May 1, 2000 Accolades Frank Talamantes The American Physiological Society (APS) has invited professor of biology Frank Talamantes to present the Solomon A. Berson Distinguished Lecture at the society's annual meeting in 2001. This lectureship, the highest honor awarded by the APS's Endocrinology and Metabolism Section, is in recognition of his major accomplishments in the field of hormones and their receptors. The award includes a $1,000 honorarium and up to $2,000 to cover travel expenses. Talamantes, a prominent endocrinologist, has done pioneering research on a family of hormones called placental lactogens and on the growth hormone receptor. The placental lactogens and the growth hormone receptor are proteins that play crucial roles during pregnancy. Talamantes and his laboratory colleagues have elucidated the structures of these proteins and their genes. They have also investigated the factors involved in modulating their expression during pregnancy and the effects of placental lactogens on target organs such as the mammary gland. In addition, Talamantes is working to understand the protective effect that pregnancy has against breast cancer. Rhonda Rhodes Rhonda Rhodes, a staff member in the Office of Student Development and Community Service, has received this year's "Women Helping Women Award" from the Soroptimist International Society of Santa Cruz County. Rhodes has been actively involved in the community, providing services to battered women and survivors of domestic abuse, both on campus and through the Walnut Avenue Women's Center. The award was presented at a ceremony at Peachwood's Restaurant on April 26. At the ceremony, Lorette Wood, the first female mayor of Santa Cruz, presented Rhodes with a Mayor's Proclamation in recognition of her demonstrated courage, faith, and resilience to face the challenges of her life, and her willingness to share her experiences and hope with others. The proclamation named April 26 "Rhonda Rhodes Day" in the city of Santa Cruz. Menzie Chinn Menzie Chinn, associate professor of economics, has agreed to serve as senior economist for international economics on the President´s Council of Economic Advisors beginning in July. The timing of his appointment, for at least one year, means that he will advise both the Clinton administration and its successor on matters of international finance. In the early 1990s, Chinn's colleague K.C. Fung, also an associate professor of economics, advised both the Bush and early Clinton administration on matters of international trade when he was a member of the same council.