UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences has named seven graduates as Outstanding Alumni and Outstanding Recent Alumni for 2005. The award program was established to commend noted graduates and to provide alumni with opportunities to meet and share with students, faculty, staff and administrators.

The 2005 Outstanding Alumni include:

--Rupert P. Amann. A renowned reproductive physiologist, Amann has served on the faculties of Penn State and Colorado State University for 32 years. He was also vice president for research for a State College, Pa., research and development company for 14 years. He has published more than 200 papers, many regarded as ground-breaking, in the field of reproductive physiology. Amann also holds eight patents in the field. He received his master's degree in 1957 and his doctoral degree in 1961 from Penn State both in dairy science.

--Alan F. Bilzi. Founder of Nanitech LLC, Bilzi built two prosperous companies and recently began to market an innovative, patent-pending product called Polyflon PolyMetallix, which aids in degrading soil and groundwater pollutants. As one of the founders of Earth Sciences Consultants Inc., Bilzi was integral in transforming the three-person company into a successful business that employed more than 175 people. His diversified career has spanned 30 years and encompasses experience in the technical, management and business aspects of the environmental field. Bilzi graduated from Penn State with a bachelor's degree in 1974 and master's degree in 1976, both in agronomy.

--David L. Denlinger. A distinguished university professor and chair of the entomology department at the Ohio State University, Denlinger has enjoyed a 30-year career that has included numerous publications, grants, notable honors and awards. Denlinger's work and research has long been focused on insect survival in harsh climates as well as on the tsetse fly of Africa, carrier of African sleeping sickness and nagana, diseases that are often fatal to humans. He leads the field in research on insect diapause -- a physiological state similar to hibernation -- and he has recently started studying an insect living in Antarctica, one of the most extreme environments on earth. Denlinger received his bachelor's degree in entomology and zoology from Penn State in 1967.

--Richard Craig. A retired professor emeritus of plant breeding and Styer professor emeritus of horticultural botany, Craig has devoted 40 years of service to Penn State. Craig has published or copublished 44 refereed journal articles, 38 published abstracts, 35 nonrefereed journal articles, and 25 book chapters throughout his career. He also holds 24 patents in the field. Craig received a bachelor's degree in 1959 and a master's degree in 1960 in horticulture and a doctoral degree in genetics in 1963 from Penn State.

--Thomas Leamer. A long-time educator, Leamer served as professor of plant science at the State University of New York at Cobleskill from 1969 to 1976. He has worked with schools in various capacities since he began teaching agriculture and industrial arts at Bloomington Public Schools in Wisconsin in 1964. In addition, he was an FFA advisor and wrestling coach both in this school district and for Platteville Public Schools in Wisconsin, where he taught agriculture from 1965 to 1968. Leamer graduated from Penn State in 1972 with a doctoral degree in agricultural education.

The 2005 Outstanding Recent Alumni include:

--Thomas H. D'Alfonso. As the Danisco Corporation's regional director for the Americas in animal nutrition, D'Alfonso is accountable for the profitability of the animal nutrition firm throughout North America, Central America and South America. He is also responsible for employees, sales agents, distributors and sales and marketing for the region and is a key member of the global management team. D'Alfonso graduated in 1991 with a master's degrees in industrial engineering and poultry science and operations research and in 1994 received a doctoral degree in agricultural and biological engineering and operations research from Penn State.

--Russell C. Redding. As an employee of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture for the past 10 years, Redding is currently the executive deputy secretary of agriculture. He established the Pennsylvania Crop Insurance Assistance Program, which he currently manages. Other responsibilities include the administration of all employees for the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the oversight of a $200 million-plus operational budget. He also oversees the department's Adjusted Gross Revenue-Lite, a package that protects farms against low revenues due to natural disasters and market fluctuations. He received a master's degree in agricultural and extension education from Penn State in 1999 and also completed the Agribusiness Executive Program at Penn State in July 2000. EDITORS: For more information contact Jillian Stevenson by e-mail at jxh41@psu.edu.

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Writers: Ryan Szivos and Whitney Glaser Editor: Jeff Mulhollem Penn State Ag Sciences News Office 814-863-2719