Spotlight
"Transport Beyond Oil: Policy Choices for a Multimodal Future" Book Released!
Order your copy of this new book edited by UNOTI Director John Renne and Billy Fields from Island Press and receive a 25% discount with code 5TRANSPORT at checkout. This book has been featured on the radio, television news and on Streetsblog.org. Click here for more details or to purchase. A Podcast from the March 22 book launch event and seminar featuring several of the book's authors at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, D.C. is available here.
All Things Local NOLA June: Hurricane Season and Lessons from "Across the Pond"
On this month's transportation-focused episode of WGSO 990's All Things Local with UNO Transportation Institute, Lt. Colonel Jerry Sneed, the Deputy Mayor of Public Safety and the Director for the Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, joins to talk about the 2013 hurricane season. UNOTI director Dr. John Renne co-hosts from across the pond in Oxford and gives an update on European transportation systems. The episode concludes with a great segment on Bike Easy's recent bicycle second line.
Bethany Stich
Associate Professor of Planning and Urban Studies;
Milneburg Hall, Room 368
Email: bstich@uno.edu
Ph.D., Virginia Tech’s Center for Public Administration and Policy
Dr. Bethany Stich is an Associate Professor of Planning and Urban Studies at the University of New Orleans. Stich received her PhD from Virginia Tech’s Center for Public Administration and Policy. She teaches Transportation, Economic Development and Public Policy courses.
Stich has conducted research and published extensively on topics surrounding transportation such as the importance of retaining and revitalizing rail; inland waterway infrastructure; airports as economic drivers; globalization and international trade; freight based economic development; intermodal development and planning; community development; industry recruitment and retention; sprawl; and citizen involvement.
Additionally, Stich has published and presented on topics such as refounding Public Administration, new public philosophy of public administration, and defined benefit packages. Her international work includes presentations in England, Korea, China, Panama and Canada. Locally, she has been called to give expert testimony in the Mississippi Legislature, on Mississippi Public Broadcasting, to the Mississippi Department of Transportation, to the Delta Council and multiple Mississippi Rail Authorities.
Stich serves on the Transportation Research Board’s Intermodal Freight Committee and Committee on Transportation and Economic Development, and is the President-Elect of the American Society for Public Administration’s Section on Transportation Planning and Administration. Locally, Stich serves on the boards of the Mississippi Heritage Trust, the University of Southern Mississippi’s Center for Logistics, Trade and Transportation, the Greater Starkville Development Partnership’s Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Starkville’s Transportation Committee, Mississippi State University’s Transportation Committee and the Starkville Central Neighborhood Foundation.
Previously, Stich was employed as the Associate Director of Transportation Policy at the John C. Stennis Institute of Government, an Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Administration in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration and a Research Fellow at the Geosystems Research Institute at Mississippi State University and as the Assistant Director of the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s Center for Transportation Policy. Stich has also worked for the Georgia Department of Transportation as an Environmental Compliance Planner.
Nobrega, R. A. A., & Stich, B. “Towards the Long Term Recovery in Mississippi: Understanding the Impact of Transportation System for Economic Resilience.” Journal of Leadership and Management in Engineering. Vol. 12, No. 3, July 2012.
Gallardo, Roberto and Bethany Stich, “The Extent of Cluster-Based Policies and the Political/Institutional Context: A Collective Case Study” Applied Research in Economic Development (ARED). Revise and Resubmit.
Miller, Chad and Bethany Stich “Realizing the Economic Development Benefits of Short-line Railroads: The Case of Mississippi” Applied Research in Economic Development (ARED). Forthcoming.
Stich, Bethany and Chad Miller, “A New Philosophy for A New Railroad Era: Applying the Blacksburg Manifesto to Contemporary Transportation Issues” Administrative Theory & Praxis. Forthcoming: Volume 32, March, 2012.
Stich, Bethany, Joseph Holland, Rodrigo A. A. Nobrega and Charles G. O’Hara. “Using Multi-Criteria Decision Making to Highligh Stakeholders’ Values in Modern Corridor Planning Process” Journal of Transport and Land Use Volume 4, No. 3, Fall 2011.
Stich, Bethany and Chad Miller. “Economic Development Perspectives and Policy Process: The Case of Railroad Revitalization versus Rails-to-Trails” Administration & Society. July, 2011.
Chad Miller and Bethany Stich. “Leveraging a Flat World with Intermodal Hubs.” Global Horizons. Volume 4, Issue 1, Spring, 2011.
Nobrega, R. A. A., Brooks, C., O'Hara C., & Stich, B. (2011). “Multi-scale GIS Data-driven Method for Early Assessment of Wetlands Impacted by Transportation Corridors”. In Dr. Bhuiyan M. Alam (Eds.), The Geographic Information System. ISBN 979-953-307-419-0 (In Press). Rijika, Croatia.
Stich, Bethany and Joseph Holland, “Using a Multiple Criteria Decision Making Model to Streamline and Enhance NEPA and Public Participation Processes.” Public Works, Management & Policy. January, 2011.
Bryer, Thomas, Jeffrey Callen, Angela Eikenberry, Terence Garrett, Jeannine Love, Chad Miller, Bethany Stich, Craig Wickstrom, “The Obama Presidency: Hope or Hype?” Administrative Theory & Praxis. Forthcoming: Volume 32 Issue 2, June, 2010.
Stich, Bethany and Chad Miller. “Collective Action Regimes in Inland Marine Port Clusters: The Case of the Tenn-Tomm Waterway System,” MS Water Resource Conference. Proceedings, 2009.
Holland, Jody, Doug Goodman, and Bethany Stich. “Defined Contributions Plans emerging in the Public Sector: The Manifestation of Defined Contributions and The Effects of Workplace Financial Literacy Education.” Review of Public Personnel Administration. Vol. 28, No. 4, 367-384, 2008.
Stich, Bethany and Chad Miller. “Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework to Understand Freight Transportation Policy Change.” Public Works Management and Policy. Vol. 13, No. 1, 62-74, 2008.
Stich, Bethany & Kim Eagle, “Planning to Include the Public: Recommendations to Encourage Citizen Involvement.” Public Works Management & Policy, April, 2005.
Stich, Bethany, Goktug Morcol, & Ulf Zimmermann, “From Sprawl to Smart Growth: The Case of Atlanta.” In Suburban Sprawl: Culture, Theory and Politics, edited by Mathew Lindstrom and Hugh Bartling 275-287. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2003.
Stich, Bethany, Goktug Morcol, & Ulf Zimmermann, “The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority: A Smart Growth Machine?” Politics & Policy 31, no. 3, September 2003: 488-511.
Stich, Bethany (2012). “Can a Container on a Barge Fill Our Big Box Store Needs?”. American Society of Public Administration, Las Vegas, Nevada. March 2-6 (Submitted in 2011, accepted).
Nobrega, R. A. A., O'Hara C., Sadasivuni, R., & Stich, B. (2012). “Assessing Environmental-Impacted Features of EIA Study in Corridor Planning Based on GIS and Remote Sensing Technologies”. Proceedings of IV SIMGEO. Recife-Brazil: Universidade Federal de Pernambuco UFPE. (Submitted in 2011, accepted)
Nobrega, R. A. A., Stich, B., & Holland, J. (2011). “A GIS-Oriented Method to Investigate Regional Economic Impacts Caused by Disruptions in Transportation Network”. Proceeding of ANPET, Belo Horizonte, BR November 7-11, 2001: (Brazilian National Association of Research and Education in Transportation
Stich, Bethany (2011). “Can a Container on a Barge Fill Our Big Box Store Needs?”. Southeastern Conference of Public Administration, New Orleans, LA. September 21-24.
Gallardo, Roberto and Bethany Stich (2011). “The Extent of Cluster-Based Policies and the Political/Institutional Context: A Collective Case Study”. Southeastern Conference of Public Administration, New Orleans, LA. September 21-24.
Nobrega, R. A. A., & Stich, B. (2011). “Economic Losses in Mississippi Caused by Disruptions in Transportation System: An Enhanced Simulation Combining Geospatial, Freight and Census Data Analysis”. Proceedings 18th William T. Pecora Memorial Remote Sensing Symposium. Dulles, VA: American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing ASPRS PECORA 2011
Stich, Bethany, “International Trade and Transportation” Global Actions, Local Impacts, Tupelo, MS. June 21, 2011. (Invited).
Nobrega, R.A.A., Charles O’Hara, Bethany Stich, “Top-down landscape-based approach toward the assessment and ranking of watershed and wetland impacts by a transportation corridor” (2011) Transportation Research Board, National Academies of Science, Washington, D.C. January 14-20.
Stich, Bethany and Joseph Holland, “New Public Management in Transportation Policy: Investigating the Utilization of Information Technology in the NEPA Process”, Southern Political Science Association, New Orleans, LA, January 6, 2011.
Stich, Bethany, Chad Miller and Joseph Holland, “What to do when trains don’t run on time?”, Southern Political Science Association, New Orleans, LA, January 6, 2011.
Nobrega, R. A. A., O'Hara C., & Stich, B. “A Geospatial Framework to Analyze Impacts from Disruptions to Critical Infrastructures in Rail Network.” ASPRS 2010 Annual Meeting. San Diego CA.
Holland, Joseph and Bethany Stich, “Using Economic Modeling to Identify the Economic Disruption of Katrina: A Comparative Analysis of REMI”. “Returning to Katrina: Bringing Hurricane Katrina Research Back to the Community”, June 2010, Long Beach, MS
Stich, Bethany and Joseph Holland, “Disruptions to Rail- Impacts Analysis and Decision Support (DRIADS)”. “Returning to Katrina: Bringing Hurricane Katrina Research Back to the Community”, June 2010, Long Beach, MS
Stich, Bethany and Joseph Holland, “Using a Multiple Criteria Decision Making Model to Streamline and Enhance NEPA and Public Participation Processes”, Transportation Research Board (TRB) Energy and Environmental Research Conference, June 2010, Raleigh, NC
Stich Bethany and Chad Miller, “The Governance of Collective Action Regimes: The Case of the Tenn-Tom Inland Waterways Port Cluster” (2009) Southeastern Conference of Public Administration (SECOPA) Louisville, KY. Sept 30 to Oct 2.
Stich, Bethany and Chad Miller, “Collective Action Regimes in Inland Marine Port Clusters: The Case of the Tennessee-Tombigbee,” Proceedings of the Waterway 2009 Mississippi Water Conference. Tunica, MS. August 5-7.
Stich Bethany and Chad Miller, “A New Public Philosophy for the Current Freight Based Economic Development Railroad Renaissance” (2009) Public Administration Theory Network Conference (PAT-NET) Frankfort, KY May 28.
Stich, Bethany, “Utilizing REMI to Streamline Planning, Public Participation and Economic Development” (2009). Understanding Spatial-Criteria Decision Making: an analytical demonstration of AHP-based MCDM and how it is used in GIS. National Consortium for Remote Sensing in Transportation - Memphis in May Workshop. Memphis, TN: NCRST/GRI.
Stich, Bethany. “Evacuation Models and Dynamics” (2009). Center for the Study of Natural Disaster, Coastal Infrastructure and Emergency Management. Chapel Hill, NC.
Stich, Bethany, Jeremiah Dumas, Jason Walker, Charles O’Hara, “The Integration of Context Sensitive Solutions with Transportation Planning Process” (2009) National Academies of Science, Transportation Research Board, 88th Annual Meeting, January.
Miller Chad and Stich Bethany, “Realizing the Benefits of Short-line Railroads: The Case of Mississippi,” Southeastern Conference of Public Administration (SECOPA) Orlando, FL. September, 2008.
Stich, Bethany, “A Normative Grounding for the New Era of Rail Building” at Southeastern Conference of Public Administration, Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, September, 2008.
Stich, Bethany, “Intermodal Emphasis in Mississippi.” at Mississippi Water Resource Association Annual Meeting. Bay St. Louis, MS. August, 2008 (Invited).
Stich, Bethany, “Evacuation Models and Dynamics.” At Community Resilience Workshop: Fitting the Pieces Together. Department of Homeland Security, Washington, D.C. June, 2008 (Invited).
Stich, Bethany, “Globalization and Mulitmodalism in a Flat World.” at Intermodal Transport Symposium, Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway Development Council, Tupelo, MS. June, 2008. (Invited)
Stich, Bethany, “Is the World ‘Flat’, ‘Spiky’, or Something Else and What’s Driving the Train?” at Gulf Coast Trade Alliance World Trade Conference: From Main Street to Global Markets, Annual Meeting, Biloxi, MS, April 2008. (Invited)
Stich, Bethany. “Globalization Shaking our Foundations: The Resulting Transformational Policies of Economic Development, Transportation, Communication and Electric Utilities,” at American Society for Public Administration, Annual Meeting, Dallas, TX, March 2008.
Stich, Bethany, Chad Miller and Jody Holland, “Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework to Understand Freight Transportation Policy Change” at Southern Political Science Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, January 2008. (Invited)
* URBN 2890 Introduction to Transportation Studies
* URBN 2890 Globalization and Mobility
* URBN 6000 Economic Development and Transportation
§ Principal Investigator – National Center for Intermodal Transportation - Measurements for Success of Container on Barge Utilization on the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway ($50,423). March 2011 – January 2012
§ Principal Investigator - SERRI: RA 13 – Analyzing Congestion and Capacity Impacts from Disruptions to Critical Infrastructures in the Rail Network ($572,297). This Southeast Regional Research Initiative (SERRI) proposal seeks to explore the positive effects of combining Homeland Security issues with regional transportation infrastructure decision-making and economic development potential within the State of Mississippi and southeast region. This combined approach provides a geographically specific, but highly transferable demonstration of a solution relevant to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) which integrates currently disparate geospatial and transportation analysis and modeling systems with policy and decision-making. This new generation of modeling capabilities can significantly improve regional transportation system resiliency. The proposal accomplishes this goal by producing a white paper documenting the integrated systems solution. The research team will utilize freight flow-modeling and Railroad Routing Visualization and Analysis (RRVA) software, REMI and EMSI economic modeling software, and GIS and Remote Sensing applications to develop visualizations and imagery illustrating the impact a man made and/or natural disaster would have on the region’s transportation network. This information fills a technology need as identified by DHS Integrated Products Team (IPT). Ends October 2011.
§ Principal Investigator - Appalachian Regional Commission , Delta Regional Authority and Mississippi Department of Transportation: C&G Revitalization Phase 3 ($375,000) - This project will provide the economic development and transportation system data, and workforce analysis to begin the restoration and revitalization of 93 miles of the Columbus & Greenville (C&G) rail line from West Point, MS to Greenwood, MS. Completed.
§ Co-Principal Investigator - DHS, Center for Coastal Resiliency: “Transportation Evacuation Models and Dynamics" Subcontractor to University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill ($389,356 Over 6 years with GRI) The goal of the “Evacuation Models and Dynamics” project is to enhance the capabilities of emerging evacuation modeling systems by increasing their level of detail and the robustness of transportation simulation. The researchers propose to use enhanced models to more effectively plan regional transportation infrastructure improvements for disaster scenarios, and to test, evaluate, and manage evacuations under a variety of potential conditions. This research will incorporate a multi-step approach to integrate geographic information systems, transportation policy, evacuation travel demand forecasting, and operational-level multimodal traffic modeling on a regional basis. Child account for $32,004 over 24 months. Completed.
§ Key Researcher - USDOT, Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA): “Streamlining Transportation Corridor Planning Processes and Validating Commercial Remote Sensing and Spatial Information (CRS & SI) Technologies for Environmental Impact Assessments”. Co-Investigator, multi-university research project developing leading edge applications of spatial technologies for EIS production and evaluation as well as in the development of context sensitive solutions for interstate transportation corridors. Child account for $265,332 over 24 months. Completed.
§ Co-Principal Investigator - MSCAT: “Rail Service Authority Planning & Implementation for Continued Revitalization Effort & Logistics Relief in Central Mississippi” ($17,500) Serve as Co-Principal Investigator with faculty from the Franklin Furniture Institute of Mississippi State University to establish a regional rail authority for the state of Mississippi covering a nine county region across north central Mississippi. Completed.
§ Principal Investigator - Appalachian Regional Commission and Webster County Development Council: “Revitalization of Columbus and Greenville Railroad Line” ($49,972). Served as Principal Investigator with faculty from Industrial Outreach Services and Industrial Systems Engineering. The research is a C&G Rail Recovery Exploratory Study which investigates the potential economic development impact that reopening the Columbus and Greenville Rail Line will have on local counties. The research team will explore if the revitalization of the rail line will: Aid in the recruitment of industries to the region; Provide transportation logistics relief in the event of a natural disaster along the coast such as a hurricane; Determine relative interest in the rail line by existing freight customers; Estimate the potential and actual loss of industry because the rail line is inactive; and Estimate any potential cost benefits achieved through the use of alternative transportation modes. Completed.
§ Principal Investigator -Globalization and Transportation Connections: Improved Methods for International Commerce Development in Rural America Conducted transportation research in England meeting with professional at the Port of London, Ministry of Transport, London Gateway Project, Ports Division, and the Port of Southampton. Attended the Inland Waterway Association Conference.
§ Co-Principal Investigator - Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program - USDA /AMS/Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services: “Improving the International Competitiveness of the Forest Products Industry through Improved Transportation Methods” Serve as Co-Principal Investigator with faculty from the Office of Economic Development and the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products. The research includes specific transportation issues in Mexico and the Caribbean basin. Extensive research into Virginia and West Virginia freight flows as well as DR-CAFTA freight flows are being conducted. Interviews with modal providers, mill operators, freight forwarders and community leaders are underway. The goal of this project is improving the untapped potential for Appalachian wood products in the nearby markets of Mexico, Dominican Republic and Honduras.
§ Co-Principal Investigator - National Cooperative Highway Research Program 20-69: “Guidance for Transportation Project Management” Serve as Co-Principal Investigator on a subcontract to Edwards and Kelcey, Inc. Research developed a conceptual framework for a comprehensive guidance document on project management including proven and innovative practices.
§ Virginia Department of Transportation – State Transportation Planning Grant Pilot Program, New River Valley and Roanoke Valley Planning District Commissions: “Community Transportation Coordination Plan” Serve as Co-Principal Investigator; created and manage a community mobility program project designed to coordinate transportation needs of human service agencies with both public and private transportation providers in western Virginia; researching best practices and examining case studies concerning human services coordination in order to make recommendations of coordination activities for the region; extensive survey and interviewing tools were used to obtain information about routes, needs, gaps and overlapping services. Research will culminate in a Community Transportation Summit and presentations; possible publications are forthcoming.
§ Co-Principal Investigator - Appalachian Regional Commission and Virginia Port Authority: “Analysis of the Transportation Needs of the Wood Products Industry in Distressed Appalachian Regions” Partnered with the University Office of Economic Development and the Department of Wood Science and Forest Products to study the transportation needs for the wood products industry to improve their economic competitiveness in both domestic and international markets – primarily conducted through interviews with sawmill manufacturers, community leaders, modal providers and transportation professionals. Freight flows throughout Appalachia were reviewed for ways to provide more efficient and effective movements. Research resulted in an economic development summit, conference presentations and trade journal publications.
§ Virginia Department of Transportation and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit: “Statewide Multimodal Transportation Vision: Citizen Outreach” Project managed a contract between VDOT/VDRPT/VT and Virginia Commonwealth University which required the creation of a long-range multimodal vision for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Researched and evaluated current and future transportation needs and concerns. Internet, ASHTO references, survey data, interviews, forums, and survey instruments were applied. Moderated citizen involvement activities using the Charles F. Kettering deliberative dialogue process; provided both quantitative and qualitative data to VDOT. The project culminated in the formulation of three final documents and presentations to the Commonwealth Transportation Board and served as the basis for my dissertation.
§ Richmond, Virginia Chamber of Commerce: “Innovative Transportation Financing Options” Served as Co-Principal Investigator; researched and developed a white paper regarding realistic policy options that the Richmond, Virginia region could consider as solutions to the area’s current lack of transportation infrastructure and transit operations funding.