The London School of Economics and Political Science has awarded the Lakatos Award of $10,000 for an outstanding contribution to the philosophy of science to Professor Judea Pearl for his book, "Causality: Models, Reasoning and Inference" (Cambridge University Press, 2000). Pearl, a professor of computer science at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, will give a public award lecture at the school this spring. His book shows how causality -- often treated with suspicion as a nebulous concept -- can, in fact, be developed as a precise, mathematically expressed notion.... The ACLU of Southern California honored select faculty and students as heroes for their participation in three major ACLU education lawsuits. Law Professor Gary Blasi and students in his public policy advocacy class became involved in a historic class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of California public schoolchildren who were deprived of such basic necessities as books and classroom seats. Education professors Jeannie Oakes and John Rogers served as experts in the Daniels v. State of California lawsuit, filed on behalf of public high school students who are being denied equal and adequate access to AP courses.

Margaret Holden Jones, a retired pediatrician and pioneer in the treatment of cerebral palsy, died Dec. 9 of congestive heart failure in Pacific Palisades at age 97. She opened one of the first nursery schools devoted to youngsters with cerebral palsy. After joining UCLA, Jones led the move to open its children's cerebral palsy clinic to adult patients, as well. Although she retired in 1972, she remained dedicated to patient care up until a year ago. Memorial gifts may be made to the Jones-Kanaar Foundation, which she founded to assist the physically challenged. It is located at 742 Via de la Paz, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272.

Robert M. Williams, 88, an emeritus professor of business economics at The Anderson School and founder of the UCLA Anderson Forecast, died on Dec. 6 from heart failure. In 1952, Williams, a faculty member for more than 30 years before retiring in 1983, launched the forecast, now known as one of the premier quarterly economic forecasts in the nation. He introduced one of the first courses on forecasting to be taught at a university and published more than 30 articles on the subject in prestigious professional journals.

Ralph Richardson, a former UCLA professor who influenced local education policy during 25 years as a trustee of the Los Angeles city schools and community colleges, died of emphysema on Jan. 4 in Seattle. He was 83. Richardson, who taught speech and communications at UCLA for 33 years, was an expert on Abraham Lincoln and taught a popular seminar on Lincoln's addresses, continuing even after his retirement in 1981. Donations may be made to the Los Angeles Community College District/Ralph Richardson Foundation, c/o Jeannette Gordon, 770 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017. A memorial program will be held Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. in 118 Haines Hall. Venue subject to change. For more information, call (310) 825-3711.