What to expect at ASPIRE ’26

HFES ASPIRE is the flagship conference to learn the latest discoveries on human factors. It will take place on October 19-23, 2026 in Reno, NV.

This year, the Aerospace Systems Technical Group (ASTG) has 5 lecture sessions, 1 discussion panel, and 1 poster session:

Monday, Oct. 19th	Tuesday, Oct. 20th	Wednesday, Oct. 21st	Thursday, Oct. 22nd	Friday, Oct. 23rd
			9:00 am – 10:30 am AS3 Panel: Designing for Safety: The Expanding Role of Human Factors in Modern Aviation Discussion Panel
	11:00 am – 12:00 pm. AS1: Pilots and Automation Lecture		11:00 am – 12:00 pm CEDM9 Human-Automation Interaction in Aviation Systems Lecture	11:00 am – 12:00 pm AS5: Interface Design Lecture
		3:00 pm – 4:00 pm AS2: Risk assessment and trust Lecture	3:00 pm – 4:00 pm AS4: Special topics in aerospace human factors Lecture
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Opening Reception Meeting	6:30 pm – 8:30 pm Social night at Crossfire Bar & Grill	5:30 pm – 6:30 pm Poster sessions 8 posters

Here is what to expect at the HFES ASPIRE:

Student Grants

ASTG will be awarding five student travel grants of $500 each to students presenting their work as first authors in our sessions. These grants recognize the important contributions of emerging scholars and help more students experience ASPIRE. The recipients’ names will be shared after the conference.

Social Events

Connecting with people is an important, crucial part of a conference. This year, ASTG has two great opportunities to meet and mingle:

Opening Ceremony (Monday evening): All Technical Groups will have a table to showcase their work. Come find ASTG’s table, where Nayara, Philippe, Rodrigo and Stephen will be ready to meet you, share updates, and hand out some fun giveaways – keep scrolling down to find out.
ASTG Social (Tuesday, Oct 20th, 6:30–8:30 PM at Crossfire Bar & Grill): A short walk from the hotel, this casual gathering is the perfect way to relax, enjoy the company of colleagues, and celebrate a great week together.

Best Paper Awards

ASTG will present one award this year: Best Paper. Winners are selected based on peer-review scores and submission feedback, reflecting both scientific quality and impact. Stay tuned—the recipient will be announced during the conference.

The committee will review the papers and present the Best Paper award:

Rosa Banuelos
Gloria Calhoun
Philippe Doyon-Poulin
Brian Ostermann

Post-Conference Coverage

2 weeks after the conference, we will write a highlight that summarizes what happened, and we have written summary of the discussion panel. For timeline update follow on LinkedIn page where we post pictures and daily updates: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hfes-aerospace

Promotional Items

We’re thrilled to roll out our new ASTG-branded giveaway this year—custom toy airplanes! Make sure to swing by our table early, as we expect them to go quickly.

We can’t wait to connect with you at ASPIRE in just a few days. Whether it’s during a session, at an evening social, or passing by in the halls between presentations, please stop and say hi. Your energy and engagement are truly what drive our community forward!