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A role model for science undergraduates, through his career experiences and his mentorship of hundreds of St. Lawrence students since his graduation with a bachelor’s degree in geology in 1974, Dean Eppler '74 is senior scientist for NASA. His work has ranged from development of space suits to the creation of research windows for the International Space Station, and from leading science operations and logistics concept development for advanced planetary exploration programs (taking him to the high Arctic and the Antarctic), to strapping into the KC-153 (the “vomit comet”) to test rover seat ergonomics, on-orbit hardware assembly, planetary materials processing and biomechanics of walking on the Moon and Mars.

With credentials such as these, Eppler, who lives in Houston, still points to his organization of the first and succeeding triennial St. Lawrence University Geology Alumni Conferences to connect geology graduates and students, as his proudest accomplishment.

Eppler earned his master’s degree from the University of New Mexico and his Ph.D. from Arizona State University ; he has published some 30 journal articles in his career. In recognition of his accomplishments, he was awarded an Alumni Citation from St. Lawrence in 2004.