<p>2007 was not a particularly good year for u.s. professors in the annual nobel sweepstakes. outside of roger myserson of chicago, the few u.s. profs who won this year hail from less "familiar" institutions, including the universities of minnesota, north carolina, and utah. not a single prof from the ivy league took home a prize. </p>
<p>that said, princeton was not without its connections to the 2007 prizes. eric maskin, who shares this year's prize in economics, is a permanent prof at the institute for advanced study in princeton, but since 2000 has served as a visiting prof with the rank of professor in princeton's economics department. "he is part of the intellectual community in economic theory" and "plays a central role in the teaching and mentoring" of graduate students in the department. interestingly, maskin lives in the princeton house of another former IAS/princeton prof and laureate himself: albert einstein. next year, he is helping organize a conference at princeton celebrating the 80th birthday of yet another princeton prof and nobel laureate: john nash, of "a beautiful mind" fame.</p>
<p>a second connection involves the peace prize, awarded jointly to al gore and the intergovernmental panel on climate change. at least ten princeton faculty members have been involved in this panel over the years, contributing to panel reports on anthropogenic climate change. many, many scientists around the world have contributed to such reports over the decades, but princeton is no less proud of the profs from its ranks who have been among them.</p>