Indian national claims there are no technically adept people in Kansas or Idaho. Hmmm…
India has a population of about 1.5 billion people, or about 5x more than the U.S.
Kansas has a population of about 3 million. India has 500x more people than Kansas.
🏅 Nobel Laureates with Kansas Connections
| Name | Nobel Prize Category | Year | Kansas Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earl W. Sutherland Jr. | Physiology or Medicine | 1971 | Born in Burlingame, KS; B.S. from Washburn University |
| Vernon L. Smith | Economics | 2002 | Born in Wichita, KS |
| Jack S. Kilby | Physics | 2000 | Raised in Great Bend, KS |
| Frank Sherwood Rowland | Chemistry | 1995 | B.A. from University of Kansas |
| Juan Ramón Jiménez | Literature | 1956 | Taught briefly at University of Kansas (during exile) |
🔬 Influential Scientists with Kansas Ties
| Name | Field | Contribution | Kansas Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Sagan | Astronomy & Astrobiology | Popularized science; SETI advocate | Taught briefly at University of Kansas |
| Theodore von Kármán | Aeronautics & Engineering | Supersonic flight theory | Lectured at KU during WWII |
| James Gunn | Astrophysics | Sloan Digital Sky Survey | B.S. from University of Kansas |
| Paul R. Ehrlich | Biology & Environmentalism | Population studies; “The Population Bomb” | Born in Philadelphia, but lectured at KU |
| Walter Sutton | Genetics | Chromosome theory of inheritance | Discovered key principles at University of Kansas Medical Center |
Idaho has a population of about 2 million; India has about 750 x more people than Idaho.
Here’s a curated list of Nobel Prize winners and influential scientists with strong ties to Idaho.
🏅 Nobel Laureates with Idaho Connections
| Name | Prize Category | Year | Idaho Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Rainwater | Physics | 1975 | Born in Council, Idaho |
| Ernest Hemingway | Literature | 1954 | Lived and died in Ketchum, Idaho; home is a historic site |
| Richard Feynman | Physics | 1965 | Married in Boise; family ties to Meridian and Lewiston |
Note: Feynman’s connection is personal rather than professional, but his wife lived in Idaho for decades and is buried there.
🔬 Notable Scientists with Idaho Ties
| Name | Field | Contribution | Idaho Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malcolm Renfrew | Chemistry | Developed Teflon | Worked at University of Idaho |
| Robson Bonnichsen | Anthropology | Paleoamerican studies | Founded Center for the Study of First Americans at Idaho State University |
| C. Frederick Koelsch | Chemistry | Organic chemistry research | Born in Idaho |
| Edna Paisano | Demography & Statistics | Native American data advocacy | Born in Idaho |
| Dwight Ingle | Physiology | Hormone research | Born in Idaho |
India, which is far larger than these states, has 9 Nobel laurates, of which 2 are in the sciences and 1 is in medicine – how we define influential can be variable; India has 9 scientists listed on the scientists of influence list.
