Welcome to my blog. I’m a professor of human factors engineering with a passion for applying human factors in the world of amusement, or as it pertains to safety, or both.
Human factors in amusement rides and attractions incorporate the wonderful and rich interplay of physical sensation, conscious cognition, surprise and illusion, along with expertise, learning, modelling and creativity. In the lab, a diverse collection of clever student researchers are working on projects related to ride control interfaces, inspection, ride and show, while the close collaboration with industry end-users is not only philosophically essential but just about the best way a person can spend a day at work.
Dr. Kathryn Woodcock is Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, teaching, researching, and consulting in the area of human factors engineering / ergonomics particularly applied to amusement rides and attractions (https://thrilllab.blog.torontomu.ca), and to broader occupational and public safety issues of performance, error, investigation and inspection, and to disability and accessibility.