Professors Michael Parrella and Michael Reid are due to be inducted into the California Floriculture Hall of Fame on Aug. 8.

Parrella, chair of the Department of Entomology with a joint appointment in plant sciences, develops integrated pest management strategies for ornamental crops, with an emphasis on biological control. He initiated what has become an annual conference on insect and disease management on ornamentals, sponsored by the Society of American Florists and first held in 1985.

Reid, of the Department of Plant Sciences, is an expert in postharvest physiology and handling of ornamental crops, conducting research on the senescence of ornamental plants, particularly cut flowers and potted plants. With a partial appointment in Cooperative Extension, Reid’s work covers the spectrum from studies of the biochemistry of senescence to application, in the field, of new methods in postharvest technology.

The names of hall of fame inductees are engraved on permanent plaques at the San Francisco Flower Market, the Los Angeles Flower Market and the San Diego International Floral Trade Center.

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The American Council of Learned Societies recently awarded fellowships to three UC Davis faculty members and a Ph.D. graduate.

The faculty members received grants of up to $60,000 for specified projects, as follows:

• Catherine Kudlick, professor of history — “Disability and the Hidden History of Smallpox in France, 1700-1900”

• David Simpson, professor, Gwendolyn Bridges Needham Chair in English Literature — “Strangers in the House: Home and World in Romantic Literature”

• Claire Waters, associate professor of English — “Translation, Education, and Salvation in the 13th Century”

The council selected Marisol Cortez for its New Faculty Fellow program, under which she received a two-year appointment in the American Studies Program at the University of Kansas — along with annual payments of $50,000 plus $5,000 for research and travel. She received her Ph.D. in cultural studies, with a dissertation titled "The Ecology of Scatology: Excretory Encounters in American Cultural Life."

The American Council of Learned Societies is a private, nonprofit federation of 70 national scholarly organizations, according to its website, which describes the council as “the preeminent representative of American scholarship in the humanities and related social sciences.”

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Frederick Meyers, associate executive dean of the UC Davis Heath System, has been named a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, London.

Three of his UC Davis colleagues, who themselves are fellows of the Royal College of Physicians, nominated Meyers to join them, based on his exemplary service and achievements in palliative care and his extraordinary work as a medical educator.

His nominators: Timothy Albertson, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine; Andrew Chan, associate professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine; and Joseph Leung, professor of gastroenterology and hepatology.

Meyers has distinguished himself in the areas of hospice and “simultaneous care,” in which patients have the opportunity to receive investigative treatments along with palliative care. Also, he led the internal medicine department's expansion of academic medicine.

Among his responsibilities as executive associate dean, Meyers oversees the School of Medicine’s research, teaching, clinical care and community engagement, as well as efforts to foster basic, translational and clinical research.

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An international communications organization recently presented a bronze award to Alison Van Eenennaam for an educational video that she produced, Animal Biotechnology.

Van Eenennaam, an extension specialist in biotechnology, in the Department of Animal Science, received the award from the Association for Communication Excellence in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Life and Human Sciences, comprising communicators, educators and information technologists.

College and high school students and interested members of the general public comprise the target audience for Animal Biotechnology. As of the middle of July, the video had drawn more than 22,000 views on You Tube. (You can also see the video here.)

The video addresses biotechnology’s medical and agricultural applications, and some of the science-based and ethical concerns surrounding these applications.

The same association also recognized two UC Davis communicators:

• Diane Nelson, senior writer, Department of Plant Sciences — Gold award in the special publication category, for “Exploring Ecosystem Management,” which appeared in the spring 2009 edition of the department’s biannual magazine, The Leaflet. In addition, Nelson received the association’s award for outstanding professional skill.

• Kathy Keatley Garvey, senior writer, Department of Entomology — Gold award in the newspaper category, for “The Young Bee Crusaders: Working to Save the Honeybees,” about children’s efforts to help save honeybees in the face of colony collapse disorder.

The association presented a silver award to Janet White, executive editor, and Janet Byron, managing editor, of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ quarterly journal, California Agriculture. The award honored their work on the April-June 2009 issue, “‘Unequivocal’: “How Climate Change Will Transform California.”

Also, Byron received a regional “pioneer” award, in recognition of the work she has done in the early part of her career — exceptional leadership and technical skills, and significant contributions to the association.

The association gave a bronze award for the online version of California Agriculture.