He's enthusiastic, funny, organized, approachable, and he wears "cool" neckties. He's also one of the world's leading researchers in the biology of animal embryos and is working to improve milk by genetically engineering dairy cows. Since he so artfully blends the classroom and the research laboratory, Gary Anderson, a professor of animal science, has just been chosen as the recipient of the annual $30,000 UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement. Believed to be the largest individual award of its kind in the nation, the prize pays tribute to campus faculty members who combine outstanding undergraduate teaching with remarkable scholarly achievement. An international leader in the field of embryo physiology, Anderson focuses most of his teaching and research on the reproduction of mammals, particularly livestock species. He has received numerous teaching awards. Anderson still mulls over every lecture trying to think of ways to make better transitions between subjects. And, yes, he does still practice the delivery of each lecture, since he isn't naturally comfortable as a public speaker. "It sounds hokey, but the reward is when a student says 'thank you, I enjoyed your class and I learned something,' " says Anderson. "Because the two are not the same."