Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef talks with UC Davis student Gregory Girvan on Monday during a reception at the UC Davis Washington Center in Washington, D.C. The event offered the chancellor a chance to meet with Girvan -- who is interning for the Democratic Leadership Council -- and about 20 of Girvan's fellow UC Davis students who are currently taking part in various Washington Center internship programs. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Judy Sakaki also was among those on hand to meet with students and coordinators at the center. Vanderhoef talked casually with students about their respective internships -- including work at the Washington offices of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. Reps. Wally Herger, R-Chico; and Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose; and U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada. Vanderhoef noted that he had worked in Washington years ago and loved it. He called the internships "a life-changing experience." The chancellor has been in he nation's capital and New York this week, cultivating relationships with UC Davis alumni, state and federal policymakers, Bush Administration officials and other private and public sector leaders, including new U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral, who is a UC Davis alumna; former U.S. Rep Vic Fazio; Cal Dooley, CEO of the Food Products Association; and newspaper reporters. Topics of conversation have included federal investment in research, stem cell research, reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and the importance of international students to universities like UC Davis.