Neal Van Alfen, professor of plant pathology and former dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the recipient of an Honorary Fellow Award from the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation.

The award, given to one or two people annually, recognizes “consistent commitment and uncommon excellence in the furtherance of education and leadership in California agriculture.”

Recipients also are dedicated, longtime supporters of the California Agricultural Leadership Program. The foundation has run the program for more than 40 years — assisting more than 1,200 emerging agricultural leaders.

As dean of one of the foundation’s partner universities, Van Alfen served on the board of directors and as a member of the committees that screened candidates for the leadership program.

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Plant scientists Pamela Ronald, David Mackill and Kekong Xu have been named Tech Awards laureates for 2012 for identifying a gene that enables rice to survive prolonged flooding, and then using molecular breeding to introduce that gene into rice varieties around the world.

The submergence-tolerant gene has led to rice yields five times greater than conventional varieties exposed to seasonal flooding.

Ronald is a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and the Genome Center, and Mackill is an adjunct professor in the Department Plant Sciences. Xu is an assistant professor of horticultural sciences at Cornell University and formerly a postdoctoral fellow at UC Davis.

The laureate honors are among the Tech Awards from the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. The museum has named 259 laureates since 2001, recognizing individuals, initiatives, organizations and companies for their efforts to use technology to benefit of humanity.

This year’s Teach Awards Gala is scheduled for Nov. 15 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.

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History professor Michael Saler’s As If: Modern Enchantment and the Literary Prehistory of Virtual Reality is among The Huffington Post’s best books of 2012.

“Saler explores the motives behind members of societies devoted to imaginary worlds, such as those created by Tolkien and Doyle, and in doing so uncovers some fascinating truths about society,” The Post declares in a caption accompanying a photo slide of the book’s cover.

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The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene announced UC Davis’ William K. Reisen as the 2012 recipient of the Harry Hoogstraal Medal for Outstanding Achievement in Medical Entomology.

The presentation is scheduled for Nov. 11 in Atlanta amid the society’s annual meeting.

Reisen, a research entomologist, is internationally known for his research on mosquitoes, especially those that transmit encephalitis and West Nile virus. He is the director of UC’s Center for Vectorborne Diseases, based at UC Davis; and an adjunct professor in the Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, in the School of Veterinary Medicine.

Hoogstraal, a global authority on ticks and tick-borne diseases, died in 1986 — and the medal that bears his name was first presented in 1987. Reisen becomes the fourth UC Davis scientist to receive the medal, following John Edman, 2004; Robert Washino, 2005; and Bruce Eldridge, 2007.

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The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences this year presented Awards of Distinction to a faculty member, a staff member, two alumni and four friends of the college.

The presentations took place during the annual College Celebration, Oct. 5.

In honoring Peter Moyle, professor of fish biology, the college noted his vast knowledge of California fish and aquatic ecosystems, and his role in the state’s water management. “He was responsible for first quantifying the decline of delta smelt, work that ultimately led to an endangered species listing for the fish and is at the foundation of its recovery efforts.”

The honored staff member, Garry Pearson, is a UC Davis graduate (Bachelor of Science degree in plant sciences, 1980) who works for the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences as lead greenhouse manager, supervising other managers and nursery technicians who are responsible for about 150,000 square feet of greenhouse space at various locations on campus.

Associate Vice Chancellor Kathleen Socolofsky, director of the UC Davis Arboretum, received an Award of Distinction as a friend of the college. The college noted her efforts in bringing about major improvements in the arboretum’s infrastructure (including paths, plantings and signs), the result of partnerships across the campus and in the community; and her role in developing the Arboretum Teaching Nursery and the Public Garden Initiative, comprising a series of landscapes with links to academic departments.

Read about all of the Awards of Distinction for 2012.

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Dateline UC Davis welcomes news of faculty and staff awards, for publication in Laurels. Send information to dateline@ucdavis.edu.

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