Lisa Randall facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lisa Randall
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| Born | June 18, 1962 Queens, New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Harvard University (BA, PhD) |
| Known for | Randall–Sundrum model Warped Passages (2005) |
| Awards | Klopsteg Memorial Award (2006) Lilienfeld Prize (2007) Andrew Gemant Award (2012) Sakurai Prize (2019) Oskar Klein Medal (2019) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory University of California, Berkeley Princeton University Massachusetts Institute of Technology Harvard University |
| Doctoral advisor | Howard Georgi |
| Doctoral students | Csaba Csáki |
Lisa Randall (born June 18, 1962) is an American theoretical physicist. She is a professor of science at Harvard University. Her work explores the basic forces of nature. She also studies the idea of extra dimensions of space.
Professor Randall researches topics like the Standard Model of particle physics. She also looks into supersymmetry and dark matter. She helped create the Randall–Sundrum model in 1999. This model suggests there might be extra dimensions that are "warped."
Contents
Early Life and Education
Lisa Randall was born in Queens, New York City, New York. She went to Stuyvesant High School and finished in 1980. A famous physicist, Brian Greene, was her classmate there.
In 1980, when she was 18, she won first place in the Westinghouse Science Talent Search. This was a major science competition for high school students. She also became a National Merit Scholar.
Randall then studied at Harvard University. She earned her bachelor's degree in physics in 1983. She later received her PhD in theoretical particle physics in 1987. Her advisor was Howard Georgi.
A Career in Academia
Lisa Randall is a professor of theoretical physics at Harvard. She studies particle physics and cosmology. Particle physics looks at the smallest pieces of matter. Cosmology studies the universe as a whole.
Her research focuses on elementary particles and the basic forces that govern them. She has explored many different ideas. Her most recent work involves the concept of extra dimensions. She has also studied supersymmetry and cosmological inflation.
After her studies at Harvard, Randall taught at MIT and Princeton University. She returned to Harvard in 2001. She was the first woman to become a tenured professor in the physics department at Princeton. She was also the first tenured female theoretical physicist at Harvard.
Sharing Science Through Writing
Lisa Randall has written several popular science books. Two of her books have been named "100 notable books" by New York Times.
- Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
- Knocking on Heaven’s Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate the Universe and the Modern World
In Knocking on Heaven's Door, she discussed the search for the Higgs boson. This particle was later discovered by scientists at the Large Hadron Collider. Randall said it was exciting that people were interested in this new discovery. She also wrote an e-book called Higgs Discovery: The Power of Empty Space.
Before the Large Hadron Collider started working, people worried it might create black holes. Randall explained that this was "not even conceivable." She said it would only happen if space and gravity were very different from what we understand.
Randall also wrote the story for an opera called Hypermusic Prologue. A composer named Hèctor Parra asked her to write it. He was inspired by her book Warped Passages.
Professional Groups and Awards
Lisa Randall is a member of several important scientific organizations. These include the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Sciences. She is also a fellow of the American Physical Society.
She has helped organize many science conferences. She has also been on the board of several top physics journals.
In 2004, she was the most cited theoretical physicist of the previous five years. Seed magazine and Newsweek recognized her as a leading physicist. In 2007, Time magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential People. This was for her work on the idea of higher dimensions.
Other awards and honors she has received include:
- J.J. Sakurai Prize for Theoretical Particle Physics (2019)
- Andrew Gemant Award (2012)
- Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement (2008)
- Lilienfeld Prize (2007)
- E. A. Wood Science Writing Award (2007)
- Klopsteg Memorial Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) (2006)
- Premio Caterina Tomassoni e Felice Pietro Chisesi from the Sapienza University of Rome (2003)
- National Science Foundation Young Investigator Award (1992)
Personal Life
Lisa Randall has a sister named Dana Randall. Dana is a professor of computer science at Georgia Tech.
Lisa Randall enjoys climbing rocks. A rock face in Colorado is even named "Lisa Randall Wall" after her. She once injured her heel in a climbing accident, even with safety gear.
See also
In Spanish: Lisa Randall para niños
