First the good news...then the bad news

[Rich]

From the Office of the President
Duke University

Dear alumni and friends,

It is with great pride that I share with you the exciting news that Paul Modrich, James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute, has won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Professor Modrich joined the faculty of the Duke University School of Medicine in 1976 and has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator since 1994. He shares the Nobel Prize with...Aziz Sancar of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

[DU82]

From the Office of the President
Duke University

Dear alumni and friends,

It is with great pride that I share with you the exciting news that Paul Modrich, James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry and a member of the Duke Cancer Institute, has won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Professor Modrich joined the faculty of the Duke University School of Medicine in 1976 and has been a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator since 1994. He shares the Nobel Prize with...Aziz Sancar of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Regardless of any athletic rivalry that might remain, I do not see any bad news in this at all. All three men appear to be very deserving of this honor. I pick on the Evil Cheating Smurfs (tm) as much as anybody, but that's the athletic department and by extension, the undergraduate students and faculty. The UNC hospital system is outstanding, and is almost as good as the folks down on Erwin Road.

(I will now wash my keyboard after typing that! :) )

[OldPhiKap]

This raises a pressing question -- will they hang a banner?

[weezie]

Well pondered OPK.

I predict a swell halftime appreciation gesture at the March holes game.

[wilson]

He shares the Nobel Prize with...Aziz Sancar of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Whatever. This is obviously a no-show, paper Nobel Prize. This Sancar clown is a fraud.

[devildeac]

This raises a pressing question -- will they hang a banner?

No banner. The Hat will just buy him a Nobel Prize ring...

[sagegrouse]

Wow! A Duke prof won the Nobel prize for work done at Duke. This is a really big deal, and i don't care who else was named in the award.

Go Duke!

[Bostondevil]

I'm chuffed.

I don't care that he has to share with a UNC guy. (Our guy is listed before their guy in every article I've seen so far. ;) )

[jimsumner]

I realize there's a certain amount of levity here.

But these folks are doing research that might lead to better treatment or even a cure for cancer.

So, kudos all around.

[Tom B.]

That's two for Duke in four years. Time to rename the Nobel Prize for Chemistry as the Duke Invitational? :)

ETA: Here's a nice article about the reaction of the honoree and his staff when they learned that he'd won:

http://today.duke.edu/2015/10/nobelbisson


"There's going to be a little commotion at the office today," said Paul Modrich, the James B. Duke professor of biochemistry in the Duke Medical School. "I'm sorry. I won an award. It's going to be a little crazy, and I wanted to apologize."

Curious, Bisson asked, "What award did you get?"

"I got the Nobel Prize," Modrich answered.

[Mike Corey]

Wonderful, wonderful accomplishments and accolades.

[BD80]

This is amusing, at a time when unc should be able to celebrate its academics, the announcement just brings up references to academic fraud.

[Tom B.]

Tangentially related to this story, this note has been making its way around the Intertubes:

http://www.scarymommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/maddie-homework-excuse-note.jpg

Maddie's grandfather is Tomas Lindahl, one of the three co-recipients of this year's prize.

[DukieInKansas]

Tangentially related to this story, this note has been making its way around the Intertubes:

http://www.scarymommy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/maddie-homework-excuse-note.jpg

Maddie's grandfather is Tomas Lindahl, one of the three co-recipients of this year's prize.

I hope the teacher gave her another day!