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Hi! My name is Ron. I am an engineer and a teacher. The most rewarding thing I do is help people reach their goal of becoming an engineer. Here at ICC we find the most creative ways to learn while having fun and eating free food (lots of free food). Before I came to ICC Engineering I worked as an engineer for the Navy and am, in fact, still an engineering duty officer in the Navy Reserve. I attended the University of North Dakota to earn a bachelors degree in civil engineering and the University of Central Florida to earn a masters degree in mechanical engineering. When I am not here at ICC, my life revolves around my family and exercise. I enjoy walking with my wife, playing basketball with my son, and spending time at the Itasca County YMCA. Thank you for your interest in ICC ENGINEERING. I sure would like to be your teacher someday.
Hi, I'm Ed. I am an engineering, physics instructor. My favorite thing about teaching at ICC Engineering is helping students get hands-on-project experience with real engineering design challenges. Before I came to teach at ICC, I taught IB Physics at the local high school and have been an instructor for the ICC Summer Camps for a number of years. Prior to settling in Grand Rapids, I obtained my bachelors degree in civil engineering from Iowa State University. I then spent five years as an officer in the Navy's Nuclear Power Submarine Program. After the completion of my military service, I returned to school and obtained a masters degree at the University of Wisconsin. In my spare time I like spending time with my family, canoing, camping, hiking and biking. I have enjoyed leading many canoe trips to Voyagers National Park and the Boundary Waters for ICC engineering students. I hope to see you at ICC someday.
Hi! My name is Noel Olander. I supervise the Concept Lab of the Engineering Department at Itasca Community College. I grew up in northern Minnesota and like to hunt, fish, snowmobile, four-wheel and many other outdoor activities. Our family has grown, moved on to college and now has lives of their own. We miss them and enjoy when they come home for a visit. Before coming to ICC, I worked construction for many years and then went back to school to get a degree in electronics. I worked as an Electronic Test Technician for a few years before coming to ICC Engineering in 2003. I am also a certified machinist with a vast amount of life skills which make me a good problem solver . The Concept Lab is set up to provide engineering students with all the tools, supplies and help they might need to successfully complete their projects. I enjoy helping students find their creative side and think outside the box. I also take pride in introducing them to new tools and watching their skill and confidence develop. Engineering at ICC is a lot of work, but we also have a lot of fun. I hope you will come and join us at ICC. It really is "The Best Place to Start".
I'm Gordy Savela, ICC chemistry instructor. I was born and raised on Minnesota's Iron Range in the town of Mt. Iron. I graduated from high school in 1984 and then attended Mesabi Community College. I eventually got my bachelors degree in chemistry from the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth and my Master of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Notre Dame. I know from personal experience how important the community colleges are to higher education and have chosen ICC as the school where I want to make my contribution. I really appreciate the fact that I have a career that allows me to do what I love while continuing to live in the great north woods. Outside of school I like to spend time running, hunting, golfing, and doing things with my wife and three children. If you have a strong chemistry background and need to take some more as part of your degree, ICC is a great place to do that. If you have had an unpleasant experience with chemistry I encourage you to give this incredible subject another chance. Either way, I look forward to seeing you in chemistry at ICC down the road.
My name is Craig Stertz and I teach math in the Engineering Program. I grew up in Altoona, WI, which is just outside of Eau Claire. My parents were both teachers and that probably had something to do with me eventually deciding to get into teaching (although this decision was made after many years of vowing to never follow in my parents footsteps). After graduating from high school I attended St Norbert College in DePere, WI, where I sampled many different areas of science before deciding to major in mathematics. From there, I went on to the University of Colorado where I received my Master of Science degree in applied mathematics. I then spent several years working in software development and data analysis in California and at the Mayo Clinic before giving teaching a try. I have enjoyed teaching in the Engineering Program here at ICC because of our faculty's willingness to try new teaching methods and scheduling options, and for the feeling of community between faculty and students. When not teaching, I enjoy running, cross country skiing and biking as well as sharing these activities with my wife and two children.
I am Theresa Stertz and I teach math courses in the Engineering Program at ICC. I have been teaching at ICC since 1998. I grew up in Coon Rapids, MN and graduated from Coon Rapids High School in a class of 750 students. I have bachelors degrees in both mathematics and statistics from Winona State University. I also have a masters degree in applied statistics from Iowa State University, along with graduate work in mathematics from Montana State University. While in college and graduate school, I interned in Rochester, MN, in both the Mayo Clinic's Biostatistics Department and in the IBM's Reliability Engineering Department. Prior to teaching at ICC, I taught for two years at Winona State University and for six years at Central Lakes College in Brainerd, MN. My favorite part about teaching in the ICC Engineering Program is watching our students grow from shy freshman into capable and mature sophomores who are ready to transfer to a four-year school and then achieve their goals in STEM careers. My family and I had the opportunity in the spring of 2006 to take a group of ICC engineering students to Denmark for eight weeks to study abroad. I was very proud of what these students learned and accomplished during that experience, and I hope to lead a similar trip again in the future.