PHILADELPHIA - Three faculty members of the University of Pennsylvania have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

This year AAAS recognized 471 members for their scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.  The new Fellows will be officially inducted February 16 during the 2008 AAAS annual meeting in Boston.

The new Penn AAAS Fellows are:

Morris J. Birnbaum, MD, PhD, Associate Director, Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, and Investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Citation: distinguished contributions to our understanding of the regulation of glucose transport and metabolism and aspects of cellular regulation relevant to insulin resistance and diabetes.

Yale E. Goldman, MD, PhD, Director, Pennsylvania Muscle Institute and Professor of Physiology

Citation: distinguished contributions in molecular motor research, development of new technologies for biophysics, and service in scientific societies, journal editing, and organization of scientific meetings.

Mark Liberman, PhD, Professor of Linguistics

Citation: major contributions to phonological theory, the computational analysis of language, and the practical applications and popular understanding of linguistics.