People

Alumni

Bill Strictland, B.A., Botany, 1979, graduated from UC Davis School of Law in June 1997. He will join the firm of Bergman and Wedner in Los Angeles later this year.

Bill Patterson, B.S., Biological Sciences, 1987, is a senior staff scientist at Baxter Healthcare Corp. in Irvine. He was initially employed by Baxter after graduating from UC Davis, and rejoined the company after completing his doctorate in biological sciences from UC Irvine in 1995.

Stephen Krebs, Ph.D., Ecology, 1995, has been a professor of viticulture and program coordinator in Viticulture and WineryTechnology at Napa Valley College since 1986.

Students

The 1997 University Medal for outstanding scholarship was awarded to Jenny Chang, who received a bachelor's degree in biological sciences. The award is the highest student honor given by UC Davis. As an undergraduate, Chang earned an impressive GPA that included 20 A+ grades, and was a UC Regents Scholar and recipient of numerous academic scholarships.

Winnie Wing-Shan Cheung was the female recipient of the Charles Hess Community Service Award. Cheung, who received a bachelor's degree in biochemistry, volunteered as a patient advocate at an Asian medical clinic in Sacramento that provides free health care to elderly Asians and newly arrived immigrant families.

The College of Letters and Science awarded Adam Greene the Herbert A. Young Award for scholastic achievement. Greene received bachelor's degrees in biochemistry and linguistics, and plans to enroll in graduate school to study in the fields of neurobiology and cognitive science.

Mark Grieb, an Aggie quarterback and 1997 biochemistry graduate, received the Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year Award from the campus's Intercollegiate Athletic Program.

Patrick McInturff was awarded the College Medal for exceptional scholarship from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He earned his bachelor's degree in Physiology in just three years. McInturff also received the Charles Hess Community Service Award for his efforts as a counselor and project organizer for the Community Meals Cold-Weather Shelter, and for his work as a dorm resident adviser to more than 130 freshmen.

Biological Sciences major Phuong Thao Thanh Vo was awarded the Lawrence J. Andrews Prize. The College of Letters and Science gives the award to students entering their senior year in recognition of academic excellence and a demonstrated interest in areas outside of pure scholarship.

Kiarash Shahlaie received in May the division's first Undergraduate of the Year Award. He was selected from among six students who had received quarterly recognition awards as part of the annual award program. Quarterly award winners for 1996-1997 were Nelson Bui (Biochemistry) and Karen Ho (Physiology), Fall 1996; Heather Buchanan (Biological Sciences) and Kiarash Shahlaie (Physiology), Winter 1997; and Ali Khadem (Physiology) and Danny Yen (Microbiology), Spring 1997. The award program recognizes outstanding achievements and contributions by students in the division.

Faculty and Staff

Scott Hawley, professor of molecular and cellular biology, received the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research. The award is given to a faculty member who has been conspicuously effective in supporting undergraduate research projects. More than 60 undergraduates have gained research experience in Hawley's laboratory since he joined the UC Davis faculty in 1991.

Microbiology Professor Daniel Klionsky garnered a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation for "distinguished achievement in the past and exceptional promise for the future." Klionsky joined the UC Davis faculty in 1990. The Guggenheim award is enabling him to take a sabbatical at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire, where he is examining mechanisms used by cells to recycle protein during starvation.

The Martin Gibbs Medal from the American Society of Plant Physiologists is being presented this August to William Lucas, professor of plant biology. The biennial award is given to an individual whose work has established new directions of investigation in the plant sciences. A member of the UC Davis faculty since 1977, Lucas has been a pioneer in the study of cell-to-cell communication in plants.

Computer Resource Specialist Hemang Patel and Advising Assistant JoAnn Hausller in Molecular and Cellular Biology received Citation for Excellence awards in May from the Staff Assembly for campus service and general contributions, respectively.

Professor Raymond Rodriguez in Molecular and Cellular Biology received an Outstanding Faculty Advisor Award for 1996-1997 from the Advising Services Office. Each year the award is given to one faculty member from each college or division. Nominations for the award are made by students.

Thomas Rost, associate dean and professor of plant biology, received a 1996-1997 Distinguished Teaching Prize in June from the Davis Division of the Academic Senate. Rost has spend 25 years at UC Davis unveiling to students the inner world of plants. He is known for his inventive teaching style, which includes the use of music and slides in the classroom to enliven technical information. Although busy co-authoring three textbooks, taking on leadership roles on campus and within his professional society, and developing an internship program for Davis High School students, Rost never lost the personal touch in his teaching, according to his former students.

In Memoriam

Pre-eminent botanist Katherine Esau, a member of the UC Davis faculty from 1931-1962, died on June 5, 1997, at the age of 99 in Santa Barbara. Esau became in 1957 the fourth woman elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. In 1989, she received the National Medal of Science, the highest honor accorded American scientists and engineers by the president of the United States.