Michigan and the Nobel Prize

Alexandre · October 14, 2012, 4:27am

The Nobel Prize season is upon us. Most of the winners have been announced and Michigan will likely not have an affiliated winner this year. That is not surprising of course, as Michigan has never been a powerhouse where Nobel Prize winners are concerned. The University has serious and legitimate affiliation with approximately 15 Nobel Prize winners, which is very good but not great. However, I really like the fact that Michigan has had strong affiliation with winners in all categories, including Literature, Mathematics (Fields) and Peace. By "strong affiliation", I mean either alumni or members of the full-time faculty for a period of 3 years or more. Many universities, Michigan included, include visiting professors and non-graduating students in their count, I am not including them. Below are our winners!

CHEMISTRY
Jerome Karle (1985)
Jerome Karle earned his PhD at the University in Michigan (1940-1944) and he was a researcher and professor at the University of Michigan from 1944-1946.

Richard Smalley (1996)
Smalley earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1965.

ECONOMICS
Lawrence Klein (1980)
Considered by some to be the father of modern Econometrics, Lawrence Klein began his career in academia at the University of Michigan from 1949-1954.

LITERATURE
Joseph Brodsky (1986)
Joseph was expelled from the Soviet Union in the early 1970s and his first residence in the US was in Ann Arbor, where he lived for one year as a "poet in residence" at the University of Michigan. He also taught at the University of Michigan from 1974-1980.

MATHEMATICS (Fields Medal)
Stephen Smale (1966)
Stephen Smale was a student at the University of Michigan from 1948 until 1957 where earned his BS and PhD in Mathematics.

MEDICINE
Stanley Cohen (1986)
Stanley Cohen attended the University of Michigan from 1945 until 1948, when he earned a PhD in Biochemistry.

Marshall Warren Nirenberg (1968)
Marshall Nirenberg attended the University of Michigan from 1952 until 1957, when he earned a PhD in Biochemistry.

Hamilton O Smith (1978)
Hamilton Smith was a researcher and professor at the University of Michigan department of Genetics from 1962 until 1967.

Thomas Huckle Weller (1954)
Thomas Weller earned his BS and MS at the University of Michigan.

PEACE
Jerry White (1997)
Jerry White earned an MBA from the University of Michigan.

PHYSICS
Donald Glaser (1960)
Professor Glaser was a professor of Physics at the University of Michigan from 1950-1959.

Hugh David Politzer (2004)
Hugh Politzer earned his BS in Physics at the University (1966-1969)

Samuel Ting (1976)
Samuel Ting was a student at the University of Michigan from 1956 until 1962, where he earned his BS in Mathematics and Physics and PhD in Physics.

Martinus Veltman (1999)
Martinus Veltman was a full time member of the University of Michigan faculty from 1981 until 1996 and a professor emeritus since 1996.

Carl Wieman (2001)
Carl Wieman was an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan from 1980 until 1984.

blue85 · October 16, 2013, 10:18am

It is rather mystifying that, several days later, there has been no university press release relative to Shiller.

Alexandre · October 16, 2013, 12:46pm

I agree blue85. There should have been an announcement made by now. He won the award over 48 hours ago.

Edit.

Upon looking at LSA’s alumni page, I noticed a link to the NY Times article. But there still hasn’t been an official statement made by the university.

<a href=“http://www.lsa.umich.edu/alumni[/url]”>http://www.lsa.umich.edu/alumni</a>

Alexandre · October 16, 2013, 12:52pm

Here’s an updated list of Michigan-affiliated Nobel Laureates (and Fields Medalist).

CHEMISTRY
Jerome Karle (1985)
Jerome Karle earned his PhD at the University in Michigan (1940-1944) and he was a researcher and professor at the University of Michigan from 1944-1946.

Richard Smalley (1996)
Smalley earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of Michigan in 1965.

ECONOMICS
Lawrence Klein (1980)
Considered by some to be the father of modern Econometrics, Lawrence Klein began his career in academia at the University of Michigan from 1949-1954.

Robert Shiller (2013)
Robert Shiller received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, where he was a student in the College of LSA from 1964-1967.

LITERATURE
Joseph Brodsky (1986)
Joseph was expelled from the Soviet Union in the early 1970s and his first residence in the US was in Ann Arbor, where he lived for one year as a “poet in residence” at the University of Michigan. He also taught at the University of Michigan from 1974-1980.