Instructor Spotlights

Chris Denison, a first-generation college student, is a Wildcat through and through having earned both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Central Washington University. Before becoming part of the team in the Douglas Honors College, Chris worked as a legal assistant; however, when CWU offered her an opportunity to do something a bit different she jumped at the chance. Starting as an office assistant in the Honors College, Christina took every opportunity she could to learn and do more which resulted in becoming the Secretary, then the Academic and Student Success Coordinator, the Assistant Director, and now the Associate Director of the DHC.

Chris enjoys spending time with her two daughters and her husband Jim, a local attorney. In the winter months, when not spending time with her family, you will find her shushing down the runs at Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort in Wenatchee. All the other months she spends time wishing it was winter.

Chris’s CliftonStrengths are Input, Connectedness, Relator, Responsibility, & Arranger.

Professor Matt Martinson was born and raised in Washington state. He has earned degrees at four different schools in the state, focusing on literature and religion, though he is also fascinated by art and history. He teaches a wide variety of courses for the DHC, where he is also the Writing Curriculum Coordinator.

Professor Martinson's CliftonStrengths are Input, Intellection, Relator, Learner, and Analytical.

Dr. Pearson has taught at Dona Aña Community College in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and at the University of Arkansas.

Dr. Pearson has published in the areas of payday lending, food affordability and other food access issues, college student attitudes toward eating patterns, adolescent eating and physical activity, and applying ecological models to nurses' risk of being overweight.

Dominic Klyve (KLEE-vee) is a Professor of Mathematics at Central Washington University. He is the author of more than 50 papers in number theory, the history of mathematics and science, and applied statistics. His interdisciplinary works have appeared in journals ranging from Gastrointestinal Endoscopy to Shakespeare Quarterly. Klyve has been nationally recognized for promoting the use of primary sources in the teaching of mathematics, and currently serves as a PI on $1.5 Million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop classroom materials for this purpose. He was a 2014 winner of the MAA’s Alder Award, a national teaching award for young faculty who have a demonstrated impact within and beyond the classroom. He currently serves as editor of the College Mathematics Journal, and as Lead Polymath at KnowLabs.

Ruthi Roth Erdman lived in Portland, Oregon her first 28 years. She very nearly went to law school there, but decided that working with university students held much more appeal than practicing law, so she came to CWU in 1988.

Ruthi began by teaching English, but eventually branched out into interdisciplinary courses in Humanities, WGSS, and the Honors College.

When she's not teaching, Ruthi fights for a more just world, attending many protests and marches. She also enjoys traveling abroad, reading, singing, taking long walks, and spending time with her grandchildren.

Dr. Palmquist is a Professor of Physics as well as Science and Math Education. He is also the interim chair of the Computer Science Department and teaches for the DHC.

Dr. Palmquist has taught at CWU since 1993, some historians say that it is just before the previous Mayan Long Count calendar started. After messing up the futures of some secondary school students by teaching them science for a couple of years, he went to the University of Minnesota for his Ph.D. in Science Education. Over the past few years at CWU, he has taught Introductory Astronomy; General Physics; Issues in Science and Religion (which is another DHC course!); Teaching Elementary Science Inquiry; Why People Believe Dumb Things; and Perspectives on Science, Mathematics, and STEM Education. He also helped design the Perspectives course for the new STEM Teaching Program with Distinguished DHC Dude Dominic (D4) Klyve.

Fun Fact: Dr. Palmquist is an only child and his parents are only children, so he has no siblings, aunts, uncles, or first cousins.

Dr. Reichert has worked at CWU for five years. He teaches an array of courses for the DHC including Conspiracy Theories & American Politics, Democratic Theory, and War Across the Disciplines. In addition, Dr. Reichert facilitates a DHC graduate school workshop series, instructs courses on research methods, and supports students in completing honors capstone projects. Dr. Reichert continues to develop his own research; his interests include European Union politics, public policy, international relations, political theory, and research methods. He has published articles in The Policy Studies Journal, The Journal of Public Policy, and The Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership. Dr. Reichert even has a book chapter in The European Union and the Member States: Cooperation, Coordination, and Compromise.

In his free time, Dr. Reichert enjoys spending time outdoors, reading, and spoiling his three cats.

Dr. Reichert's CliftonStrengths are Analytical, Intellection, Context, Learner, and Input.

In her five years of wearing many hats for CWU, Dr. Jungblut has taught the DHC course Difficult Decisions – Individuals, Groups, and Nation-States. For the Department of Political Science, Dr. Jungblut teaches several more courses including Political Economy and Early Modern Political Thought. Her teaching interests include international relations, research methods, political theory, and something called “political economy.” She also mentors student research. Dr. Jungblut’s own research interests include the causes of war and militarized conflict, European Union politics, and higher education policy. She is the recipient of a National Science Foundation Grant and has published articles in The Journal of Peace Research and Conflict Management and Peace Science. Most recently, Dr. Jungblut contributed a chapter to the book Institutional Research Initiatives in Higher Education.

When she is not running, hiking, or biking, Dr. Jungblut is chipping away at long-term projects. Her side-hustle is a book focused on programs that help under-served students get into and be successful at college. Her side-side-hustle is a three-volume series on policymaking in higher education. One might say she’s busy... but never too busy to help students. Four cats share their home with Dr. Jungblut: Bastet, Thoth, Vaga Bond, and Onyx-the-Barn-Cat. Sometimes Bastet, Thoth, and Vaga Bond allow her to share the couch with them. Onyx likes to keep the barn to himself but has been known to make an appearance for kibble.

Dr. Andrew Piacsek's primary area of interest and expertise is physical acoustics, which is the study of mechanical waves and related phenomena. He is interested in waves of all kinds, from sound waves in a trumpet to sonic booms to tsunamis; that such disparate phenomena are united by similar mathematics is especially intriguing. His background is primarily theoretical and computational, but most of hsi projects with students involve pairing experiments with computer models to investigate wave behavior.