On Oct. 7, 2009, the Nobel Prize committee announced that the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry would go to an alumnus of Appleton's Lawrence University, Dr. Thomas Steitz. I heard the news while on campus at Lawrence, right before I gave a lecture to an amazing group of students in Lawrence University's Science Hall, a building that Dr. Steitz helped dedicate in 2000: he was the keynote speaker at the ceremonies. (My lecture in Science Hall was on intellectual property and the broader topic of intellectual assets, going over basics that future business leaders and entrepreneurs should know. Not nearly as intense as the crystal structure of RNA in bacterial ribosomes, the topic behind Dr. Steitz's chemistry prize.)

Lawrence University is proud of this remarkable achievement. Wisconsin is also proud that an alumnus of a fine Wisconsin school who was born in Milwaukee is being recognized with this honor.