PITTSBURGH-Four Carnegie Mellon University faculty members have been awarded the distinction of Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. This year, 486 members have been awarded this honor in recognition of their distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.

Tom M. Mitchell, the Fredkin Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning and head of the School of Computer Science's Machine Learning Department, was named a fellow for his distinguished contributions to machine learning.

Eswaran Subrahmanian, research professor in the Carnegie Institute of Technology's Institute for Complex Engineered Systems, was cited for his distinguished contributions to design theory and methodology and its implications for design support systems, and for bridging theory, practice and education in engineering design.

Michael Widom, professor of physics at the Mellon College of Science (MCS), was recognized for elucidating the thermodynamic and dynamic features of complex metallic alloys, especially quasicrystals, by developing and applying theoretical paradigms that are sophisticated and innovative.

John L. Woolford, professor and acting head of the Department of Biological Sciences at MCS, was elected a fellow for identifying the roles of ribosomal proteins and trans-acting factors in the eukaryotic ribosome assembly pathway, using genetic and proteomic approaches in yeast.

The new fellows will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue (representing science and engineering, respectively) rosette pin Feb. 14, during the 2009 AAAS Annual Meeting in Chicago.