Blane Nansel was first exposed to archaeology as an undergraduate at Iowa State University in 1973. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree at ISU, he attended the University of Iowa, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology in 1976 and a Master of Arts in 1988. In addition to the degrees listed above, he conducted Ph.D. research in Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, with a minor in soils and geomorphology. His Master’s research involved a time trend analysis of Bauer Branch ceramics from northwestern Illinois, and his Ph.D. research dealt with Middle Woodland interaction and exchange in the Mississippi River Valley of southeastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois. He has been involved in Cultural Resources Management in Iowa since 1975 and has participated in fieldwork projects in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Israel. 

At the OSA, Blane consults with city and county engineers, private engineering firms, and the Iowa Department of Transportation on the possible effects of proposed construction projects on cultural resources, and provides guidance on what level of archaeological or historic architectural investigations would be appropriate.