Geology professor Ken Verosub has won the $30,000 UC Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching and Scholarly Achievement this year, it was announced in his class today. Believed to be the largest individual annual award of its kind in the nation, the prize pays tribute to faculty members on campus who combine outstanding undergraduate teaching with remarkable scholarly achievements. In all his classes, Verosub reaches out to students with music, current events, slides, e-mail and lots of class participation. He also conveys to students the ragged, irregular and sometimes chaotic way that scientists actually work. He understands what this means because he is recognized as one of the leaders in research on the magnetic properties of sediments and sedimentary rocks. With this realistic view of science, students often raise questions that lead Verosub to new avenues of research. "In this way," he says, "research enhances and informs the teaching, while the teaching stimulates and inspires the research." The UC Davis prize will be awarded to Verosub at a gala dinner May 30 in Freeborn Hall. Black and white photographs available upon request.