From staff and wire reports

University professor emeritus Thomas C. Schelling formally received his portion of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences Saturday in Stockholm, Sweden, to an applauding audience of 1,600 people.

Schelling, 84, became a faculty member at the university in 1990, where he taught in the economics department and the School of Public Policy, and won the prize for his application of game theory – a branch of mathematics that uses models to study the interactions between people and countries – to the Cold War and other conflicts.

“It has been exciting,” Schelling told The (Baltimore) Sun before the ceremony. “It has been an honor almost overwhelming.”

The ceremony included nine other winners. Schelling was the final recipient of the night. He walked to the center of the stage wearing a tuxedo, shook the hand of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and bowed to the audience, all while claps and trumpets erupted and filled the Stockholm Concert Hall, according to The Sun.

Schelling gave his Nobel Prize speech in Sweden Thursday, saying that one of greatest achievements of the past 60 years was that no nuclear bombs were used by any nation.

“Nobody in 1945, 1950, 1955 or 1960 could ever possibly have had any confidence or any belief even that we would complete the century with no more use of nuclear weapons – even though nuclear weapons have been acquired by at least eight nations since then,” Schelling said.

Schelling was awarded the prize in October, along with Robert J. Aumann, a mathematics professor at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, for separate though related work.

Schelling has brought national attention to the campus and been honored by the university since it was announced that he won the prize. Dining Services began selling “The Schelling Nobel Prize” – a triple-decker, peanut butter and jelly sandwich with cinnamon-raisin bread – in honor of him.

Students and colleagues will gather today in the Atrium of Van Munching Hall for a screening of Schelling’s Nobel Prize speech between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. A formal ceremony from the university is being planned for January.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.