KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

David Caple Gregory F Zehner Mark O'Dwyer Adam Wynn

David Caple



Ron Cumming Lecturer 2008
David Caple has been a member of HFESA since July 1977. He completed his Masters of Ergonomics at Loughborough University, UK in 1976 and commenced his employment in ergonomics as the first Ergonomist in the Victoria Education Department. He has worked in Sweden, USA, UK Hong Kong and New Zealand and currently is involved in a range of industry based national projects across Australia.

David was one of the first CPEs in Australia and is also a Professional Fellow in the UK. He has been President of the HFESA and is currently the 16th President of the International Ergonomics Association. He is the first Australian in this role and also the first President who is primarily employed as a practitioner.

David is an Adjunct Professor at Latrobe University and Senior Research Fellow at Ballarat University. His Professors and mentors at Monash University Psychology were Professor Tom Triggs and Professor Ron Cumming. Ron and Tom encouraged David to study ergonomics in 1974 and he has been forever grateful.

Dr Gregory F. Zehner

Gregory is a senior research physical anthropologist leading the Air Force Research Laboratory’s anthropometric accommodation program. He is a pioneer and technology leader in human anthropometrics, whose research and developments have positively impacted the performance and safety of current and future aircrew world-wide, both military and commercial, as well as the engineering of practices for building all kinds of products from aircraft to helmets to automobiles. The anthropometric cases he developed are mandated for all new Air Force aircraft purchases, including the Joint Strike Fighter.

His effective transition of mathematically complex methods for characterizing body size and function in engineering has literally changed the way anthropometric data is used throughout the world. Dr Zehner has developed and transitioned cockpit mapping technology to address a multitude of accommodation problems. For example, his efforts enabled the T-6 to have the broadest range of accommodation ever achieved in an ejection seat aircraft, accommodating 95% of Air Force females and 99 % of Air Force males. He convinced multiple stakeholders to use his approach for expanded accommodation and achieved technological success. He demonstrated cockpit mapping technology to prove it provides a quality outcome for a reasonable cost. Dr. Zehner's work has enabled the AF and Navy to select pilots based on their flying and fighting potential, not their gender or race, and ensured that each one of those pilots will do so safely in a cockpit and equipment that fits them appropriately.

Dr Zehner was awarded his PhD in Anatomy and Physical Anthropology from Ohio State University in 2000. He also holds an MA in Physical Anthropology and a BA in Anthropology both from Kent State University.

Mark O’Dwyer



Mark O’Dwyer is a director of H2o architects, a Melbourne based architectural practice, founded to develop new responses to emerging issues developing in the construction of buildings. H2o architects were amongst the earliest Australian proponents of sustainable design. Projects by H2o architects now embrace the inter-related challenges of Sustainable Performance, Occupational Health & Safety, Ergonomics, Facility Management, Futureproofing, Equality of Access, Construction Procurement Models and Constructability.

Mark regularly travels interstate and overseas for first hand review of the built outcomes and observe the human factor created by other designers attempting to deal with these challenges. Recent benchmark and award winning projects by H2o architects include the University of Adelaide Plant Accelerator Facility, Swinburne University of Technology Advanced Technologies Centre, Deakin University Central Precinct and International Centre & Business Building Projects. These projects demonstrate how architecture can respond to the empiric and factual requirements of these challenges and still produce an invigorating, engaging and rewarding internal and work environment.