Year started in the program: 1994

Year graduated: 2000

Research interest: I am primarily interested in simulation, usability, and HCI issues. I have worked on projects for the Army and Navy examining performance issues in Virtual Reality (VR) and usability issues relating to training software. I did my internship with the FAA, examining performance effects of pop-up targets on Air Traffic Controllers, specifically how scan patterns were affected. I also worked on the use of color-coding altitude for a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information (CDTI) display. Through UCF, I ran usability studies on several consumer products as well as various web sites. I, along with another person, developed an alternative method for bookmarking web pages. In addition I conducted an experiment at DisneyQuest, a VR entertainment center located in Orlando. Currently I am conducting an evaluation of Virtual Environment (VE) equipment for the Navy - I will be running studies relating to the use of VE's for shipboard training of Naval personnel, including Marines and LCAC (Landing Craft, Air Cushion) operators.

Publications over the past two years:

Lyons, D. M., & Allen, R. C. (in Press). Mobile aid for training and evaluation (MATE): A hand-held, configurable set of team performance measurement tools. Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference 2000.

Allen, R. C., Singer, M. J., McDonald, D. P., & Cotton, J. E. (2000). Age differences in a virtual reality entertainment environment: A field study. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 44th Annual Meeting, 542-545. [Paper presented at HFES 44th Annual Meeting]

Current employer: Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division: Team Training Code 4961

Significant past employers: Federal Aviation Administration, Army Research Institute, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division

Email address: AllenRC3@navair.navy.mil