Three faculty members in psychology, animal science and cell biology were recognized today by colleagues at the University of California, Davis, for their outstanding teaching abilities. Receiving Distinguished Teaching Awards from the campus division of the Academic Senate were Edward DePeters, a professor of animal science; Debra Long, an associate professor of psychology; and Vijaya Kumari, a professor of cell biology and human anatomy. The awards, established in 1973, are given annually during the spring quarter to as many as four faculty members. The honor carries a monetary award for each recipient and for their academic departments. • You know it's spring quarter when you see Ed DePeters sporting a button that reads "I (Heart) Milk." Each year at the beginning of his dairy-cattle production class, DePeters passes out the buttons to his students, with instructions that they be worn at all times for the duration of the course. It's a small touch, but reflective of DePeters' dedication to his students and enthusiasm for his subject matter, said colleagues. An authority on nutrition for dairy cattle, DePeters has been a member of the UC Davis animal science department faculty since 1979. He is known for delivering clear lectures, welcoming questions from students and administering fair tests. And he extends his involvement in student activities beyond the classroom, participating in annual campus events including Picnic Day, Dairy Cattle Day and Ag Science Field Day. "While he is scientifically rigorous and challenging, he is also nurturing, fair-minded and generous... ," said one colleague. "Ed's sphere of influence over students surpasses academics. It expands into the areas of integrity, responsibility and good leadership in general." • The hallway outside of Debra Long's office is typically "buzzing" with enthusiastic students, according to her colleagues. Long truly possesses a "rare and special gift for teaching and mentoring students," they noted. A cognitive scientist, she studies how language is processed and reading ability is developed. She has been a member of the UC Davis psychology department since 1989. Long is known for developing demanding and innovative examinations that require analytic thinking expressed in short essays. She further encourages writing by her students, asking them to submit outlines and work-in-progress for personal review and feedback. This intensive, one-on-one style of teaching demands an impressive amount of time from an instructor, but it is a sacrifice that is not lost on Long's students. "She has served as a model for teaching, mentoring and collaboration with students," said one of Long's former graduate students, now a faculty member at another institution. "As I prepare my own courses, I often find myself attempting to emulate her energy and clarity in the classroom." • Vijaya Kumari of the school of medicine's department of cell biology and human anatomy is not a newcomer to teaching awards. On four occasions she has won the school's Kaiser Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Basic Sciences. She was co-nominated for this year's distinguished teaching award by 140 medical students from three different classes. In their nomination, the students affirmed that Kumari is a "shining example of the best teaching the school had to offer." Kumari has a long-standing reputation in the medical school as a caring educator, concerned about medical students both as pupils and as people. A member of the medical school faculty since 1969, she studies how the glial cells of the brain respond to brain injury. In addition to teaching and mentoring medical students, she also has become a leader in helping faculty members develop as educators. And for the past 18 years, she has opened her laboratory to undergraduate student interns, even when officially on sabbatic leave. "What was most important about Dr. Kumari's teaching is that she taught me how to learn and teach myself," recalled one former intern, who was headed for medical school.