Kristen Saacke Blunk has been appointed director of the newly established Agriculture and Environment Science and Policy Center in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

As director, Blunk will be charged with engaging Penn State's wide range of expertise in agriculture and environmental sciences to help decision makers in state and local government, trade associations, the private sector and citizens' groups throughout Pennsylvania and the Middle Atlantic region address environmental issues as they impact and are impacted by agriculture.

During the next three to five years, the center's priority will be on air and water quality issues associated with livestock.

Blunk previously served as an extension associate with Penn State Cooperative Extension's Nutrient and Water Policy program. She has extensive experience in wetlands and watershed management and pollution prevention, working with the Penn State Cooperative Wetlands Center and community-based watershed organizations, including the ClearWater Conservancy of Central Pennsylvania Inc. and the Penns Valley Conservation Association.

Prior to joining Penn State, Saacke Blunk managed the pollution-prevention assistance program in Tennessee and worked in the private sector in support of water quality projects for industries and municipalities in the southeastern United States. She earned a bachelor's degree in biology from Virginia Tech and a master's degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from Penn State.

The Agriculture and Environment Science and Policy Center is located at 206 Armsby Building, University Park, PA 16802. For more information, call 814-863-8756 or visit the Agriculture and Environment Science and Policy Center webpage.

3/28/2008