University of North Carolina at Asheville in 2009. My research interests and areas of study include: quality assurance, six sigma, engineering ethics, human performance modeling, ergonomics, and human computer interaction.

 

In the future I hope to work in academia to develop the next generation’s engineers. I really enjoy my field of study (human factors), and I am passionate about sharing my knowledge with the youth about my experiences in the engineering field to sow the seeds of curiosity and make my students excited about STEM education. I hope to one day develop STEM programs in some form in the educational system.

 

In the center I am currently collaborating with Georgia Tech to ensure human factors principles and methodologies (such as the User-Centered Design approach) are incorporated in the design for test bed 4 (TB4), the Patient Transfer Assist Device. Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of the interactions among humans and other elements of a system. Human factors engineers apply theoretical principles, data, and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.

 

 

The main goals for my involvement and expertise with the TB4 research has been to gain insight on interaction, investigate the limitations of human performance, and better support the needs of operators so that design suggestions and recommendations can be communicated to the designers.

 

I am also the currently the Student Leadership Council (SLC) Representative for my campus. My main responsibilities within this role are to coordinate the bi-weekly webcast logistics for my campus and to mentor the center’s undergraduate research assistants from my campus.

 

During my spare time I like to read, paint, and spend time with my family. I also enjoy traveling around the world near and far to broaden my understanding of different cultures.

Brittney Jimerson may be reached directly at bhjimers@aggies.ncat.edu.