Don Allen, BS, MS
General Education Instructor: Math and Physics
Office: Roy F. Christensen Complex 378
208-282-4094
Professional Experience:
- General Education Instructor for Math and Physics including START Program – 6 years
- Processed Fruit and Vegetable Inspector, US Department of Agriculture – 11 years
- Planetarium Star Show Presenter, Lane Education Service District – 3 years
Career Highlights:
- Setting START Program Math curriculum for a variety of student levels
- Having every one of my Intermediate Algebra students pass the notorious MATH 1108 class one semester (besides the two who withdrew)
- USDA Inspector-in-Charge at several food processing plants in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Utah
- Designing and presenting several astronomical shows at LESD Planetarium
One of Many Favorite Professional Experiences
I was the USDA Inspector-in-Charge at a fairly new seasonal corn processing plant. I took my sanitation oversight duties very seriously. I continually wrote up even minor situations needing improvement. The leader of the sanitation crew was getting angry over my write-ups because the people responsible included his relatives.
I found one continually dirty spot for which I did not know a solution. I decided to ask the leader of the sanitation crew for a solution and to abide by whatever he suggested. He suggested a solution and I accepted it immediately. After that, he was continually helpful and cooperative in my zeal for utmost sanitation.
When the National Accrediting Organization audited the plant, the plant received the highest sanitation score any of the plants owned by that company had ever earned. The management was ecstatic. I urged them to reward their own hard-working sanitation crew appropriately. I was happy I had pushed them to do their best.
Geoffrey Bennett
Clinical Instructor, Technical General Education
Office: Roy F. Christensen Complex 375
208-282-3200
Professional Work Experience
- Professional Actor, Director, Acting Instructor, Fight-Choreographer – 30 years
- Massage Therapist, Instructor – 10 years
- Scenic Carpenter, Scene-shop Supervisor – 3 years
- Adjunct Communications/Negotiation Instructor – 7 years
- Instructor, College of Technology General Education – 3 years
Career Highlights
- Worked as a performer in four countries and six states – including New York on the Radio City Music Hall stage.
- Worked and lived in South Africa for the year leading up to the election of Nelson Mandela in the country’s first fully democratic election
- Have been an instructor for (and learned with) over 1800 students
One of Your Favorite Professional Experiences
The best thing about being an educator – especially in a college setting – is that you are constantly put into contact with amazing human beings. Every semester, every class, you get to meet people with remarkably different backgrounds and perspectives. I’ve been asked what makes a “good” class – it’s when I come away learning more about the world and my experience in it from the insights of the students I get to interact with. Turns out… that happens all the time.
Michael Clarke
Advanced Instructor
Office: Roy F. Christensen Complex 383
208-282-2810
- BS Business Finance
- MBA General Business
Professional Work Experience
- 19 years in education
- Spent 11 years teaching CTE, Computers, and Business at the high school level
- 10 Years as an adjunct professor local community colleges in Business in Central California
- 2 Years as full time faculty at a community college
- Starting 6th year here at the College of Technology
Career Highlights
- Ran several businesses including computer networking and repair and business consulting
- Runner up for Fresno County Teacher of the Year 2007
- Took my students to various international competitions, consistently placed in the top 10, including 3rd place in Marketing at the San Diego Virtual Enterprise Trade Fair
One of my favorite Professional Experiences
Okay, I’m going to cheat a little and tell you about two small ones.
The first was in my first year of teaching, a young lady was struggling with an assignment and so I bent down and slowly explained it to her in a different way. All of the sudden she says, “Oh, now I get it Mr. Clarke!” Lightbulb going off over my head or whatever metaphor you can think of but right then I knew I was on the right path in teaching.
The second was when I took my students to the aforementioned San Diego Trade Fair. My students were setting up their booth (instructors weren’t allowed to help) and another instructor looks at my students and said something like,” Are all your students Hispanic?” I looked and I said, “No, two of them are Hmong also”. I honestly had never really thought about it, to me they were just students. I realized that growing up with a Native American step-father had pretty much made me colorblind. If that is the case, I hope I never start noticing things like that.
Matt Wilson
Clinical Assistant Professor
Office: Roy F. Christensen Complex 375
208-282-3200
Professional Work Experience
- Instructor, ISU College of Technology General Education – 4 years
- Online Adjunct Instructor, College of Southern Idaho – 1 year
- Instructor & GTA, Northern Arizona University – 3 years
- Writing tutor, various institutions – 5 years
- Low-skilled positions to pay rent after earning a degree in the arts! – 4 years
Career Highlights
- Joining the General Education Department at the College of Tech!
- Teaching upward of 1000 students how to transmit their ideas effectively and ethically
One of My Favorite Professional Experiences
When I used to teach on academic campuses, I had several students report to me that through my freshman composition class they had discovered a love for writing that led them to switch their majors to English. For many composition teachers, there might not be a higher honor than that, but it’s never been a goal of mine to convert students to a new future as writers. Rather, what is gratifying to me is to get students to appreciate the truth that critical thinking and effective communication—oral and written—will open doors for them, not just in their future professions, but in every aspect of the lives they have already planned for themselves. My favorite experiences as a teacher are receiving confirmation that I’ve done just that.
Michael Matusek
Instructor
Office: Roy F. Christensen Complex 271
208-282-4423
Professional Work Experience
- Instructor, College of Technology – Technical General Education – 1 year
- Instructor, Highland Senior High School – Physical Science & Math – 2 years
- Entry Level Research Scientist – Idaho Accelerator Center – 2 years
Career Highlights
- Owner of Tutoring Business
- Recipient of graduate scholarships over 3 years in applied physics
- Attendee at Hampton University Graduate Studies at Thomas Jefferson Laboratory while conducting research on data obtained from the Hall B g13 experiment
- Conducted cosmic ray research with the Quarknet program through the University of Notre Dame
Favorite Professional Experience
As an instructor I had the opportunity to introduce students to real scientific investigation. One group of students involved in working with our Quarknet cosmic ray detector had an incredible chance to verify some known facts about how cosmic rays enter the Earth. Through various experiments my students figured out that there is an angular dependence of cosmic ray muons. Matching experiment with theory was a rare opportunity to see how my students’ could use their knowledge to understand the world around them. Beyond that, many students found a new interest in science and technology. I strive to have experiences like these on a regular basis, where students can see how the material they learning has a place in our world.