Michael B. Cantor, Ph.D.
President
WayPoint Research, Inc.
Atlanta , Georgia
Dr. Michael Cantor is President of WayPoint Research, Inc., an Atlanta company specializing in performance improvement through personnel selection instruments. He trained in experimental psychology, physiology and human factors engineering; did basic research in information processing and, since 1983, has applied behavioral science to performance improvement in the workplace.
He has developed WayPoint, a four-minute, non-verbal test which assesses a person’s ability to operate a man/machine system such as driving, pipeline control, piloting aircraft, filling drug prescriptions, law enforcement and baggage handling, among others. For example, baggage screeners are often the first line of defense against terrorist activity targeting airlines. Dr. Cantor believes these baggage screeners need to be evaluated for their aptitude for this important job.
Four studies have validated WayPoint as a pre-employment test for security screeners. One study was done by the U.S. Customs in Tacoma and three others at major airports around the United States and in Europe. The studies showed that the WayPoint test accurately identifies people with the ability to find weapons on an X-ray screen, in a suitcase, etc.
The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation is honored to have had the assistance of the following distinguished individuals serving on the 2003 Homeland Security Awards Evaluation Committee:
- Lieutenant Colonel Patricia K. Coomber, USAF, Ph.D. – Senior Research Fellow and Faculty at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy, National Defense University, Ft. McNair, Washington, D.C.
- Richard A. Craig, Ph.D. – Former Staff Scientist at the Pacific Northwest Laboratory, Richland, Washington. Dr. Craig was the recipient of the 2001 Christopher Columbus Foundation Award.
- Honorable John T. Odermatt – Commissioner, New York City Office of Emergency Management, New York, New York .
- Adam Short – Senior Editor and Publisher, Tech Watch News, Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
