Caitlin 'Cat' Woodson

Cat is a first-generation student from all over (military kid) but calls Pittsburgh, PA home. Cat first became interested in planning after working/running the campus bike shop during undergrad. That led to becoming the university’s bike/ped coordinator, working at the local bikeshare program and alongside other local non-profits, universities, and local advocacy organizations post-graduation. That interest evolved into her current and varied research of transportation planning and policy, economic development, and disaster resilience. For Cat’s master’s thesis, she opted for the capstone path to expand on her transportation and economic development interests.

Previous Education

• Chatham University, Pittsburgh, PA, BS Exercise Science 2016

Research Interests

• (Alternative and active) transportation 
• Economic development
• Disaster resilience
• Risk management
• Equity
• The intersectionality between these interests; and the intersectionality between these interests and social identities/constructs 

Research and Presentations

• Alternative Transportation Research Project: Using Health Behavior Theory and Relative Risk Information to Increase and Inform Use of Alternative Transportation, Virginia Tech, 2021-2022
• Spring Planning Studio - A Mixed Methods Study of Inclusive Economic Development in Virginia, Virginia Tech, 2022
• Fall Planning Studio - Help the UNC Highway Safety Research Center and the National Park Service establish a count program for shared-use trails in the Washington, DC area, Virginia Tech, 2021
• Spring Economic Development Studio with the VT Center for Economic and Community Engagement - EDA CARES Act / COVID-19 Recovery Toolkit, Virginia Tech, 2021
• Guest Lecturer, Active Transport (Undergrad Class), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, 2021
• Correlations between Exercise in DIII College Student-Athletes and their Physical and Psychosocial Health compared with Non-Athlete Students, Undergrad Thesis, Chatham University, 2016
• The effects of a polymorphism in the cytochrome p-450 CYP1A2 gene on performance enhancement with caffeine in recreational cyclists, Research Assistant, Chatham University, 2016