Stan Allen uses love for animals to influence teaching, research
Editor’s note: The Variety section of the Statesman will periodically spotlight a member of the USU faculty. Knowing more about the people they learn from will help students get more from their education.
Born and raised in Hyrum, Stan Allen it was the attraction of home that brought Stan Allen back to Utah State University. After attaining his bachelor of arts in zoology at USU, Allen went on to Iowa State for a Ph.D. He then returned to Utah in 1979, to teach at USU.
“It was a chance to come back home,” Allen said.
Aside from teaching his six classes, Allen said he is extremely busy with research.
“I have done a great deal of research,” Allen said.
Allen is the director of the Laboratory Animal Research Center. Some of the work the center is doing as a whole includes anti-viral drug testing, toxicology studies and some genetic engineering.
Allen is part of the research team, and his focus is on anti-fungal agents. The two main types of fungi he is researching include Candida organisms like Candida Vaginitis and Aspergillus/Aspergillosis which is a disease affecting the lungs.
“We study them in mice and rats,” Allen said.
Allen has his work cut out for him. He’s been researching these types of fungi for 15 years so far, and his future goal is to find a cure for these diseases. He feels the 15 years have produced some progress, but his goal will take a lot more time to attain.
“You know you don’t push back the frontiers of science in big jumps, you do it in tiny steps,” Allen said.
“Being a vet, my emphasis is studying in animals,” he said. He tells of some peculiar animals that live at USU. “We have a colony of Madagascar hedgehogs, which are Dr. Brody’s, and some African clawed frogs. They are Dr. Reuben’s.”
Allen does not have any pets of his own. He said he deals with them enough at work.
Outside of school and research, Allen is president of the Cache Valley Historical Society and has a great interest in the history of the West.