Zewail, Ahmed H.
Oral history interview with Ahmed Zewail, 2015, June-November.
Seven-session interview conducted by Heidi Aspaturian. Zewail describes family and cultural influences, and the interplay of education, politics, and faith during his youth and adolescence. He recalls his early passion for knowledge and fascination with science, and the moderate, intellectually rich Islam of his day. He talks about his studies at the University of Alexandria (J mi at al-Iskandar yah- BSc. 67, MSc. 69), the stimulating intellectual and socially tolerant environment there, his designation as a special (outstanding) student majoring in chemistry, and his determination to pursue a doctorate in the United States. He recalls his adjustment to life in America, both at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his PhD in 1974 with R. Hochstrasser, and as a postdoc at UC Berkeley. The oral history concludes with a retrospective on his 40 years at Caltech.
Egyptain chemical physicist, Ahmed Zewail. Obtained B.S. and M.S. in Chemistry from Alexandria University (1967, 1969), and Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from University of Pennsylvania (1974). Served as the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemistry and professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, and 1999 Nobel laureate in chemistry. Zewail was a major influence in the field of Chemical Physics; he mentored many students at CalTech and was recognized for his contributions by many organizations and institutions around the world.
Zewail, Ahmed H.
California Institute of Technology
J mi at al-Iskandar yah
University of California, Berkeley
University of Pennsylvania
Chemistry
Nobel Prize winners
Interviews.
Oral histories.
Transcripts.
Aspaturian, Heidi interviewer.
California Institute of Technology
AIP-ICOS
California Institute of Technology. Institute Archives. 1201 East California Blvd. (Mail Code 015A-74), Pasadena, CA 91125, USA