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Glunt Scholar Puts Passion for Nature to Work on Storm Water
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Katie Blansett | Katie Blansett, a 2006 recipient of the J. Roger Glunt/National Housing Endowment Undergraduate Scholarship, grew up kayaking and canoeing in rivers and lakes and with a healthy respect for the environment.
Blansett initially chose to study environmental science when she enrolled at Penn State, but after a formative summer internship, she realized that “the engineers had it better than the environmental scientists” and switched her focus.
The Glunt scholarship, named for the 1993 NAHB president who is also a trustee and former chairman of the endowment, provides financial assistance to undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Engineering at Penn State who have a special interest in housing.
The engineering faculty exposed Blansett to the opportunities available in residential construction and showed her how to take advantage of her environmental background. This led her to study land development and its relationship with storm water runoff pollutants, a field Blansett believes “is critical to creating a balance between protecting our natural resources and developing land in an efficient and cost-effective way.”
“Katie is a wonderful example of what scholarships can do for young people considering a career in the home building industry, said Glunt. “Katie has had a career doing research in storm water management that has assisted bridging the gaps between academic models for the benefit of the home building and land development industries.”
Through her research, Blansett hopes to develop a better understanding of the runoff process and apply it to the tools and models commonly used in practice so engineers can better mitigate storm water runoff pollutants and minimize the cost to developers.
In addition to research, Blansett also wants to do consulting work and to teach.
“I would like to challenge students with real-world design problems so they learn how to question the assumptions in our common models to end up with better projects in the end,” Blansett said, while noting that she hopes to bring her consulting projects to the classroom. “I want to be able to prepare students to think through a full project that they might face on a job, rather than simply doing the assigned homework problems from the textbook.”
Blansett is currently continuing her education to receive a Ph.D. in agricultural and biological engineering, with a focus in natural resources conservation and management. She is also working towards becoming a licensed professional engineer.
The Glunt scholarship fund has distributed more than $15,000 to students studying construction at Pennsylvania State University.
 About Endowment Scholarship Programs
The endowment administers 12 scholarship programs and awards more than $400,000 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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