Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio. It was created in 1967 by the federation of Case Institute of Technology (founded in 1880 by philanthropist Leonard Case, Jr.) and Western Reserve University (founded in 1826 in the area that was once the Connecticut Western Reserve).

The university encompasses the College of Arts and Sciences, Case School of Engineering, School of Graduate Studies, Weatherhead School of Management, School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, Frances P. Bolton School of Nursing, Gund School of Law, and Mandel School for Applied Social Sciences. As of 2004, the university had approximately 3,700 undergraduates and 5,700 graduate and professional students. According to US News and World Report 2005 rankings, Case is the #1 ranked college in Ohio and it ranks #35 among national universities, with Harvard and Princeton sharing the #1 spot. Furthermore, the university ranks #12 among private universities receiving the most federal research funding and spends nearly $1 million a day on research.

The university is approximately five miles (eight km) east of downtown Cleveland in University Circle, a 550-acre (2.2 km²) area containing numerous educational, medical, and cultural institutions. Case has a number of programs taught in conjunction with nearby institutions, including the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the Cleveland Play House.

Case was the site of the famous Michelson_Morley interferometer experiment, conducted in 1887 by A. A. Michelson of Case Institute of Technology and E. W. Morley of Western Reserve University. This experiment proved the non-existence of ether and gave circumstantial evidence to substantiate Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

On October 5, 2004, Case hosted the Vice Presidential debate between Dick Cheney and John Edwards.

Notable alumni and faculty

• Peter C. Agre - co-winner of 2003 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for discovery of water channels (or aquaporins) in cells
• William F. Baker - President and CEO of public television's flagship station, Thirteen/WNET in New York
• Paul Berg - winner of the 1980 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for biochemical characterization of recombinant DNA
• Bruce Cole - eighth chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities (2001-present)
• Franklin Cover - actor; most noted role, Tom Willis in "The Jeffersons"
• Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. - airman; first African-American to receive star in US Air Force; awarded Distinguished Flying Cross in 1943; served as Assistant Secretary of Transportation under President Nixon
• Lincoln Diaz-Balart - U.S. Representative
• Herbert Dow - founder of Dow Chemical
• H. Jack Geiger - founding member, past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility (which shared 1985 Nobel Peace Prize as part of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War) and Physicians for Human Rights (which shared 1997 Nobel Peace Prize as part of International Campaign to Ban Landmines)
• Julie L. Gerberding - first woman director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Suzie Gharib - co-anchor of the "Nightly Business Report"
• Alfred Gilman - co-winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for co-discovery of G Proteins
• Donald A. Glaser - winner of the 1960 Nobel Prize in Physics, for invention of the bubble chamber
• Corneille J.F. Heymans - winner of the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for work on carotid sinus reflex
• George H. Hitchings - co-winner of the 1988 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for research leading to development of drugs to treat leukemia, organ transplant rejection, gout, herpes virus, and AIDS_related bacterial and pulmonary infections
• Donald Knuth - foremost computer scientist
• Dennis Kucinich - U.S. Representative, and youngest person to be elected mayor of major city at age 31 (in 1977)
• Polykarp Kusch - winner of the 1955 Nobel Prize in Physics, for determining the magnetic moment of the electron
• Paul C. Lauterbur - co-winner of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for discoveries leading to creation of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• John J.R. Macleod - co-winner of the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for discovery of insulin
• Michael McCaskey - Chairman of the board, Chicago Bears; son of George Halas, founder-owner-coach of Chicago Bears and record-holder of most games won (324) for nearly three decades--until broken by fellow alumnus Don Shula in 1993
• Barry Meyer - Chairman and CEO of Warner Bros (1999-present)
• Albert A. Michelson - winner of the 1907 Nobel Prize in Physics for disproving existence of "ether"; first American to receive a Nobel Prize
• Ferid Murad - co-winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for discovering role of nitric oxide in cardiovascular signaling
• Craig Newmark - founder of Craigslist
• George A. Olah - winner of the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for contributions to carbocation chemistry
• Jack Perkins - dubbed "America's most literate correspondent" by the Associated Press; reporter, commentator, war correspondent, anchorman; seen on NBC's "Nightly News" and "The Today Show", and on A&E as host of "Biography"
• James Polshek - architect; designed William J. Clinton Presidential Library
• Edward C. Prescott - co-winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Economic Science, for theory on business cycles and economic policies
• Frederick Reines - co-winner of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Physics, for the detection of the neutrino
• Frederick C. Robbins - co-winner of the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for work on polio virus, which led to development of polio vaccines; past president of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences
• Alan Rosenberg - actor; most noted role, Ira Woodbine in "Cybill"; Emmy-nominated for guest appearance on "E.R."
• Joe Russo & Anthony Russo - brothers, coalumni, and directors of "Pieces" and "Welcome to Collinwood"
• David Satcher - U.S. Surgeon General under President Bill Clinton, and first African-American director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• Don Shula - coach, Miami Dolphins; won more games than any other coach in professional football (.665 average)
• Alix Kates Shulman - author; best work Memoir of an Ex-Prom Queen, widely recognized as first important novel to emerge from women's liberation movement
• Kent Hale Smith - founder of Lubrizol
• Jesse Leonard Steinfeld - U.S. Surgeon General (1969 to 1973), most noted for achieving widespread fluoridation of water, requiring prescription drugs to be effective, and strengthening the Surgeon General's Warning on cigarettes
• Louis Stokes - former U.S. Representative
• Earl W. Sutherland - winner of 1971 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, for establishing identity and importance of cyclic AMP in regulation of cell metabolism
• Peter Tippit - developed first anti-virus software, "Vaccine", later sold and renamed Norton AntiVirus
• Stephanie Tubbs Jones - U.S. Representative

Impact of Research at Case

Following is a partial list of major contributions made by faculty, staff, and students at Case:

Discovered that the earth’s motion had no effect on the movement of light, disproving the belief that the earth floated in a sea of ether. This discovery marks the beginning of modern physics and is linked with Einstein’s later work on relativity (Profs. Albert A. Michelson and Edward W. Morley, 1887).

Discovered the atomic weight of oxygen, the basis for calculating the weights of all other elements (Prof. Morley, 1895).

Performed the first full X-ray of the human body -- on himself (Prof. Dayton C. Miller, 1896).

Performed the first modern blood transfusion using a coupling device to connect blood vessels (Dr. George W. Crile, 1905).

Pioneered chlorination of drinking water to eradicate the source of typhoid bacilli (Dr. Roger G. Perkins, 1912).

Developed simulated milk formula for infants (Dr. Henry J. Gerstenberger,1915).

Pioneered surgical treatment of coronary artery disease (Dr. Claude S. Beck, 1935).

Developed the first heart-lung machine to be used during open heart surgery (Dr. Frederick S. Cross, 1950s).

Performed the first successful lifesaving defibrillation of the human heart (Dr. Beck, 1947) and developed the method of Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) (Dr. Beck, 1952).

Developed a test for infants to identify mental retardation within a year after birth (Prof. Joseph F. Fagan, 1987).

Created the first artificial human chromosomes, opening the door to more detailed study of human genetics and potentially offering a new approach to gene therapy. (Prof. Huntington F. Willard of the School of Medicine and University Hospitals of Cleveland, in collaboration with colleagues at Athersys, Inc., 1997).

Athletics

Case Western Reserve is a member of the University Athletic Association, which particpates in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III.

External links

• Case Western Reserve University (http://www.case.edu)

• Maps and aerial photos
  • Street map from Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?latlongtype=decimal&latitude=41.50416&longitude=-81.60845&zoom=8)
  • Topographic map from Topozone (http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=41.50416&lon=-81.60845&s=24&size=m)
  • Aerial photograph from Microsoft Terraserver (http://terraserver.microsoft.com/map.aspx?t=1&s=11&lon=-81.60845&lat=41.50416&w=600&h=400)