Emerging Transportation Modes and their Sustainability Implications
CME Department Seminar
November 3, 2023
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM America/Chicago
Presenter: Andrea Hicks, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Abstract: Transportation technology is evolving quickly, with the emergence of novel modes such as autonomous vehicles and micro mobility such as bike and scooter sharing schemes. These innovations in technology have corresponding environmental impacts at both the personal and societal levels. This work investigates the societal level environmental impacts of the adoption of new modes of transportation as a function of mode switching and a change in travel behavior. In particular, autonomous ride sharing vehicles are investigated along with electric bike sharing programs. As the transition from petroleum-based fuels continues there are also implications with respect to the sources of electricity utilized to power the modes of transport. The tradeoffs in regards to environmental implications and human behavior will be explored with respect to emerging modes of transportation.
Speaker Bio: Dr. Andrea Hicks is the Nosbusch associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. She is also the director of sustainability education and research at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, and holds the Hanson Family Fellowship in sustainability. Her research focuses on the environmental impacts and sustainability implications of emerging technologies. In particular, she focuses on how human behavior influences the environmental impacts of these technologies. She utilizes tools such as life cycle assessment, agent based modeling, and survey approaches in her work. In recognition of her work she has been awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER award, the Laudise Medal from the International Society for Industrial Ecology, an Emerging Investigator Award from the Sustainable Nanotechnology Society, and is a Fulbright Scholar. She also has an interest in improving sustainability education in engineering, and has been awarded the American Chemical Society CEI Award for Incorporating Sustainability into Chemistry Education, the Benjamin Smith Reynolds Award for Excellence in Teaching of Engineers, and the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Community-Based Learning.
Date posted
Oct 27, 2023
Date updated
Oct 27, 2023