After thirteen years, Iowa State’s Virtual Reality Applications Center will see a change in leadership.

James Oliver, associate professor of mechanical engineering will be taking over the position of the director of Virtual Reality Applications Center.

Oliver will replace James Bernard, the founding director of the Iowa Center for Emerging Manufacturing Technology. The center was later renamed the Virtual Reality Applications Center to reflect its evolution into a leader in virtual reality applications research.

Bernard is stepping down after 13 years as director.

“It’s time for new leadership,” said Bernard, distinguished professor of the Virtual Reality Applications Center.

“Administration is rewarding but time-consuming.”

Bernard will continue to work for the university, but said he desires more time to focus on his research in vehicle dynamics.

Oliver will assume the position January 1, 2004 and will oversee the faculty, staff, and students in the Virtual Reality Applications Center.

“I’m happy [Bernard is] not retiring,” Oliver said. “He is a good leader and I am humbled by following in his footsteps.”

The Virtual Reality Applications Center is an applied research that uses virtual reality technology with new interface technology to deal with problems, Oliver said. Primary users are faculty and staff members in all areas of the university.

With the increasing power of computers, research continues to expand and push the limits of what “super-computers” can do.

“Change is fueled by the increasing power of the computer. At [the Virtual Reality Applications Center], we are trying to lead research. It’s an exciting place to be,” Bernard said.

Since its beginning, the center has seen many changes, Oliver said.

“It has spread in breadth and has become more accessible to non-tech experts.”

Initially recruited to Iowa State to help put the center together, Oliver has been actively involved for years. His future position “sets the direction of what research will be focused on.”

“The center is unique,” Oliver said. “In the world, there is no better place to do this research.”

The Virtual Reality Applications Center incorporates research from all areas of the university.

“[The challenge is] trying to gauge the future and guess right to see how technology will change our lives,” Oliver said.

His research focuses on Human Computer Interaction, which is the study of the relationship between humans and increasingly powerful, portable and interconnected computers. It allows for the researcher to manipulate the variables.

“It cleverly shows things in context and allows you to change the context,” Oliver said.

Currently, Iowa State has the only center of its kind in the United States.

“There’s nothing quite like it anywhere,” Oliver said.