Energy and Environment

Chair: Dr. Tracey Holloway, taholloway@wisc.edu, (608) 262-5356

Mission

There is significant demand for assessment of the impacts of different modes of transportation in areas such as air and water quality, land use, and wildlife. The impact of our freight transportation systems on climate change and the understanding of climate change on the transportation network are also potential research subjects. The Center will use faculty expertise in engineering, air quality and public health to address these important concerns. As with all forms of transportation the increasing costs of petroleum based fuels and the potential environmental impact of petroleum based fuels leads to questions of sustainability. The study of alternative fuels, while not a primary focus for the center, will be considered in this signature area.

Recent News for this STAR

• Shifting Freight to Rail to Improve Air Quality

  Erica Bickford's work on truck-rail modal shifts and air quality was recently featured by Science Daily: Shifting from road to rail 500 million tons of the freight passing through or to the Midwest would make a large dent in the carbon dioxide spilled...

• Recent Study on Health Benefits of Cycling and Reduced Car Travel

  Researchers from the Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies recently published a study that showed large potential benefits of converting more short car trips to bike trips in the Midwest. Air Quality and Exercise-Related Health Benefits from Red...

• CFIRE Grant Year 5 Projects

  The project pages for each of the projects for CFIRE's fifth grant year are now available. CFIRE 05-01 Longer Combination Vehicles: Do They Improve Freight Flows and Operational Efficiency and Reduce Highway Congestion? CFIRE 05-02 North/...

• Spring 2011 Quarterly Reports

  We've recently published the March 2011 quarterly reports for the following CFIRE research projects: CFIRE 01-08: Effective Depth of Soil Compaction in Relation to Applied Contactive Energy CFIRE 02-02: Rapid Replacement/Construction of Bridges CF...

• Tracey Holloway Awarded 2011 Leopold Leadership Fellowship

  CFIRE associate director Tracey Holloway has been awarded a 2011 Leopold Leadership Fellowship.  The Leopold fellows will: ...participate in two weeklong training sessions, one in June and one in September, on working with policymakers, journalists, ...