Vicki Ruiz appointed to Smithsonian advisory board

Vicki Ruiz, professor of history and Chicano/Latino studies and interim dean of humanities at UC Irvine, was recently elected to a three-year term on the advisory board for the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. The museum collects and studies objects that reflect the experience of Americans. Ruiz is an expert in 20th century U.S. history, specializing in Chicana/o studies, oral narratives, gender studies, labor, immigration, and California and the West. In addition, Latinas in the United States: A Historical Encyclopedia, a three-volume set co-edited by Ruiz and published in 2006, recently won two awards: “2007 Best in Reference,” by the New York Public Library, and “Outstanding Title,” by the American Association of University Presses.