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Faculty Focus: Linda Randall
The art of science in Stephens Hall
Linda Randall demonstrates the beauty of biology in her groundbreaking work on protein export.
Linda Randall may be the only faculty researcher whose ice buckets match the walls of her lab. She designed the renovation plans for Stephens Hall, where her labs are, and added a touch of elegance more commonly found in art museums. "Things should be beautiful," she says.
In fact, Randall says art is often the best method for demonstrating the beauty of biology. Most people have difficulty understanding Randall's groundbreaking research in protein export, the process that allows amino acid chains to pass through cell membranes. So, when asked to give a lecture at Washington State University in 1990, she told her staff of researchers, "We're going to dance protein export!" They went along with what they thought was a joke until they found themselves on stage.
In addition to her forays into dance and design, Randall holds MU's Wurdack Chair in Biochemical Sciences and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 1997. Her work in understanding how proteins fold within bacteria cells helps to combat diseases such as Alzheimer's and diabetes.