Dr. Kasey Faust felt as if she were reading her own
PhD research when she reviewed the job description for the CEPM faculty position at UT Austin: critical infrastructure, water and wastewater models, interdependent relationships, and public perceptions of infrastructure issues. At Purdue, she had recently completed her doctorate and had won a prestigious NSF graduate research fellowship, both focused on critical infrastructure research on shrinking cities, where the population is decreasing. Then she read the new strategic initiative at UT Austin: examine social issues, foster an inclusive campus, and encourage diverse learning. That sealed the deal. By accepting the offer to join the CEPM faculty, she jump started her new career.
“It’s what I want to do,” she says. “Academia is the best job you can possibly have. You teach, work with students, and work with communities that can change the quality of life for people. And in research, you can push the boundaries of the field. It’s exciting.”
The native of Alaska has been teaching since she set foot on the campus as an undergrad at the University of Washington. Similar efforts followed at Purdue, where she earned two masters degrees and her PhD. At both campuses, she tutored, taught calculus and math classes, and got involved in efforts to reach out to middle school students, minorities, women, and other under-represented groups. Faust begins teaching an undergraduate course in civil engineering this fall. In the spring, she’ll teach a graduate course.
She and her students in UT’s Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering program will be developing innovative solutions to complex problems in the link between cities, water, and energy. “The CAEE program is putting emphasis on people’s involvement with infrastructure. I’ll teach construction, which I really love, and do infrastructure research that doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional mold of construction research,” she says enthusiastically.
She knows the challenges the students have as well. “I believe in getting students involved in the classroom, and encouraging conversation. They need to know it’s acceptable to bring new ideas to the table and challenge old ones,” she says.
She grew up snowboarding, camping, and fishing, and will emphasize a healthy lifestyle for her students. “Especially with graduate students, they can get bogged down and forget to take time for themselves. Your health comes first, because when you’re not healthy, you’re productivity and the quality of your work will suffer. They need to know that being healthy is something that’s encouraged.”
With her new career launched, she’s looking forward to getting on the UT Austin campus. “Everyone has been so supportive,” she observes. “That was really key for me as I transitioned to this literally new career.” Her students, with Kasey leading, will no doubt be getting support as well.