UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Eight graduates of Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences are recipients of 2006 Outstanding Alumni Awards. The awards recognize alumni for their achievements and provide opportunities for recipients to interact with the college's faculty, students and other alumni.

Named Outstanding Alumni were Wayne Bogovich of Willington, Conn., Herbert Cole Jr. of Petersburg, Pa., Donald Field of Middleton, Wis., Joseph Ibberson of Harrisburg, Pa., James Miller of Williamston, Mich., and Ronald Josephson of Encinitas, Calif.

Selected as Outstanding Recent Alumni were Patrick Lawler of Cockeysville, Md., and Brent Leatherman of Kouts, Ind. Recipients of this award must have earned their degrees during the last 10 years.

Wayne Bogovich is the state conservation engineer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service for the states of Connecticut and Rhode Island. A 1980 graduate with a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering, Bogovich has been active in the development of new conservation technologies, including passive treatment of acid mine drainage and aerobic treatment of agricultural wastewater using vegetated filter areas.

Herbert Cole, Penn State professor emeritus of plant pathology, is known for his research and educational programs on the control of plant diseases using low-cost, environmentally sound techniques; the effect of tillage systems on the fate of pesticides in soil and water; and sustainable agriculture methods. He earned a bachelor's degree in agronomy (1954), a master's degree in botany and biochemistry (1955) and a doctoral degree in plant pathology and biochemistry (1957), all from Penn State.

Donald Field, a professor in the Department of Forest Ecology and Management and the Department of Rural Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has conducted significant research in social ecology, particularly sociological issues affecting natural resource systems. A former associate dean in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and associate director of the Wisconsin Agriculture Experiment Station, he received his doctoral degree in rural sociology and demography from Penn State in 1968.

Joseph Ibberson is a private forest consultant who retired from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry as chief of forest advisory services in 1977. During his time with the bureau, he oversaw the development of management plans for 2 million acres of state forestland, organized the bureau's Division of Forest Advisory Service and launched a pest control initiative that grew into the Division of Forest Pest Management. He earned his bachelor's degree in forestry from Penn State in 1947.

James Miller, professor of entomology at Michigan State University, has achieved recognition in the fields of entomology and chemical ecology for a career that has benefited national and international agricultural production. His teaching and research interests have focused on insect behavior and physiology, insect-plant and insect-microbial interactions, and the movement and foraging strategies of insects. He earned a doctoral degree in entomology from Penn State in 1975.

Ronald Josephson, professor emeritus in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at San Diego State University, earned his bachelor's degree from Penn State in 1964 from what was then the Department of Animal Science and Industry. His research has focused on cow milk and dairy products, goat milk, fish and shellfish, meat products and medicinal foods. He taught numerous courses in food preparation, food proteins, nutrient analysis and food sensory properties and served as advisor to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students.

Patrick Lawler, senior scientist in charge of ingredients, commercialization and flavor stability at McCormick and Company in Hunt Valley, Md., is responsible for addressing technical challenges for all of the company's product divisions. He has directed the building of a new food technology lab for flavor applications, coordinated ingredient and manufacturing troubleshooting, and directed customer contact initiatives. He earned his bachelor's (1982), master's (1984) and doctoral (1997) degrees -- all in food science -- from Penn State.

Brent Leatherman, a licensed professional engineer, manages the Indiana branch of Timber Tech Engineering Inc. In addition to performing and reviewing structural engineering for commercial and residential buildings, he is active in the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers and serves on technical and research committees as a member of the National Frame Builders Association. He graduated from Penn State in 1996 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural engineering.

###

EDITORS: For more information, contact Jillian Stevenson at 814-863-7278.

Chuck Gill Writer/Editor Phone: 814-863-2713 E-mail: cdg5@psu.edu