At the University of Advancing Technology (UAT), General Education is the foundation that connects technology to the broader human experience. The General Education faculty bring a wealth of expertise and passion to the foundational courses that shape every student’s academic journey. Covering subjects in the humanities, arts, mathematics, and sciences, these dedicated educators provide students with the critical thinking, communication, and analytical skills essential for success in any tech-driven career. With diverse backgrounds in creative writing, mathematics, psychology, and the performing arts, they inspire curiosity, encourage discovery, and empower students to make meaningful connections between technology and the world around them.
Professor Belanger is the Synchronic and General Education Regent, he teaches across several areas in the Humanities, including literature, creative writing and composition, and cultural studies. During his career as a writer and editor, he has served as chief editor for The Journal of Advancing Technology, coordinating editor for a reference series on the 2000s, and written numerous articles on history and culture for print and online journals. Two films have been adapted from his works (a stage play and a short story), and he was the screenwriter of a Department of Justice documentary on the end of segregation in Arizona. He is in the third year of completing a novel—The Boy in Ruins—that should only have taken him one year to write, if he’s being honest. He is also the cowboy in a Violent Femmes video directed by a UAT alum.
Selected Credits
- The Journal of Advancing Technology (editor-in-chief)
- The 2000s in America (Great Neck Press, coordinating editor)
- "Fast Horses" (actor, short)
- My Apocalypse (screenwriter, feature based on original play)
- "Splitsville" (screenwriter, short based on an original short story)
I have over forty years of volunteer and professional experience in the performing arts including theater, modern dance, ballet, and orchestra. After twenty years of teaching, I consider my greatest accomplishments to be my alumni. Whenever an alumnus comes back to ask my opinion on something they’ve created, or requests my notes on a current project then I know that I’ve contributed to their professional development and success. My alumni have gone on to work on such television series as “Game of Thrones," "Once Upon a Time," and "The Crown," and have worked on feature films including the Marvel "Avengers" franchise, "Avatar," and "Sharknado."
My debut novel, Death Takes A Bath, was published in December of 2022, with the next in the series, Death Takes a Fall, due December of 2023. Short stories can be found in several anthologies by Malice Domestic and Desert Sleuths: The Professor’s Lesson (2022) in Mystery Most Diabolical, Final Curtain (2020) in Mystery Most Theatrical; Carne Diem (2019) in the Anthony Award-winning Mystery Most Edible; Death on Tap (2017) in SoWest: Killer Nights. My recipes and writing tips are included in Recipes to Kill For(2019).
I love everything about writing, theater, and film. Each medium provides a different viewpoint for connecting with an audience.
Professor Heather Peters has been in the education field for almost 20 years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in Secondary Education Mathematics and a Master’s Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University. After teaching for 11 years in the high school setting to a variety of skill levels, Heather taught for a semester in China, before returning to the valley to teach at the university level. Heather has done some contract work for the state of Arizona reviewing state tests for biases, has been a part of several mathematics teachers’ learning communities, and has developed several courses for students from functions to financial math. Heather is passionate about making math more fun and relevant to all students regardless of their past experiences in math.
Dr. Daniel Pike is an English professor at the University of Advancing Technology and the author of two Science Fiction novels: The Wolf of Descarta (Zharmae, 2013) and Betrayal at Phobos (Zharmae, 2015). He has also contributed to Race and American Film: Voices and Visions that Shaped a Nation (Greenwood, 2017) on the topics of Middle Eastern representation, imperialist narratives, and race in the Rocky films. He currently studies Medieval Literature and is focused on the influences of the English vernacular artes moriendi and ghostly chivalry on the insular Arthurian legend of the 14th and 15th centuries. His first peer-reviewed publication concerning Arthurian legend, "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: Armed with Virtues in the Face of Death," has been accepted into the journal Etudes Médiévales Anglaises and will be included in issue 98.
Gabrielle Vosteen is a passionate educator with about 20 years of experience teaching general education in science and psychology. She is dedicated to creating engaging, hands-on learning experiences and designs a wide array of courses, including Anatomy & Physiology, Biology, Microbiology, Genetics, and various psychology disciplines. Her expertise extends to both lecture and lab-based courses, where she inspires students to explore complex concepts with curiosity and confidence. In addition to her academic role, Gabrielle worked as a forensic pathologist performing autopsies with medical examiners. She has earned an undergraduate degree in Biology from Grand Canyon University (GCU). She went on to earn two Master of Science degrees—both focusing on Biology with an additional minor in Leadership—alongside a Master’s in Psychology. Her professional background includes extensive experience in pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals, where she contributed to research and development, and quality assurance and control. She also conducted research on glioblastoma using mathematical modeling. Gabrielle's passion for teaching stems from her deep love of science and her commitment to helping students succeed.
Doctor Wolterbeek teaches courses in composition, literature, and communication. Reading and writing have always been her greatest passions and while she loves all forms of written communication, essays bring her the most joy. Professor Wolterbeek is especially interested in the use of micro essays as a way of connecting the traditional essay to current trends in writing for digital media. She is currently developing curriculum for middle and high school students that uses micro-blogging to help students reflect on their experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic. Professor Wolterbeek is the author of many articles about reading and writing and has been published in The ALAN Review, the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy and English Journal and presents regularly at the National Council of Teachers of English. She believes that writing is a powerful tool to help us to understand our world and ourselves and finds great meaning in teaching composition and communication. Professor Wolterbeek has been at the University of Advancing Technology for over twenty years and considers her work with her students to be her greatest accomplishment.