06-02-04

EPPERSON, OLIVER NAMED ASSOCIATE DEANS IN IOWA STATE'S COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES

AMES, Iowa -- Michael Whiteford, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University, hasappointed two associate deans.

Douglas Epperson, professor of psychology, is the associate dean of administration and David Oliver, professor ofgenetics development and cell biology, is the associate dean of research for the college.

Epperson and Oliver both served as interim associate deans during the 2003-04 academic year. Epperson'sresponsibilities include general administration, planning, budget, space and facilities. Oliver directs the college'sresearch efforts, which accounts for approximately 30 percent of all external funding to Iowa State University.

"Oliver and Epperson bring an incredible amount of administrative know-how and savvy to our operation," Whiteford said."I'm very pleased that both have agreed to stay on and continue the work that we have begun in the college."

An Iowa State faculty member since 1979, Epperson is the director of the counseling psychology program and was interimchair for the psychology department from 1996 to 1999. He also served as that department's associate chair twice and isthe former interim director of the Office of Precollegiate Programs for Talented and Gifted at Iowa State. Epperson'sresearch interests include the prediction of sexual abuse recidivism and how to effectively deal with sexual abusersand predict their future behavior. He also looks at the recruitment and retention of young women in science andengineering disciplines.

An Iowa State faculty member since 1996, Oliver is the former chair of the department of botany (now the department ofecology, evolution and organismal biology department). From 1979 to 1996, he was on the faculty at the University ofIdaho, Moscow, where he was the associate director of the Institute for Molecular and Agricultural Genetic Engineeringfrom 1987 to 1988.

Oliver also worked as an agricultural scientist at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station at New Haven, Conn.,and was a visiting professor from 1988 to 1989 in Grenoble, France, and from 2000 to 2001 at Flinders University,Adelaide, Australia.

Oliver's primary research interests are plant biochemistry and molecular biology. His research is focused on threeareas: how plants adapt to unfavorable environments, synthesize lipids and deal with toxic heavy metals in theenvironment.

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