Cheng elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Seven Penn State faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), including Penn State College of Medicine faculty member Dr. Keith Cheng. He is a Distinguished Professor in the Departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Pharmacology.
Cheng, a researcher at Penn State Cancer Institute, was recognized for distinguished contributions to functional genomics and imaging, particularly related to zebrafish as a model organism for human disease and skin pigmentation genetics.
“On behalf of the research community at the College of Medicine, I congratulate Keith on this career milestone,” said Dr. Leslie Parent, vice dean for Research and Graduate Studies. “His work with model organisms and next generation imaging techniques will shape the way researchers study, diagnose and treat human diseases.”
Cheng is the faculty director of the College of Medicine’s Zebrafish Functional Genomics Core, which allows researchers to study human disease in zebrafish, a model organism the use of which is one of the fastest growing in biomedical research. In addition to continued studies on the genetics of skin color and other diseases, Cheng and colleagues continue to develop and refine a new way to study disease at the cellular level – X-ray histotomography. The 3D tissue-imaging technique allows scientists to study the details of cells in a small organism like a zebrafish or tissue section, without having to cut it into slices.
The AAAS is the world’s largest multidisciplinary scientific society. It publishes leading-edge research. Individual members represent 91 countries around the globe. Election as a fellow is an honor bestowed upon members by their peers. This year, 489 individuals were recognized for their outstanding achievements in advancing science.
Read a story on Penn State News about other faculty who were elected AAAS Fellows
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