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The University of Michigan Center for Ergonomics (C4E) is a multidisciplinary organization devoted to education and research in ergonomics, the study of work, and the efficiency and safety of human-machine systems. Established in the late 1950s, the Center has grown to become one of the leading research organizations of its kind in the world, capable of responding to the real-world needs of industry, government, and professional groups. As a complement to its strong research component, C4E trains graduate students and offers continuing education courses for professional ergonomists, engineers, and designers in private industry. The Center has also developed a suite of software programs to assist in the biomechanical modeling of manual materials-handling tasks.

• Funding Sources
  Research activities at the Center are funded primarily by industry and government in the form of grants, contracts, and gifts. Grants, usually received from government agencies and foundations, support general, basic research in the ergonomic sciences. About 70% of funding takes the form of industry contracts for research focused on specific areas of ergonomic interest or need.
  
  
• Administrative Staff
  The Center operates within the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the College of Engineering. The 30+ staff is comprised of senior faculty, faculty associates, research scientists, research fellows, and a support team of research engineers, project managers, engineering technicians, computer systems specialists, and office administrators.
  
  
• Research Thrust Areas
  As one of world's leading ergonomic research centers, C4E is consistently at the forefront of basic and applied research, often working collaboratively with industry to improve the lives of workers as well as the products they make. Current areas of focus include:
  -Human performance
  -Occupational low-back pain
  -Occupational upper extremity cumulative trauma disorders
  -Implementation of workplace ergonomic programs
  -Epidemiology of musculoskeletal disorders
  -Work measurement, and
  -Biomechanical modeling.
  
  
• Education and Training
  Although C4E is best known as a research organization, it offers educational opportunities for both students and practitioners. Each year, approximately 35 master's and PhD students conduct ergonomic research at the Center in conjunction with faculty, scientists, and professionals from sponsoring organizations. Student-researchers are typically affiliated with the departments of Industrial and Operations Engineering, Environment and Industrial Health, and Biomedical Engineering. Continuing education courses, ranging from introductory programs to advanced training workshops, are designed to give working professionals a means of keeping up with the latest ergonomic thinking and research trends. Research sponsors have access to an extensive library of publications by professors and graduate students as well as recently developed ergonomic software. In addition, the Center maintains a computer conferencing system to facilitate networking among ergonomics practitioners in the U. S.
  
  
• Commercialization and Patents
  The Center's primary "product"--knowledge gained through rigorous research--is disseminated to the public in a variety of forms. Periodically, academic staff members help to produce materials for use by individuals and companies implementing industrial ergonomics programs.
  
  
• Industry Membership
  Many research projects at the Center are undertaken in partnership with business, and sponsoring industries often participate directly by providing field-study investigation sites and/or personnel. Gifts of cash, tools, and equipment are another important source of support for the Center. Industry partners making gifts of $20,000 or more ($10,000 in the case of small companies) become members of the University of Michigan Ergonomics Affiliates Program.

For more information, contact:

Thomas Armstrong, Director
Center for Ergonomics
University of Michigan College of Engineering
Industrial and Operations Engineering Building
1205 Beal Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2117
(734) 763-3742 phone
(734) 764-3451 fax
tja@umich.edu e-mail
http://www.engin.umich.edu/dept/ioe/C4E