 Dr. Smither is a Professor of Psychology of the Applied/Experimental and Human Factors Psychology doctoral program at the University of Central Florida. Dr. Smither received her Ph.D. (1985) and M.A. (1980) degrees in Experimental Psychology from Johns Hopkins University. Before joining the faculty at UCF in 1990, she was a senior research scientist at Computer Sciences Corp. in Silver Spring, MD where she served as the lead human factors psychologist on the Multi-Satellite Operations Control Center Operations Interface Analysis project for NASA. In 1998, Dr. Smither established an assistive technology information and referral center at UCF that served the elderly and disabled community in Orlando, FL and the surrounding four counties. Dr. Smither served as director of the FAAST center for five years. Currently, she is the director of the Technology and Aging Lab with over 28 years of experience in the teaching, practice, research, and development of complex human-machine systems. Her research interests include social robotics and virtual agents in the treatment of loneliness, wheelchair-mounted robotic arms to assist disabled populations, technology and aging; technology and functional independence; aging and driving; HCI, simulation technologies, and training systems. With over 110 publications, her research has been funded by a variety of agencies including NASA, NHTSA, NSF, the Department of Safety and Motor Vehicles, DOT, and the National Institute on Aging. |