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Glunt Fellow Studies Insulation Performance at Penn State
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Brian Wolfgang | Brian Wolfgang, a 2008 recipient of the J. Roger Glunt/National Housing Endowment Graduate Fellowship in Residential Construction, is working toward a master’s degree in architectural engineering and studying basement insulations for his thesis.
At Penn State’s Residential Construction Building Program, he is conducting tests on three different types of retrofitted insulation to determine how they perform under temperature and moisture changes. “My goal is to provide useful information to the industry,” he said.
The Glunt fellowship, named for the 1993 NAHB president who is also a trustee and former chairman of the endowment, provides financial assistance to graduate students enrolled in the College of Engineering at Penn State who have a special interest in housing.
Wolfgang sees the residential construction industry undergoing changes just as he is about to begin his career in it — but he remains cautiously optimistic. He wants to focus on engineering practicality in the industry and on “establishing a compromise between efficiency and performance.”
“There are engineered solutions that can help solve many of the important problems facing the construction industry today, especially sustainability. But, it is important to focus on solutions that are feasible — economically as well as in terms of constructability,” Wolfgang said.
Like many Glunt fellows, Wolfgang appreciates that the scholarship is helping reduce some of the financial stress of attending graduate school. But what he finds even more rewarding is the exposure the scholarship gives him to “amazing industry people, including Roger Glunt. Just the amount of knowledge he has about the industry is unbelievable.”
Wolfgang received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and a housing certificate from Penn State in May 2008. “I decided to take some residential construction classes and the interest just kept growing,” he said.
He has served as president of the NAHB Student Chapter at Penn State and has participated in Student Chapter events at the International Builders’ Show. The IBS and Student Chapter experiences “helped me learn more about the industry and made it very clear to me that this was an industry that I wanted to be a part of and contribute to,” Wolfgang said.
“Brian Wolfgang has been an outstanding Glunt Fellow at Penn State," said J. Roger Glunt. "Not only has he excelled in the classroom but he was the leader of Penn State team in the 2009 NAHB Student Chapter competition at the IBS in Las Vegas. Brian is a real leader and has truly made a significant difference as a Glunt Fellow.”
Wolfgang was also inspired by the people surrounding the construction program at Penn State, including Glunt; Dr. Bo Kasal, his advisor; and the Hankin family, who founded the residential construction program at the university.
“These professionals are truly great people who are completely dedicated to this industry. Their support of the academic side of residential construction was also a true inspiration,” Wolfgang said.
The Glunt Graduate Fellowship Fund has distributed more than $22,000 to 10 students studying construction at Pennsylvania State University. The school also operates the J. Roger Glunt/National Housing Endowment Undergraduate Scholarship and the J. Roger Glunt/National Housing Endowment Travel Award.
 About Endowment Scholarship Programs
The endowment administers 10 scholarship programs and awards more than $350,000 each year to students pursuing careers in residential construction and related fields.
For more information, visit the endowment Web site at www.nationalhousingendowment.org.
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