There is an opportunity for an undergraduate to work with me on a
project concerned with thermal effects on performance, especially its
effects on the cognitive skills required to perform locomotive engineer
work.  This project will start with an extensive literature review and
if the literature is sufficient we will then perform a meta-analysis
(statistical procedures for analyzing results across multiple studies).
The purpose is to give the Federal Railways Administration a solid basis
for rules on the max and min thermal conditions to be allowed in
locomotive cabs.

Duties include reading related literature, pointing out additional
studies that need to be obtained, obtaining them with help of library
staff here, critically reviewing the experimental designs used in the
studies, classifying the studies in preparation for meta-analysis, and
maintaining organized spreadsheet and physical files of studies
reviewed, obtained and to-be-reviewed, and to-be-obtained.  

The intern must be capable of organizing a large literature, and will
need to apply knowledge of experimental design, statistics and cognitive
psychology.  The intern will gain further understanding of how these
areas are applied in assessment of human performance.  The intern will
also become familiar with issues in measuring thermal conditions and
cognitive performance.

The work will start as soon as a suitable intern can be hired. The
intern will have the opportunity to work on the project through the
literature review,  meta-analysis, and documentation/publication phases
of the study, depending upon availability and interest.  This project is
very likely to last at through the Spring term, 1999, but interns may be
assigned to other projects at any time depending on the availability of
work, priorities, and funding.

Interested students should contact me directly by replying to this
e-mail (nadler@volpe.dot.gov) with a detailed description of
qualifications, including grades, completion dates, and instructor names
for courses in experimental design, statistics, and cognitive
psychology, or by sending the description through the mail to: 
Eric Nadler, Ph.D 
DTS-79
Volpe Center 
55 Broadway, Kendall Square, 
Cambridge, MA 02142.     

Sincerely,

Eric