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The human thirst for knowledge has shaped our past and continues to drive our future. The history of science and exploration shows that humans are never satisfied with the known, but that we have an insatiable need to learn and to discover new frontiers. For the most part, this desire has served us well. Endeavors under the earth and sea, at the Earth's poles, and in space have afforded numerous benefits to humankind and illustrate some of our greatest achievements.
Humans, however, are not naturally suited to endure such extreme conditions. In fact, without adequate knowledge,
experience, technology, and training, humans would most certainly perish in most of these environments. Fortunately, we
have achieved the technological and scientific capabilities necessary to support and sustain human
existence in a variety of complex and challenging environments. Today, humans are active in a number of settings that
100 years ago would not have been possible. Personnel operate underwater for months at a time in nuclear submarines, researchers exist in sub-zero temperatures in Antarctica, military teams conduct operations under physically and
mentally challenging settings, and space crews live and work in an environment devoid of gravity and air for periods over a year.
In spite of this success, it is no longer sufficient to simply maintain life in these extreme environments; science must find ways to help humans excel in these settings. Humankind must seek avenues to improve performance and ensure safety. We must design new tools and technologies to not only accommodate, but to enhance human abilities. Doing
so requires the involvement and cooperation of many scientific disciplines. There is a need to lower the boundaries between once solitary scientific fields and disciplines, to promote the sharing of ideas and information, and
to bring together those in academia with people in applied settings. This is the guiding principle of the Society for Human Performance in Extreme Environments (HPEE), an interdisciplinary society for scientists, researchers, operational personnel, and other professionals with expertise in the area of psychology and human performance in complex and high-stress environments. Like the emergence of human factors psychology, which bridged the gap between engineering and the behavioral sciences, HPEE seeks to build connections between all sciences in order to optimize human performance in extreme settings.
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