Known for her rigorous approach to science and pioneering research, Pardue paved the way for women scientists at MIT and beyond, known for her rigorous approach to science as well as her bright smile and support of others. Pardue studied the ends of chromosomes — complex, dynamic nucleoprotein structures formed on long arrays of repeated DNA sequences, known as telomeres. In 1983, Pardue was the first woman in the School of Science at MIT to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. As one of the senior women faculty who co-signed a letter to the Dean of Science at MIT about the bias against women scientists at the institute, Pardue’s career was inextricably linked to the slowly rising number of women with advanced degrees in science.