Teaching is the prize for Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom

Elinor Ostrom addresses the media during a news conference to celebrate winning the Nobel Prize in economics at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, October 12, 2009.(Xinhua/Agencies Photo)

Known simply as"Lin" to her students and colleagues, Elinor Ostrom is now known as the first female Nobel Prize winner in economics.

Though Ostrom was "flabbergasted" when the news of her award broke Monday, perhaps it is not truly a surprise that she netted this prestigious prize.

In fact, her colleagues see it as a long time coming.

Michael D. McGinnis, the co-director of the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis at Indiana University, told Xinhua: "Lin has been nominated various times but we were not sure if she was this year or not. So it came as a total surprise and we are not prepared at all. But she deserved it for a long time."

Lei Liu, a visiting Chinese scholar at the workshop, said Ostrom "totally deserves this prize."

"She is a very optimistic, energetic and humorous person. I enjoy her teaching very much because she has rich facial expressions and hand gestures from which you can feel she enjoys tremendously what she is working on," Liu said.

During an interview at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, a beaming Ostrom told Xinhua: "I received over 800 emails on the first day. I never thought about winning the Nobel Prize. I simply want to do more research."

Sitting on a red chair, exuding an upbeat spirit and high energy, gray-haired, but vibrant Ostrom expressed her love for her research: "I am 77 and I don't have to teach or do anything. But I do it out of love and passion for the work I am doing here. And the workshop is like a family for me and my husband, Vincent."

Jointly established by Ostrom and her husband in 1976, the Workshop in Political Theory and Policy Analysis is located on a beautiful leafy street on the Indiana University campus in Bloomington.

The workshop looks more like a home than an office: various arts, crafts and pictures from all over the world, including fans and paintings from China. Ostrom's very modest but comfortable office is located on the second floor.

Explaining Ostrom's international appeal, McGinnis said: "We have had visiting scholars from all over the world during the last35 years. One of the reasons that Lin is so successful is that she is interacting with scholars all around the world on a normal basis."

McGinnis explained why they called it a workshop instead of a research center. "They want to emphasis the fact that this is a place where students, faculty and visitors can work actively together. They think that social science and policy analysis has a form of craftsmanship or artisanship. And the notion of having students as apprentices continued throughout the history of the workshop," he said.

At the age of 76, Ostrom still drives to work every day at 9:00am and teaches classes every week.

Yahua Wang, a current visiting scholar from China studying at her workshop, was impressed by his experience with her. Once during the class, when a Ph.D. student from Japan called her "Professor Ostrom," she said: "Please call me Lin because we are having an equal exchange here."

Talking about her dedication to teaching, Steve Hinnefeld, media relations specialist at Indiana University said, "There have been an overwhelming amount of interview requests since Monday. Ostrom told me that she will do the interviews, but she can only do those after she properly prepares for and teaches her class."

And that is exactly what happened on Tuesday. Ostrom showed up on time to her classroom and taught for two hours as planned.

Wang said: "We are very fortunate to be her students. She lovesher students and colleagues and we all love her very much."

"At a senior age of 76, Ostrom is still very dedicated to teaching, writing and research. I feel strongly that her devotion is completely out of her curiosity and interest in understanding human behavior and scientific exploration. She truly enjoys research and is eager to share that research with her students and colleagues," Wang said.

No matter how busy Ostrom is, she is always attentive to inquiries from students and treats them equally, Wang added.

The Ostroms live a very simple and modest life, and have devoted most of their income to the workshop and foundations. Asked how she would use the 1.4-million-U.S.-dollar prize, she said she is planning "to invest in the workshop and spend it on my students and wonderful colleagues."

Source: Xinhua