New board room hardware emphasizes comfort

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  • By Mike Molina
  • Editor
DENVER --  Air Reserve Personnel Center officials here unveiled 53 new automated tables and touchscreen monitors in the officer selection board room Jan. 25.

The new workstations will improve comfort and efficiency for board members during the often hours-long scoring process, said Lt. Col. Allison Lynch, Chief, Promotion Procedures and Analysis Division at ARPC.

"We want board members to be able to give the last record they see the same consideration as the first one," she said. "This helps facilitate less board member fatigue."

Each custom-designed workstation cost nearly $9,000, and includes an automated table that can be raised or lowered with the press of a button and a touchscreen monitor that can tilt or be stored in the table. The monitors can also be used with a stylus or standard mouse.

The workstations allow board members to stand or sit while scoring, Colonel Lynch said.

"These needed to be comfortable, big and ergonomically sustainable," she said. "This is a big improvement."

Officials at ARPC and the Air Force Personnel Center in San Antonio worked together for the last two years planning and designing their identical board rooms.

"Because I've been here watching the set up, I can recognize the amount of effort, work, and money involved in everything from the layout to the execution of this project," said Brig. Gen. Kevin E. Pottinger, ARPC commander. "I appreciate and understand everyone's hard work."

In October, officials are hoping to install new software allowing selection board members to use a paperless record system.