The Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Aeronautics (WISA) is proud to present: WISA Talks, a webinar series where we bring together panels of academic, industry, and government leaders to dive deep into challenges facing aeronautics. By facilitating direct partnerships with industry, government, and academia WISA mobilizes the research and innovation capacity of all six faculties at the University of Waterloo to drive meaningful and lasting impact.
Our first WISA Talks: Evidence-based training in Aviation, will focus on competency/evidence-based training research and the challenges with regards to training in the aviation industry. The webinar will feature a panel discussion with leading industry professionals in the field of aviation training and researchers in the fields of psychology, kinesiology and vision science who are working to offer evidence-based solutions to reduce pilot error.
Thank you for joining us on Wednesday, December 8th from 11:00AM - 12:15PM ET!
Sunjoo K. Advani
President | International Development of Technology
Dr. Sunjoo Advani created the SIMONA institute at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands and its unique flight simulator, conducted research in simulation and Human Factors, and completed his PhD in Aerospace Engineering. His company IDT provides specialised knowledge to airlines, aviation authorities, airframe manufacturers and research institutes.
Martin Smith
Co-Founder & CEO Presage Group Inc.
Dr. Martin (Marty) Smith has developed numerous decision-making software solutions that target and mitigate the psychological drivers for operational non-compliance. Airlines, Air Navigation, and Airport Authorities around the world have deployed his solutions and he is a consultant to IATA, ICAO, TSB, NTSB, Eurocontrol, and Flight Safety Foundation. Marty remains an active pilot, having accumulated numerous endorsements and licenses over his 43 years of flying.
Mark Soodeen
Director Advanced Technology & Innovation at CAE
Mr. Mark Soodeen is currently responsible for the development and implementation of a technology strategy that is aligned with the corporate strategy and each business unit’s product roadmaps. In 2016 he led the CAERise development and deployment of first Customer, AirAsia and is currently driving a key R&D program that is exploring the use of CAERise, analytics, and biometrics in support of Competency Based Training and Assessment.
Elizabeth Irving (moderator)
Professor, School of Optometry and Vision Science, Faculty of Science
Dr. Elizabeth Irving is a clinician/scientist with internationally recognized expertise in vision science including eye tracking and binocular vision. Irving is currently investigating the interaction of vision with flight training to help improve it by establishing evidence-based vision qualifications for pilots.
Evan Risko
Associate Professor, Psychology, Faculty of Arts
Dr. Evan Risko is currently an associate professor and a Canada Research Chair in Embodied and Embedded Cognition in the Department of Psychology at the University of Waterloo. Adding his expertise in psychology to the interdisciplinary mix, Evan Risko’s research with WISA is focused on making pilot training more effective by applying methods and insights from cognitive science.
Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo
Associate Professor, Kinesiology, Faculty of Health
Dr. Ewa Niechwiej-Szwedo's research program is grounded in systems neuroscience and focuses on discovering the fundamental mechanisms involved in the central nervous system control of eye and hand movements across the lifespan. Niechwiej-Szwedo’s research with WISA focuses on understanding changes in gaze behaviour and visuomotor coordination during a pilot’s training.
Naila Ayala
PhD Candidate, Developmental Visuomotor Neuroscience Lab
Naila's research explores how gaze behaviour can provide an objective measure of information processing, decision-making and complex skill performance. She is currently working to apply these questions to aviation education with the broader goal of enhancing our understanding of the complex human factors involved in piloting an aircraft and guiding the development of novel training paradigms and industry practices.