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Biologist Stephen Davis Presents Cherry Award Lecture on the Spice of Science

Stephen D. Davis, Distinguished Professor of Biology and the 2008 recipient of the Robert Foster Cherry Award Recipient for Great Teaching, will present his Cherry Award lecture, titled "Undergraduate Research: Celebrating the Spice of Science," on Monday, Feb. 11, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Smothers Theatre on the Malibu campus.

A reception for Davis will be held in advance of the lecture in the faculty dining room of the Tyler Campus Center. The reception begins at 5:30 p.m.

In honor of Davis's award, the Natural Science Division also will present the "Celebration of Science, Scholarship, and Students Symposium" from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Hahn Fireside Room. Six of his distinguished alumni, former faculty, and colleagues - Drs. Stephanie Fabritius, Anna Jacobsen, Brandon Pratt, Frank Ewers, Dwayne Simmons, and Gary Tallman - will each present the "one big idea" in science on which they are currently focused and its implications for the scientific community.

All of the day's events are free of charge and open to the public.

Davis was awarded the 2008 Robert Foster Cherry Award for Great Teaching in January 2008. It is the only national teaching award - with the single largest monetary reward of $200,000 - presented by a college or university to an individual for exceptional teaching.

The Cherry Award program is designed to honor great teachers, stimulate discussion in the academy about the value of teaching, and encourage departments and institutions to value their own great teachers. As the 2008 recipient, Davis will receive the $200,000 award, plus $25,000 for his home department at Pepperdine. He will teach in residence at Baylor during fall 2008.

Much of Davis's research centers on plant physiological ecology or the ability of plants to adapt to fire, freezing, and drought. In 2002, Davis was awarded a three-year, $300,000 grant to study chaparral, the most abundant native plant life in Southern California. The award represented the largest National Science Foundation (NSF) grant ever to be awarded to Pepperdine. That same year he was named Pepperdine Professor of the Year.

Please click here for more information about the award and to listen to a conversation with Davis. Please contact the Natural Science Division at (310) 506-4312 for more information about the symposium and lecture.