A motivating disruption

A motivating disruption

Professor Richard Axelbaum

Professor Richard Axelbaum has been with WashU for 27 years. He is the Jens Professor of Environmental Engineering Science in the Department of Energy, Environment and Chemical Engineering and also the director of the Consortium for Clean Coal Utilization.

For many years, Professor Axelbaum rode his bike to and from campus but, due to issues with sciatica, was forced to drive his car and park on campus instead.

His office is in Brauer Hall so when he learned his parking lot would be unavailable during the East End renovation project, Professor Axelbaum started thinking about the alternative transportation options available to him.

“When I happened to run into someone who owned an electric-assist bike, I realized that would be the ideal solution,” he said. An electric-assist bike allows riders to determine how much exercise they want by adjusting the level of the assistance it provides.

“Because it is an electric-assist bike, it does not aggravate my sciatica and I get a bit of exercise without having to come to work perspiring,” he said. “I also get to breathe fresh air each day and get my heart active before I come into work, so I am much more effective during the morning hours and I feel better all day.”

“The disruptions to campus parking were a great motivator to rethink how I get to work,” said Axelbaum. “I enjoy the ride, it is good for me, good for the environment and, even better, it takes me about the same amount of time to get to work as it did when I used to drive my car.”

For more information about the WashU alternative transportation options available to you, visit Parking.wustl.edu.

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