News
03.27.2020
RSG-authored article on wind turbine audibility selected as JASA āTechnical Area Pickā
The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (JASA) selected an RSG-authored paper as the āTechnical Area Pickā in the noise category. The paper, titled āWind turbine audibility and noise annoyance in a national U.S. survey: Individual perception and influencing factorsā was co-authored by RSGās Ryan Haac, Ken Kaliski, and Matthew Landis. It was part of a multi-disciplinary research effort to evaluate the factors that affect outdoor audibility and noise annoyance of wind turbines. Interestingly, they found that wind turbine sound level was the most robust predictor of audibility yet only a weak, albeit significant, predictor of noise annoyance. Consistent with international findings, they found that communities in the US are less tolerant of wind turbine noise than other common environmental noise sources. JASAās Technical Area Pick honors the best paper published in each category from the last year. As a selected article, access is free through the end of May. Read it in full at https://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.5121309.
02.26.2020
RSG CEO to share āBehavioral Data: State of the Practiceā
RSG CEO Stephen Lawe is presenting at theĀ Joint Florida Model Task Force & Transportation Data and Analytics Workshop today. The workshop brings togetherĀ transportationĀ modeling professionals from across the state toĀ discussĀ statewide modeling standardsĀ andĀ model enhancements.Ā Stephenās presentation,Ā titled āBehavioral Data: State of the Practice,ā will cover his perspective on the historical and future evolution of travel behavioral dataĀ and its implications.Ā Ā
02.14.2020
RSG Director presents on drone delivery reducing carbon emissions
RSGās Erica Wygonik recently led a presentation to the Miami-Dade Freight Transportation Advisory Committee (FTAC). She shared takeaways from work that RSG has done onĀ how drone delivery can reduce carbonĀ emissions.
MaybeĀ in a few yearsĀ your Valentineās Day flowersĀ will beĀ delivered by dronesā¦
http://www.miamidadetpo.org/freight-transportation-advisory-committee.as
01.17.2020
RSG Sr. Director co-authors award-winning paper
On Monday, the Transportation Research Board (TRB)ās Transportation-Related Noise and VibrationĀ Committee honored a paper co-authored by RSG Sr. Director Ken Kaliski and AECOMās Roger Wayson with the Harter Rupert Award. The paper, titled āAcoustic Modeling of Meteorological Effects on Roadway Noise,ā shares how to account for meteorological impacts when modeling road traffic noise levels. The award honorsĀ TRBāsĀ best paper on transportation noise.
Learn more on the TRB Transportation Noise & Vibration Committee Ā»
01.08.2020
Jay Evans joins RSG as VP of Operations
We are pleased to welcome Jay Evans as Vice President of Operations at RSG.Ā JayĀ brings over 25Ā years of experience in consulting and successfully building teams and delivering results across distributed, highly matrixed organizations.Ā His addition to RSG will enhance theĀ delivery of projects through supportive business operations andĀ investments in RSG staff. For more information on Jay, check out his profile atĀ https://rsginc.com/team/jay-evans/.
12.16.2019
Three RSGers published in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
RSGās Ryan Haac, Ken Kaliski, and Matthew Landis were published inĀ a recent issueĀ of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.Ā Their paper, part of aĀ multi-disciplinary research effortĀ led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,Ā evaluates the factors that affect outdoor audibility and noise annoyance of wind turbines.
Interestingly, they found that wind turbine sound level was the most robust predictor of audibility yet only a weak, albeit significant, predictor of noise annoyance. Consistent with international findings, they found that communities in the US are less tolerant of wind turbine noise than other common environmental noise sources.
Ā© 2019 Acoustical Society of America. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the Acoustical Society of America.
The following article appeared in Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (Vol.146, No.2) and may be found atĀ https://doi.org/10.1121/1.5121309.
12.11.2019
RSG Sr. Director Presents at Annual State Park Managers Meeting
RSG Senior Director Steve Lawson was asked to present recently at the New Hampshire State Park Managers Meeting in Pembroke, NH. His presentation shared the framework for managing visitor use and capacities at parks and how to apply this information to address issues like overcrowding, resource impacts, and risk management within public lands. The meeting, held annually in New Hampshire, draws in park managers, park directors, and district supervisors from across the state.
Learn more about our work on public lands in our latest summary report for the National Park Service and Department of the Interior.
10.14.2019
RSG Sr. Director Published in Kathmandu Press on Sustainable Tourism
While on a U.S. Department of State-sponsored trip to Nepal, RSGās parks and protected lands expert Steve Lawson was interviewed by Annapurna FM Radio and Kathmandu Press. He, along with Penn State Universityās Peter Newman, explained that while ābuilding infrastructure is important for tourism promotionā¦ Nepal needs to do it responsibly taking into consideration its fragile ecosystem, and possible impacts of overtourism on local communities, culture and the environment.ā
Kathmandu Press - In Sustainable Tourism, Number is Not the True Measure of Success Ā»
09.25.2019
RSG Sr. Director Presenting in Nepal on Trip Sponsored by US State Department
RSG Sr. Director Steve Lawson is in Nepal this week, sponsored by the US State Department. In addition to presenting at three Nepali universities, he is meeting with officials from several government agencies and commercial tourism and trekking enterprises ā including Nepalās Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation; Tourism Board; and Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation ā to discuss sustainable tourism and visitor use management, including visitor use, crowding, and safety on Mt. Everest.
09.19.2019
RSG Director Presents Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Seminar on Drone Use for Freight
Yesterday, RSG Director Erica Wygonik presented at the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) September āTalking Freightā seminar on drones. She provided an overview of the relative strengths and weaknesses of delivery drones as a freight transportation mode compared to other long-established or emerging freight transport methods.
FHWA hosts the ‘Talking Freight' seminars as part of a broader program aimed at providing technical assistance, training, tools, and information to help the freight and planning workforce meet the transportation challenges of tomorrow.
09.09.2019
Burlington, VT Releases Net Zero Energy Roadmap with Support from RSG
Today, the City of Burlington, VT is to release their ‘Net Zero Energy Roadmap,' with transportation elements led by RSG. In addition to providing new economic and environmental analyses across the electric, thermal, and ground transportation sectors in the city, the roadmap will explain how Burlington can achieve one of the most ambitious local climate goals in the country and share new initiatives for support.
08.26.2019
RSG Article on Minorities in Parks Published in Journal of Park and Recreation Administration
Racial and ethnic minorities have traditionally been underrepresented and underserved in outdoor recreation areas.Ā RSGās Molly Ryan, Steve Lawson, and Abbie Larkin examined this issue alongside the National Park Serviceās Steven Roberts and David Pettebone in the Journal of Park and Recreation Administration.
Their article, with research from theĀ Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (CASA) in Florida, demonstrates how culturally competent focus groups can be used to engage minority communities in local national park units. By incorporating elements of cultural competence through focus group design, recruitment and retention, and conduct, and by making genuine attempts to incorporate community representation into park planning and decision-making, park managers can better engage and build long-term relationships with underrepresented communities.
08.13.2019
RSG CEO is Cover Story on Vermont Business Magazine
RSG CEO Stephen Lawe is featured on the cover of Vermont Business Magazineās August issue. The cover story highlights RSGās evolution and how we are shaping the future.
Vermont Business Magazine's August 2019 Cover Story: The Future Is Now Ā»
07.08.2019
Summary Report on RSGās Work with the National Park Service and Department of the Interior Published
From developing and piloting a system-wide socioeconomic monitoring program to conducting park-level visitor use studies to inform planning and visitor use management, weāre honored to haveĀ worked onĀ over 75 projects with the National Park Service (NPS) over the last four years.
Learn more about our work with the NPS and Department of the Interior in our latest summary report.
National Park Service/Department of the Interior IDIQ Summary Report Ā»
07.02.2019
RSG Senior Director Published in TR News on Understanding the Factors that Influence Mode Choice
RSG Senior Director Matt Coogan authors āUnderstanding Demographics, Preferences, and Locations Influencing the Future of Public Transportation,ā published in the Transportation Research Boardās bimonthly magazine, TR News.
Demographic groups respond differently to common sets of transportation options. In this article, Matt goes beyond simply analyzing travel times and costs to explore the underlying factors that influence mode choice.