Dancing in the aisles at Mondavi ... The Cross-Cultural Center's Griselda Castro, a mover and shaker behind Tuesday's tribute to the Principles of Community at Mondavi Center, reports that the Los Lobos/ Lila Downs concert was a bonafide fiesta. There were 1,600 seats sold, and students filled nearly a quarter of the audience. Inspired by the Mexican and border music, much of the audience ended up dancing in the aisles. In addition, 200 alumni attended the concert and art show. The art show, the first for the Mondavi, included among many area artists UC Davis' own Chicana/o studies professor Malaquias Montoya. Legislators and other politicians also attended.

Taking the plunge--Tahoe-style ... UC Davis limnologist Charles Goldman, whose work has chronicled the health of Lake Tahoe for more than 40 years, was recently married to Nancy Finch in a small ceremony in Tahoe City aboard UC Davis' research boat, the John Le Conte. The bride really did wear white -- a white snow parka -- and lots of extra white by the time the vows were finished, because the ceremony took place in the middle of a blizzard. Bob Richards, longtime Tahoe researcher and captain of the Le Conte, served as best man.

Making the case for research ... UC Davis has recently been flooding Capitol Hill in Washington to tout campus research projects. Recent visitors have included Barry Klein, vice chancellor for research; Marj Dickinson, assistant vice chancellor for government and community relations; and Neal Van Alfen, dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, who visited the offices of several members of Congress to discuss research and development funding. They were accompanied by officials from the M&M Mars Co., who were expressing the value of research to industry in America. Meanwhile, Professor Tag Demment, director for the Global Livestock Collaborative Research Program, recently visited the office of Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Berkeley) to discuss international issues regarding agriculture and nutrition in Africa. And Susan Kaiser, chair of textiles and clothing, visited several California delegation offices to discuss the National Textile Center.

A 'Peace'ful place ... With 55 volunteers, UC Davis ranked 20th among large American universities in producing the most Peace Corps volunteers in 2003, the Peace Corps announced last month. "Large" is defined as universities with more than 15,000 undergraduates. Joining UC Davis among the better places for the peace-loving kind were: UC Berkeley, ranked sixth with 83 volunteers; UC Santa Barbara, at eighth with 73 students; and UCLA at 15th with 61 volunteers. For the 10th year, the University of Wisconsin, Madison, had the highest number of alumni serving, with 142 volunteers. Over time, however, UC Berkeley has produced the most Peace Corps members -- a total of 3,173.

Let bugs bug you no more ... The February issue of National Geographic features the work of director Lynn Kimsey and the Bohart Museum of Entomology. Kimsey will also be featured in a National Geographic Channel TV special on bugs. She makes the point that there is no reason for humans to fear insects, but rather we should learn to appreciate all they do to make Earth inhabitable. "If we didn't have insects, we'd be up to our hips in dead stuff and wood debris," she said. "Insects are the single most important recyclers in the environment."

• Know about people who are raising morale, enjoying offbeat accomplishments, or making special contributions that benefit the campus? E-mail your ideas to dateline@ucdavis.edu.