The Foundation for Professional Ergonomics (FPE) initiated the Dieter W. Jahns Student Award in 2010. The award, named in memory of Dieter W. Jahns, a life-long advocate of the practice of Ergonomics and a leader in Ergonomics Certification, is an annual award and is given to the student (or group of students) for an Ergonomics project that demonstrates the major practice areas of Ergonomics: Analysis, Design, and Integration. The purpose of the award is to advance professionalism in Ergonomics by recognizing educational activities that demonstrate how professional ergonomists serve to make our lives at work and at home healthier, safer, more productive, and more satisfying. This award is open to ALL students (graduate and undergraduate) in Ergonomics and Ergonomics-related programs. Students who have completed their degrees in the past year are also eligible.
The award to the student(s) consists of an acrylic award and $1,000.00(US). In addition, an additional $1,000.00(US) is given to the university department or lab for the students’ professor’s discretionary use to advance the education in the practice of ergonomics and human factors. The student(s), professor, and university will be recognized on the FPE website as recipients of the award, and will include a summary of the student(s) project. The student will also have their first year’s fees for Certification paid, if they choose to apply to Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics.
Download the complete details on criteria and submission format.
| Important Dates for the Next Award | |
| Submission Deadline: | April 15, 2025 |
| Notification: | May 31, 2025 |
| Award Presentation: | October 14, 2025 |
An acrylic award and a cash prize of $1,000.00 (US) will be presented at the joint Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE)/FPE/HFES Reception during the Human Factors and Ergonomics
Society Annual Meeting, October 12–17, 2025, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Chicago, Illinois, USA. The winner does NOT have to travel to Chicago to accept the award. In addition, $1,000.00 will be awarded to the professor who served as the mentor for the student project. The cash award is made to the university department/lab for the professor’s discretionary use to advance education in the practice of ergonomics and human factors.
Criteria
As this is a practitioner award, the student (or students) should describe and document a research or intervention project that exhibits:
- the major practice areas of Ergonomics: Analysis, Design, and Integration
- direct, practical application
- final design recommendations or a description of how the resulting information can be applied to design
Entries will be judged by the Board of Directors of the FPE.
Submissions
Submissions should provide adequate descriptions, illustrations or photos, and details that address the judging criteria. The project can be drawn from a laboratory study, a field study, a practicum, or an apprentice assignment. The FPE judging committee recognizes that a laboratory or a field study may not provide the scope necessary to demonstrate the full aspects of an Ergonomics practitioner. Thus, the student must describe the results of such studies in the context of an applied situation. For example, the project should address the analysis of the user population and/or situation that would have generated the idea for the study, the design principles and/or theories that structured the approach, and the validation and implementation processes/principles that would be used to determine the effectiveness of the study results in an applied setting. The Ergonomics Core Competencies will serve as the foundation for determining whether or not the submitted project falls within the broad category areas of Ergonomics and is a viable submission. Submissions should be at least 5 pages but no more than 8.
Submission should be sent electronically to:
Robert J. Smillie, PhD, CPE
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