Monday, October 15, 2007

The Envelope Please

This year's Nobel Prize in economics goes to Leonid Hurwicz, Eric S. Maskin, and Roger B. Myerson.

Eric used to teach economic theory at Harvard and was a great teacher and colleague. If my recollection is correct, when he moved from Harvard to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, he bought the house Albert Einstein used to live in. I wonder if there are any other houses that can claim two (unrelated) Nobel laureates.

Update: A theoretical physicist emails me:
Just a comment on your blog posting about Laureate housing: Frank Wilczek (2004 Physics Laureate) also used to live in Einstein's house. I think he moved to MIT a couple of years before getting the Prize, though.
If all this is true, that house should command quite a premium among local academics. I am going to ask Eric if, next time he is on vacation, I can house sit just to soak up the karma.