Louis Warren, the W. Turrentine Jackson Professor of Western U.S. History at UC Davis, has been awarded the 2007 Beveridge Prize from the American Historical Association for his 2005 book "Buffalo Bill's America: William Cody and the Wild West Show." The association gives the prize to promote and honor outstanding books on the history of the United States, Latin America or Canada, from 1492 to the present.

UC Davis Native American studies professor Steven Crum was recently a guest lecturer at the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., where he presented topics on Native American history to members of the education staff. The lecture series is the beginning of ongoing training to bring Native American scholars to meet with the Smithsonian staff.

Spanish lecturer Francisco Alarcon's book, "Poems to Dream Together," has been named an honor book in the Books for Younger Children category by the Jane Addams Peace Association. In 19 poems in Spanish and English, Alarcon inspires his readers to dream alone and to work together as families and communities. On Oct. 20, he accepted the honor at the 53rd Jane Addams Children's Book Awards at the United Nations in New York City. The work was illustrated by Paula Barragan and published by Lee & Low Books.

Emily Goldman, political science professor and director of the UC Davis Washington Program, went on leave Oct. 1 to work for the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs. She has been asked to help transform the Department of Defense's regional security studies centers to more effectively address the challenges of the post-9/11 world. While Goldman is on leave, Larry Berman, political science professor and former director of the systemwide UC Washington Program, will serve as interim director of the UC Davis Washington Program. He will be shuttling between Davis and Washington, and then teaching on campus during the winter term.

Mark Francis, professor of landscape architecture and environmental design at UC Davis, has been elected a fellow of the Institute for Urban Design in New York City. The fellowship recognizes his contributions to urban design and regional planning.

David Gandara, professor of hematology and oncology, has been elected co-chair of the National Cancer Institute's Investigational Drug Steering Committee. The committee is charged with recommending reforms of the nation's clinical cancer research enterprise. Gandara is associate director for clinical research at UC Davis Cancer Center and director of the center's Thoracic Oncology Program. He is chair of the Southwest Oncology Group's Lung Committee.

Andrew Vaughan, a radiobiologist in the UC Davis Department of Radiation Oncology, was appointed to serve as a member of the National Institutes of Health's Basic Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics Study Section. The committee reviews grant applications submitted to the NIH.

Marlene von Friederichs-Fitzwater, assistant professor of hematology and oncology and director of the UC Davis Cancer Center's Outreach Research and Education Program, has been appointed by the American Cancer Society to a two-year term as legislative ambassador for the state of California.

Sidney Scudder, professor of hematology and oncology, was elected president of the Western Association of Gynecologic Oncology.

The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently presented its Awards of Distinction to the following faculty and staff members:

• Carol Cooper, a 38-year member of the Department of Food Science and Technology, received the staff award of distinction. She has helped countless food science majors complete their academic requirements, prepare for careers and graduate school, and obtain scholarships and internships. She began her career at UC Davis as the department's librarian and became staff undergraduate academic adviser. She has received numerous awards for her outstanding commitment to students, including the UC Davis Staff Assembly "Citation for Excellence," the CA&ES Walker Award for Outstanding College Advising, and the Outstanding Staff Advisor Award from the Academic Peer Advising Program.
• Gary Anderson, distinguished animal science professor at UC Davis, received the faculty award of distinction. He has received nearly every teaching award offered on campus -- including Academic Senate awards for Distinguished Teaching and Distinguished Graduate Teaching, the UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement, and the Magnar Ronning Teaching Award. Anderson has mentored 16 doctorate students and 40 master's students. Chair of the Department of Animal Science from 1998 through 2005, he is also known for his innovative research on embryonic transfer in livestock and is active in animal science professional societies.

Two University Relations units together recently won international recognition by bringing home the Council for Advancement and Support of Education's Circle of Excellence Gold Award. The team members include Andrea Dickens, Dana Daubert, John Finazzo, Kathy Henderson, Vivian Lam, Noreen Sotelo and Mike Tomlinson. CASE recognized the collaborative team -- the Development Research unit and the Advancement Services unit -- for creating an innovative and effective prospect identification program that supported UC Davis fundraising efforts.