This category includes "giants" from each department who spent time at the University before national and international awards evolved to recognize exceptional scholarship in those respective fields.
| Awardee | Discipline | Years at UMN |
|---|---|---|
H.K. Hayes Researcher, teacher, and author in plant breeding, who developed techniques for breeding hybrids and disease resistance used today, and who wrote an internationally adopted textbook | Agronomy & Plant Genetics | 1915-1952 |
William Anderson For more than fifty years a prominent scholar, advisor, teacher, activist-reformer, and disciplinary leader in political science | Political Science | 1916-1957 |
Joseph Valasek Discoverer of the phenomenon of ferroelectricity, the electrical analog of ferromagnetism, one of the most important physical science discoveries ever made at Minnesota | Physics | 1922-1965 |
Richard Hartshorne One of geography's most prominent theorists and historians, noted for his classic book "The Nature of Geography" | Geography | 1924-1941 |
Florence L. Goodenough Professor and author of numerous texts and articles dealing with exceptional children and mental testing, well known for her "Draw-a-Man" Test used as an index of intelligence. | Child Development | 1925-1947 |
Jonas J. Christensen Pioneer in the genetics of plant pathogens, a superb teacher and a contributor to international agriculture | Plant Pathology | 1925-1964 |
Ralph Hall Brown One of the country's most eminent historical geographers, author of the classic books "Mirror for Americans" and "Historical Geography of the United States" | Geography | 1929-1948 |
Katharine J. Densford Developed administrative, teaching and treatment techniques that came into common use in hospitals and schools throughout the world | Dean of the School of Nursing | 1930-1959 |
C.B. Burnham Pioneering plant geneticist, who contributed to our knowledge of basic genetic mechanisms and wrote a unique textbook. In retirement, led scientific effort to restore the American Chestnut. | Agronomy & Plant Genetics | 1938-1972 |