An astronaut, a pioneer in sustainable pest control and the public works minister of Egypt are among the University of California, Davis, alumni who will be honored for their outstanding personal and professional accomplishments at an event on Saturday, Jan. 26.

The Cal Aggie Alumni Association invites the public to attend the 2008 Alumni Awards Gala, including a dinner and an awards ceremony in Freeborn Hall on campus. The honorees are:

Alan R. Hoefer of Hillsborough, Calif. -- Hoefer '55, a retired investment banker, will be awarded the Jerry W. Fielder Memorial Award for extraordinary service to CAAA, the UC Davis Foundation and the university. He has served as partner or corporate finance officer at, among other businesses, Smith Barney and Dean Witter. Hoefer, who was founder and president of the San Francisco-based securities firm Hoefer & Arnett Inc., served on the UC Davis Foundation from 1984 to 1990. In 1986, Hoefer conceived and underwrote the initial funding for the UC Davis Prize for Teaching and Scholarly Achievement, the campus's largest single teaching prize for professors. He was also the first major donor to the Center for the Arts Campaign, which raised funds to build the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Timothy Bucher of Los Altos, Calif. -- Bucher '86, a software executive, will be presented with the Outstanding Alumnus Award for displaying outstanding achievement, promoting innovative change and making professional contributions to the community and to UC Davis. He is the chief executive officer and chief product officer for ZING Systems, a company that develops software for a range of handheld wireless devices. ZING, whose software has been used by Sirius Satellite Radio, among other companies, was recently bought by computer giant Dell. In 2006, Bucher donated 100,000 shares of ZING Systems to the UC Davis College of Engineering. He has volunteered his time to the College of Engineering on many occasions and has served on the college's Dean's Executive Committee since 2005.

Mahmoud A. Abu-Zeid of Imbaba, Giza, Egypt -- Abu-Zeid, minister of public works and water resources for Egypt, has won the Emil M. Mrak International Award for his distinguished career and service outside the United States. The UC Davis alumnus, who earned a master's degree in 1960 and a doctorate in 1962, is a founding member and president of the World Water Council. Also, he has served as a consultant for the World Bank, the World Health Organization and the United States Agency for International Development, among other agencies.

Jon R. Jessen of Yuma, Ariz. -- Jessen '56, a pioneer in sustainable pest control and agricultural practices, is the recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award for exemplary conduct and achievement. He is chairman of the board of Gowan Company, an agricultural chemical company that is one of the largest employers in southern Arizona, and he has been lauded for developing his company's profit-sharing program.

Tracy Caldwell of Houston, Texas -- Caldwell, a NASA astronaut, is recipient of the Young Alumna Award, which honors outstanding professional contributions to the community or to UC Davis within 10 years of graduation. Caldwell, who earned a doctorate in 1997, served as mission specialist earlier this year on her first space flight aboard the space shuttle Endeavor.

Cheryl Harrison of San Francisco, Calif. -- Harrison '79, will be awarded the Aggie Service Award in recognition of her recent dedication of her time, energy, volunteerism and leadership in support of the Cal Aggie Alumni Association and UC Davis. She is a national authority on marketing and is the president and creative director of San Francisco-based Harrison Design Group. She has counseled national firms -- such as Nike, Nokia, General Mills, Wells Fargo and Visa -- on marketing strategies, and has taught about creativity in business at Stanford University. In addition to volunteer service for nonprofit organizations throughout the Bay Area, Harrison has volunteered on the UC Davis Foundation board of trustees and served as chair of the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Dean's Advisory Council. She has also lent her marketing expertise to help plan UC Davis' centennial celebration.

The alumni association will also award Citations for Excellence to alumni whose accomplishments have been recognized by their college, school or program.

For a complete list of recipients, please visit http://www.alumni.ucdavis.edu/awards or call the alumni association at (800) 242-4723.

The dinner and awards ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. For more information and to purchase tickets, please contact event organizer Jennifer Thayer at (530) 754-9098 or jsthayer@ucdavis.edu.

With more than 28,000 members in 44 countries, the Cal Aggie Alumni Association creates ambassadors for UC Davis and enriches the lives of alumni, students and friends worldwide.