The Bronx High School of Science has churned out slightly more than its share of Nobel Prize winners in physics over the years: seven, going back to 1972, more than any high school in the country.
But the public school had never been able to boast a Nobel in chemistry until today, when Dr. Robert J. Lefkowitz, class of ’59 and a professor at Duke University‘s medical center, was one of two American scientists awarded the prize for their work figuring out how the human body’s cells respond to external signals — for example, speeding the heart when danger approaches.
As the school noted on its Facebook page, “Bronx Science has now surpassed Australia and has tied with Norway, which also has eight Nobel Laureates.”
Dr. Lefkowitz told The Times the big news would force him to postpone a much-needed haircut.