Academic Federation cites 3 for excellence

The Academic Federation announced the recipients of its teaching and research awards for 2007:

• Excellence in Teaching — Erwin Bautista, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior; and Janet Lane, Linguistics.
• Excellence in Research — Gregory Lanzaro, Entomology.

An awards reception is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. May 17 at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Retirees elect officers

At its spring general meeting earlier this week, the UC Davis Retirees Association elected its officer slate for 2007-08:

Bob Halferty is continuing as president and Gary Schultz as first vice president and president-elect, while Yvonne Marsh was newly elected as second VP. Norma Rice continues as secretary, and Carol Kurtz is in the second year of her term as treasurer.

New board members are Lew Dudman, Ted Hillyer and Don McNary, and continuing board members are Beverly Brooks, Aggie Costantini and James Wilson.

Steak Bake returns

A UC Davis tradition from the campus's early days is coming back: the Steak Bake.

Originally a Faculty Club event, the Steak Bake in its new incarnation is being organized by the Retiree Center, which works with the Emeriti Association and the Retirees Association.

The Steak Bake is scheduled from 6 to 10 p.m. June 9 at the Rec Pool Lodge. The Retiree Center announced that Police Chief Emeritus Calvin Handy and his Vintage Jazz Players will provide entertainment.

Organizers said a maximum of 100 people can attend; ticket sales are now under way, on a first-come, first-serve basis. The cost is $45 per person. To arrange reservations, contact Retiree Center coordinator Doreen Barcelona Strnad, (530) 752-5182 or dastrnad@ucdavis.edu.

River Cats host the Aggies

UC Davis Night at Raley Field is scheduled for May 30, when the Sacramento River Cats are set to take on the Albuquerque Isotopes in a Triple-A baseball game at 7:05 p.m.

For every ticket sold to someone affiliated with UC Davis, the River Cats plan to turn over 50 percent of the proceeds to the university, according to Christina Toy of the athletics department. The money will go toward further development of UC Davis' new multipurpose stadium.

Tickets: www.rivercats.com (click on "Ticket Packages," then "Theme Nights," then "UC Davis Night"). A UC Davis e-mail address is required for discounted UC Davis Night tickets, priced from $6 to $19. For groups of more than 20, contact the River Cats' Jamie Free, (916) 376-4824 or jfree@rivercats.com. Each group receives a free ticket, raffle prize and a scoreboard welcome message.

Farmers market

Fruits and vegetables are more than the subject of research and study on campus. The community is getting a taste of juicy strawberries, tangy cherries and organic vegetables as a farmers market comes to the Quad on Wednesdays.

The East Quad Farmers Market, which began this week, is part of a larger pilot project of the Davis Farmers Market Foundation to expand sales of local produce, promote the use of farm-fresh foods in K-12 schools and on the campus, and educate consumers about nutrition and healthful eating.

The pilot project, which included markets last fall, could serve as a model for other universities and their local farmers markets.

The spring farmers market will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every Wednesday through June 6. The Student Experimental Farm will be among a dozen vendors selling cherries, strawberries, apples and apple juice, organic vegetables, nuts, olive oil and flowers.

Gail Feenstra and Jeri Ohmart of the Davis-based UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program will evaluate the project.