One of 16 children on a small Michigan dairy farm, Gary Anderson grew up in a world of hard work woven together with the wonders of nature. These threads still define the texture of life for the animal science professor who today was named to receive this year's $30,000 Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement at the University of California, Davis. Believed to be the largest individual award of its kind in the nation, the annual prize pays tribute to campus faculty members who combine outstanding undergraduate teaching with remarkable scholarly achievement. Established by the UC Davis Foundation through gifts from the Davis Chancellor's Club Fellows, the prize is based on the recommendations of both academic peers and students. It will be awarded to Anderson at a gala dinner May 22 in Freeborn Hall. "This award is a small tangible expression of our gratitude to those who excel in their mission of teaching," said Julita Fong, chair of the foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports UC Davis. 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, and his outstanding research achievements were honored by the American Society of Animal Science, which presented him with its 1995 Research Award in Physiology. His research projects are concentrated in four areas: understanding the biological barrier that prevents successful cross-species pregnancies, improving milk composition by transferring genes into cows to change their milk proteins, isolating embryonic stem cells from embryos of domestic livestock and examining the reproductive processes in various animal species ranging from mice to horses. He currently is teaching lecture and laboratory courses on the physiology of reproduction. In addition to classroom teaching, he serves each year as the major professor to several graduate students and as major adviser to about 20 undergraduate students. "Ideally, all our faculty members strive for a balanced blending of their research and teaching activities," said UC Davis Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef. "Gary Anderson is the exemplar. Melding his work as teacher and researcher, he is wholeheartedly committed to his students as an integral part of the scientific endeavor." Anderson's colleagues praise him for his practical devotion to teaching, noting that after 23 years in the lecture hall he still "frets" over every lecture, lab and seminar. He not only continues to evaluate the content of lectures that he has delivered countless times, but, also continues to practice their delivery. Students, meanwhile, give Anderson high marks for his enthusiasm, sense of humor, organization, approachability .... and "cool" neckties. His excitement about his subject intrigues them. Anderson was never anxious to leave the family farm when he headed off to study dairy science at Michigan State University. But as the 11th child in the Anderson clan, with an older brother already interested in running the farm, he realized his career path would likely lead elsewhere. He originally planned to become a high school biology teacher. One semester of student teaching and the guidance of a college professor instead steered him toward graduate school at Cornell University, where the excitement of scientific research snared him. In 1973, after obtaining his doctoral degree in vertebrate physiology from Cornell, Anderson joined the faculty of the UC Davis animal science department. Fresh out of graduate school, he recalls arriving in Davis looking younger than many of the students in his introductory animal science class. He intuitively fell back on his farm-bred work ethic and the teaching model of Robert Foote, his major professor at Cornell. "He believed one had to place a high priority on teaching, and he put a lot of time into teaching," recalled Anderson. "He rarely stated his philosopy, but he lived it." Since those first years on campus, Anderson's own teaching style has changed little. He's just more relaxed, he believes. He offers no secrets to teaching, aside from meticulous organization and preparation. He 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. "To be a truly effective teacher takes a commitment of time and energy," he said. "The night before a lecture is sacred. I don't go anywhere. I'm at home working on my lecture." He continually draws upon his ongoing research in the area of embryo development to fuel his classroom lectures. This synergy can be powerful, and he is encouraged that UC Davis increasingly views itself as a strong teaching campus as well as a powerful research institution. Students comment that Anderson seems to really care about his students and how they are doing in his classes. "He hasn't forgotten what it's like to be a student," says one. Anderson works hard to follow through on his course plans and is almost obsessive about fairness. "Equity is important," he says. "I can be sympathetic to students, but I also have to treat everyone fairly. I hope students don't ever have to wonder if they are getting what's coming to them." Despite all of his attention to organization and preparation, Anderson admits there are still those bad days at the lectern when he doubts that he is connecting with his young audience. "I think my lecture is lasting forever and look at my watch only to find I've talked for only five minutes," he recalls ruefully. While most undergraduate teaching is confined to the lecture and lab, graduate education for Anderson's students often occurs in the campus barns, standing watch over a pregnant animal. "I've spent many nights sleeping in one of the research barns, just taking my turn," said Anderson. "It's important to take your turn." He tries to maintain an atmosphere of mutual respect and friendship among his graduate students. During long days in the lab or around the holidays, Anderson frequently prepares multicourse meals for his student group. It's all part of his philosophy that learning is hard work, but it need not be painful. Furthermore, he feels genuinely indebted to his graduate students. "I stay current in this field through what my graduate students are learning, and our lab continues to be competitive and stay funded through their work," he said. Those are the more tangible rewards of teaching. But for the most part, the payback is very simple. "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." That's what Joan Rowe from Anderson's first animal science class back in 1974 said when she returned recently, not as a student, but as a faculty member in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. She is just one of Anderson's many former students who have gone on to careers in veterinary medicine or as faculty members at research universities throughout the nation. "Dr. Anderson has touched the lives of many students at UC Davis," Rowe wrote in supporting his nomination for the teaching prize. "His teaching should be celebrated as one of the richest experiences of a UC Davis education."