Sustainable Mobility Series: Sustainable Mobility and Public Policy | April 22

Posted: April 14, 2015

The Office of Energy and Environment and the Center for Automotive Research have partnered to present the Sustainable Mobility Lecture Series. The April lecture will feature Beth-Anne Schuelke-Leech, Glenn College of Public Affairs, presenting "Sustainable Mobility and Public Policy" on Wednesday, April 22 at 12:00 noon, in Scott Lab, Room E100. Bring your lunch and enjoy this presentation and discussion. Beverages and dessert will be provided.

Sustainable Mobility and Public Policy

Engineers and scientists are making great efforts to solve sustainability problems. Intelligent transportation and mobility systems are an important component of a sustainable future and will require a significant transformation of our current activities. In addition to advancements in engineering systems and technologies, sustainability requires policies that support the development and adoption of these advancements. This presentation investigates how policy-makers in the U.S. Congress view sustainability and sustainable mobility, using big data analytics on a 1.1 billion word corpus from 2005 through 2014. The analysis starts with looking at what sustainability means with respect to mobility. It then looks at how policymakers discuss sustainability and mobility and what this means for people looking to develop a sustainable transportation system.

Beth-Anne Schuelke-Leech

Glenn College of Public Affairs

Professor Schuelke-Leech’s research is focused on the connections between public policy, public and private finance, engineering, business and technological innovation. She is a professor at the Glenn College of Public Affairs. Her work is applied to the innovation ecosystems in the energy, automotive, and manufacturing industries. Schuelke-Leech is doing research using Big Data Analytics applied to policy-based corpora through PolicyTALK. Currently, she is conducting research on policies affecting the adoption of alternative fuels for transportation, manufacturing, nanotechnology, and disruptive nuclear innovations. In addition to her research in innovation policy, Schuelke-Leech looks at the effects of R&D funding and budget cutbacks on innovation and research institutions.

Schuelke-Leech has extensive professional experience. Before undertaking doctoral studies, Schuelke-Leech worked for over a decade at General Motors of Canada and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in product development and management. She earned her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University, specializing in energy systems. Her Masters of Business Administration is from York University and is focused on finance and strategic management. Schuelke-Leech earned her doctorate from the School of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia. She continues to be a licensed professional engineer and is also a Research Associate at the Center for Automotive Research (CAR).