An associate dean at the University of Central Florida has been hired as 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ's new associate provost for research, according to Provost Douglas P. Ferraro.
Stephen L. Rice, associate dean for graduate studies and research at the University of Central Florida's College of Engineering, will assume the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ research post on Aug. 19.
Rice will replace Dr. Donald Baepler, director of the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History, who has been serving as interim associate provost for research.
President Carol C. Harter said, "I spoke to Dr. Rice's president at Central Florida, and he assured me that we have hired a first-rate administrator and researcher. He will be a fine asset to the university as we work toward our goal of achieving distinction as a research institution."
Rice, who received the Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of California-Berkeley in 1972, has held his current position at Central Florida since 1988. Previously, he chaired the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Central Florida; held engineering faculty positions at the University of Connecticut, Storrs; and served as a design engineer at Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at Berkeley.
"I am excited about working with the faculty at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ," Rice said. "I am impressed with the vitality and spirit on campus. Past research accomplishments are striking, and the potential for future impacts is enormous." Rice will report to Ferraro and will be responsible for coordinating funded research campus-wide.
"We are indeed fortunate to have such a talented researcher join us," Ferraro said. "Dr. Rice's record of securing research funding from such organizations as the Kennedy Space Center, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Air Force, and private industry is truly remarkable. His experience in that arena will serve us well."
Rice has published extensively in books, professional journals, and conference proceedings. An active member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Society for Engineering Education, he has a long record of committee service in those organizations, as well as at the University of Central Florida and the University of Connecticut.
Rice and his wife, Penny Baum Rice, have two children, Andrew and Katherine.
