Personal Motivation

"HFES - Making the World a Better Place for 50 Years." This slogan was my contribution to the brainstorming session for our upcoming big event in San Francisco. It didn't really work because it could easily apply to many organizations (Red Cross, Scouts of America, etc.). However, it still resonates with me.

I learned from my dissertation advisor, the late, great Alphonse Chapanis, that what we do is not just a job -- it's a calling.
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Our Society is an incredible melting pot where dedicated practitioners and academic researchers from different subspecialties can come together to create a synergy and a natural, mutual learning environment.
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We each have a story about what drew us to our profession. We each have projects that tell a tale. Woven into the fabric of each of our careers is a source of narrative energy.

I view that community energy as potential fuel for a great "engine of outreach." We all want our work understood and respected for what it contributes to the societies and cultures we live in. Many of us are frustrated that our message, which seems so clear and vital to us, often falls on dead ears or fails to penetrate the din. I don't pretend to have an individual solution to this problem, but I do have an undying faith in the good hearts and noble motivations that you, my colleagues, possess. And, if you choose to place me in a position to do so, I will make it my mission to cultivate and nurture that message, bringing it to light where it can have the most beneficial impact.
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Here's another impractical slogan idea for 2007: "HFES - Improving the Quality of Life for ANOTHER 50 Years!" Why not? It's what we do!