Celebrating 35 Years of Service at CPP College of Science
We’re celebrating the thirty fifth anniversary of one College of Science faculty and one staff member. The faculty is Lecturer Alane Daugherty, from the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion. The staff member is Pearl Viggers, Cellular and Microbiology Technician in the Department of Biological Sciences.
Pearl Viggers
Instructional Support Technician
Cellular Molecular Biology Resource Center
Pearl Viggers is a proud CPP alumna (’83, biology) who worked as a student assistant while completing her degree. She took the exam to get her Clinical Laboratory Scientist License while interning at Children’s Hospital L.A. and was hired as a medical technologist. After positions at San Dimas and Glendora Community Hospitals she accepted the position of Instructional Support Technician at CPP.
Viggers is now lab coordinator for cellular molecular biology labs and oversees 57 lab sections in the biology department. Over the years, she’s noticed a shift toward more faculty involvement in technical aspects of experiments and likes helping them achieve their classes learning objectives. “Staff, faculty, and students – we talk with and learn from each other,” she said.
She says of her work, “It’s rewarding, helping students to achieve their goals. We prepare students for the real world. Our students go on to work as clinical laboratory scientists, researchers, or other health-related professionals. I still refer students to my contacts at hospitals. They stay in touch, and to know you’ve had a positive impact on someone, that’s the Ohana of my life's work.”
When not working, Viggers enjoys walking and hiking with the family dogs, and biking. Her advice to new hires is to get involved in the college community outside your work area. Viggers is a member of Staff Council. You make a lot of friends, have a lot of fun. It opens doors. Continue your education, take advantage of training and travel.
Alane Daugherty
Kinesiology and Health Promotion Faculty
Alane Daugherty literally grew up on the CPP campus. Her father, Ray Daugherty, was a coach for Cal Poly Pomona’s football and wrestling teams, a position he accepted shortly before Alane was born. She smiles when recalling, “Most of my fun childhood memories were here. All summer was family swim time. We spent a lot of time doing recreational activities that included gymnastics and trampoline.”
Daugherty obtained her BS in social science and MS in exercise science at CPP. She’s always had an interest in wellness and her study of the social sciences allowed her to delve into the psychological aspect of it. She was hired to manage the exercise lab at CPP and then began teaching about physical health, wellness, fitness, and nutrition at CPP. She confides that her personal struggles led her to pursue a Ph.D. at Claremont University that focused on anxiety and stress. “My dream was to have a service center for emotional health & wellness,” she said.
Daugherty is proud of the Mind and Heart Lab that she founded with Professor Emeritus Kristine Fish eight years ago. She’s also happy to see a more proactive approach to mental health and the increase in the number of students she’s able to reach through her stress management classes.
She’s noticed an increase in appreciation of Kinesiology as a science. Daugherty says that there is also more diversity, recalling that women were in the minority in the department when she started teaching.
When Daugherty isn’t teaching you may find her running, working out at the gym, or meditating. She started a meditation group, open to faculty, staff, and students, that meets every Thursday, noon to one, both in person and virtually.
Her advice to new hires is to stick with it. “Do the best you can. When I first started, I taught at other universities, I was a ‘freeway professor.’ Eventually I got more classes and it became my job. Pick classes you’re passionate about. I’m happy with my job and I wouldn’t change anything.”
