Paul Ashwood, associate professor of medical microbiology and immunology at the UC Davis School of Medicine, has received a Suzanne and Bob Wright Trailblazer Award for $770,000 for research into the biological mechanisms that 
underlie gastrointestinal disorders in autism.

He will lead the research and collaborate with 
colleagues at the California Institute of Technology and the School of Medicine at the University of Maryland.

Many children with 
autism experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as irregular bowel movements and abdominal pain. The presence of gastrointestinal symptoms often is associated with increased irritability, tantrums, aggressive behavior and sleep disturbances.

For these children and their families, rigorous studies of the 
relationship between gastrointestinal dysfunction and autism are a major unmet need.

————

The Yolo County Bar Association celebrated Law Day and presented several awards on May 2.

Angela Smith, an enforcement officer with the Child Abduction Unit of the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office, received the Liberty Bell Award. This award honors a non-lawyer who has promoted better understanding of law.

BJ Ford, a former Woodland school board member and former president of the Woodland League of Women Voters, was honored with the Cherished Knowledge Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Resolutions were presented to Judge Steven L. Mock for his 20 years of service and Dr. Mortimer Schwartz for his 37 years of service to the Law Library on behalf of the Yolo County Law Library Board of Trustees.

The proceeds from the event will go to two local charities: Meals on Wheels and the Food Bank of Yolo County.

————

Skyler Jackman, the son of Alan and Jean Jackman of Davis, has published a paper on the retina in the May issue of “PLoS Biology.” It is the editor’s pick. Since October 2010, he has been a  research fellow in the department of neurobiology at Harvard Medical School.

A 1997 graduate of Davis High School, he received his Ph.D in physics from UC Berkeley in 2009 and was a Grass Fellow at the Woods Hole Marine Biological Institute in 2010.

————

Audrey Schneider was honored Friday, May 13, as the newest member of Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada’s Century Circle. Schneider is the 36th centenarian to receive recognition since the program began, and the fifth living at St. John’s Retirement Village in Woodland.

Last May, during Older Americans Month, Yamada, D-Davis, launched the Century Circle, recognizing centenarians residing in the 8th Assembly District, which includes Yolo and Solano counties. Based on the “Keiro No Hi” or “Respect for the Aged Day” — national recognition accorded centenarians in Japan — this voluntary recognition program has honored 35 centenarians in the past year.

The goal of the program, Yamada said, is to bring greater attention to the growing number of people 100 years of age and older, their families and those who care for them.

Each year the Administration on Aging establishes a theme for Older Americans Month. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Older Americans: Connecting the Community.” This theme pays homage to the many ways in which older adults bring inspiration and continuity to the fabric of our communities.

————

— Do you know of someone who has won an award or accomplished something noteworthy? Send it, preferably by email, to [email protected], or to Name droppers, The Davis Enterprise, P.O. Box 1470, Davis, CA 95617.

Comments

comments