AFTER EARNING PH.D. IN MODELING AND SIMULATION, ENGINEERING GRAD WILL WEIGH HER NEXT CAREER MOVE – INDUSTRY OR ACADEMIA

On May 7, Blount walked in Old Dominion University's 114th commencement exercises, receiving a Ph.D. in modeling, simulation and visualization engineering. She is also the 2011 recipient of the Frank Batten College of Engineering and Technology's Faculty Award in Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Engineering.

During her career, Blount has written computer code for a ballistics laboratory involved in the design of missiles and rockets, engineered simulation software for flight simulators and, while finishing her doctoral dissertation at ODU, taught a class in video game design. None of these fields would typically be considered a career of choice for a female scientist, particularly when she started in 1986.

But Blount, who worked at these jobs while raising two daughters, doesn't think of herself as a trailblazer for women in the field.

"Being one of few women in a science-related field did not seem to matter to those around me. I've never been treated differently. It's a great field with lots of opportunities for everyone, as it's always new and changing."Ultimately, Blount isn't sure what she's going to do with the rest of her career. She's thankful to live in a region where so many opportunities exist in the modeling and simulation field. She said she loved teaching the course in video game design.

"A question I am pondering at the moment is, industry or academia," Blount said. "I have worked so hard finishing my dissertation work the last three months that I've just started to search for the right fit for my next step."I know that I hope to continue learning and trying new things. I'm lucky to live in the Hampton Roads area, where there are so many opportunities to explore."