This column offers a sampling of honors recently awarded to UC Davis' faculty, staff and units.

Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef has been elected an honorary member of the World Innovation Foundation. WIF's mission is "to bring into being a new world order that is based upon equality, a sharing environment, human dignity, self-worth and the economic cooperation of nations as one nation — the only way that the world can evolve peacefully in the 21st century and where scientists and engineers are increasingly the only ones who can provide the 'tools' for this future condition."

Alan Hastings has been named the 2006 winner of the Ecological Society of America's Robert H. MacArthur Award. He joins a list of the most influential figures in ecology of the past 40 years. The award is given biannually to an established ecologist in mid-career for meritorious contributions to ecology, in the expectation of continued outstanding ecological research. Hastings will give an address at the annual meeting of the society, which also will be published in the journal Ecology.

A September opening is planned for an exhibit by Robin Hill, associate professor of art, at the University Gallery at California State University, Stanislaus, in Turlock. The show, titled New Works: Multiplying the Variations, will feature sculptures, installations and cyanotypes, and will reflect the artist's engagement with elements that flow, divide, accumulate and dissipate. Earlier this summer Hill exhibited Kardex 2006 at a gallery called another year in LA. Kardex was an interactive installation that Hill created with composer Sam Nichols.

Sally DeNardo, a senior professor in the Departments of Internal Medicine and Radiology, and Gerald DeNardo, professor emeritus of Internal Medicine, Radiology and Pathology at UC Davis, were invited to speak at the 25th annual Philip M. Johnson Memorial Lecture at the New York Academy of Medicine Section on Nuclear Medicine and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, Department of Radiology, which took place on May 16.

George "Ron" Mangun, director of the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain and a professor of psychology, has been elected into the International Neuropsychological Symposium, as one of only 38 North American members and only 124 members worldwide. The group, whose bylaws limit the membership, has met annually since 1951 to promote the knowledge and understanding of brain functions and cognate issues on the borderland of neurology, psychology and psychiatry.

Donald Nielsen, professor emeritus of soil and water science, received honorary membership to the International Union of Soil Sciences during the 18th World Congress of Soil Science in Philadelphia. This recognition is for soil scientists of distinction and international reputation who have given service to the International Union of Soil Sciences. While at Davis, Nielsen collaborated with 90 soil scientists from 40 countries. Nielsen retired in 1994, but continues to visit and encourage young colleagues worldwide.

An invention by Ning Pan, professor of textiles and clothing, has been selected for the second annual "Nano 50" list by Nanotech Briefs magazine. Pan developed carbon nanotubes into a supercapacitor, a device to store and rapidly release electrical power. The award recognizes innovations in nanotechnology that have or are expected to have a major impact in one or more areas. The prize will be awarded at the NASA Tech Briefs National Nano Engineering Conference in Boston, Nov. 9 and 10.

Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola, professor of clinical internal medicine and director of the UC Davis Center for Reducing Health Disparities, was unanimously elected as chair of the National Mental Health Association's (NMHA) board of directors. He is the first Latino to serve as board chair for the national organization and its 340 affiliates around the country, which focus on improving mental health and addressing all aspects of mental illness. Aguilar-Gaxiola is an internationally renowned expert on mental health in ethnic populations.

Henry Fastenau, a diving and boating safety officer at the Bodega Marine Laboratory, has been elected as the first president of the Scientific Boating Safety Association. The SBSA mission is to ensure that all scientific boating is conducted in a manner that will maximize safety and to establish standards for training and certification that will allow a working reciprocity between organizational members. Eighteen research organizations from the West Coast are members of the SBSA.

John Pascoe, executive associate dean at the School of Veterinary Medicine, recently received the school's highest honor, the 2006 Alumni Achievement Award. Pascoe has shown exceptional vision, energy and passion as the "architect of the future" of the veterinary school. A faculty member since 1983, Pascoe is overseeing the design and implementation of the school's $354 million long-range facilities plan.

Walter Boyce, professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, received the Carl Norden-Pfizer Distinguished Teacher Award in appreciation of his ongoing, distinguished teaching performance. Boyce's ability, dedication, character and leadership have led to significant contributions to instruction and graduate clinical programs.

Kent Pinkerton has received the School of Veterinary Medicine Faculty Teaching Award. While a professor-in-residence in the Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Cell Biology, Pinkerton taught veterinary anatomy, toxicology and development courses, especially as those subjects relate to the lungs and their function. He directs the Center for Health and the Environment, a research group that studies environmental health and toxicology issues across the disciplines of medicine, engineering, agriculture and the sciences.

Alan Conley, Department of Population Health and Reproduction, has received the 2006 Pfizer Animal Health Award for Re search Excellence. Conley's reproductive studies across a variety of species have led to new insights into gender differentiation, the nature and regulation of sex hormones, and the improvement of reproductive function. He has also advanced the understanding of the evolution of reproduction in different species.

The American Veterinary Medical Association recently presented its Animal Welfare Award to John Madigan of the School of Veterinary Medicine. The award recognizes Madigan's efforts to advance animal well-being, as well as his dedication to animal care, and his contributions to the community and society. Madigan is a professor of medicine and epidemiology, and an equine specialist, and he heads the Veterinary Emergency Response and Helicopter Rescue teams. He received the award during the association's convention in Honolulu.