Did You Know: CWRU Nobel Laureates in Chemistry and Economic Science

Earlier this month, Case Western Reserve University hosted several Nobel Prize winners for The Standard Model at 50 Years symposium. Did you know there are 16 Nobel Prize winners who are affiliated with Case Western Reserve? In recognition of their contributions to their respective fields, we will highlight CWRU’s Nobel Prize winners throughout June. So far this month, we’ve highlighted Case Western Reserve University’s Nobel Laureates who have won for physiology or medicine (read about the first four winners of the prize and learn more about the three most recent winners) and physics (get more information about the winners in physics). This week, we focus on those who have won in the areas of chemistry and economic science.

Chemistry

Paul Berg became the university’s first Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1980, when he was awarded the prize "for his fundamental studies of the biochemistry of nucleic acids, with particular regard to recombinant-DNA." He was one of three scientists to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980, joining Walter Gilbert and Frederick Sanger. Berg earned his PhD from Western Reserve University in 1952. In 1994, George Olah, a former professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry, won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Olah served at the university from 1965 to 1977. During that time, he helped guide the Western Reserve University and Case Institute of Technology chemistry departments during the federation in 1967. Olah’s Nobel Prize was "for his contribution to carbocation chemistry." He developed a way to prolong the lifespans of carbocations, carbon-containing molecules, to better study their structure and behavior. Peter Agre won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2003 "for the discovery of water channels." He shared the prize with Roderick MacKinnon. Agre completed his clinical training at Case Western Reserve, through University Hospitals Case Medical Center, from 1975 to 1978.

Economic Science

After earning his master’s degree in operations research from Case Western Reserve University in 1964, Edward C. Prescott went on to earn the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 2004. Prescott won the award for his work in the theory of business cycles and economic policies. He shared the prize with Finn E. Kydland. Most recently, alumnus Richard H. Thaler won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science in 2017 "for his contributions to behavioral economics." Thaler has demonstrated the role psychology plays when people make economic decisions. He graduated from Adelbert College in 1967 and received an honorary doctorate from the university in 2003.