MANY SPECIES, ONE PURPOSE
Wheeler to lead 'cyber' species exploration institute

As far back as he can remember, Quentin Wheeler, newly appointed vice president and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, has been on a quest to discover unknown species. A life-altering moment, he recalls, may have been at age 8, when, trying out his friend's new birthday gift — a cheap department-store microscope — he brought into focus protozoa "swimming" in a drop of water.

Fast forward to the present, where there are roughly 1.7 million named species, representing at most 20 percent of living species on Earth, according to Wheeler. To accelerate human knowledge and understanding of the planet's living diversity, Wheeler will establish the International Institute for Species Exploration at ASU, which will lead in the creation of "cybertaxonomy," a fusion of taxonomy with computer sciences and engineering. The institute will be housed in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with strong linkages to the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.

Wheeler joined ASU in July as a professor in the School of Life Sciences with the task of establishing the new research institute. Soon after, he was asked to serve as the interim dean of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. In late December, he was appointed vice president and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, succeeding David A. Young, who moved into the newly created position of senior vice president for academic affairs.