PHILADELPHIA - Four faculty members at the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.  Three from Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine and one from its School of Arts and Sciences.

• David Boettiger is emeritus professor of microbiology in the Perelman School of Medicine. He was cited for distinguished contributions to tumor virology and to integrin-mediated cell adhesion, particularly for the identification of adhesion signaling and its regulation by mechanical forces.

• Nancy Bonini, professor of biology in the School of Arts and Sciences and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, was selected for distinguished contributions in the fields of basic and translational neuroscience, particularly as applied to understanding neurodegenerative disorders.

• Nigel Fraser, professor of microbiology in Perelman, was selected as a Fellow for outstanding discoveries about the mechanisms of herpes virus biology, particularly in the area of herpes simplex virus latency and reactivation.

• David Weiner, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine in Perelman, was cited for pioneering and enabling discoveries in the area of DNA vaccines and promoting this nascent field of research.

This year 539 members have been awarded this honor by AAAS because of their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. New Fellows will be honored on Feb. 18 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2012 AAAS Annual Meeting in Vancouver, B.C.