Ahmed Zewail facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ahmed Hasan Zewail
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Ahmed Zewail in 2010
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Ahmed Hassan Zewail
February 26, 1946 Damanhour, Egypt
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| Died | August 2, 2016 (aged 70) Pasadena, California, U.S.
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| Nationality |  Egyptian |
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| Known for | Femtochemistry |
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| Thesis | Optical and magnetic resonance spectra of triplet excitons and localized states in molecular crystals (1975) |
| Doctoral advisor | Robin M. Hochstrasser |
| Doctoral students | Martin Gruebele |
| Other notable students | Fabrizio Carbone |
Ahmed Hassan Zewail (February 26, 1946 – August 2, 2016) was a famous Egyptian-American chemist. He is known as the "father of femtochemistry". This is a special field of chemistry.
In 1999, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He received it for his amazing work in femtochemistry. He was the first Egyptian person to win a Nobel Prize in a scientific field. He was also the second person from Africa to win a Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Dr. Zewail was a professor at the California Institute of Technology. He held important positions there, like the Linus Pauling Chair Professor of Chemistry. He also directed a center for super-fast science and technology.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ahmed Hasan Zewail was born on February 26, 1946. His birthplace was Damanhur, Egypt. He grew up in a town called Desouk.
He studied chemistry at Alexandria University in Egypt. There, he earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees. After that, he moved to the United States. He completed his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. His supervisor was Robin M. Hochstrasser.
Career Highlights
After finishing his PhD, Dr. Zewail continued his research. He worked at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1976, he joined the California Institute of Technology. He became a professor there.
He became an American citizen on March 5, 1982. Dr. Zewail led the Physical Biology Center for Ultrafast Science and Technology. This center was at the California Institute of Technology.
He was also part of President Barack Obama's science advisory group. This group, called PCAST, advised the President on science and technology.
Amazing Research in Femtochemistry
Dr. Zewail's most important work was in femtochemistry. This field studies how chemical reactions happen. It looks at them in incredibly short time periods. These times are called femtoseconds. A femtosecond is one quadrillionth of a second!
He used a special ultrafast laser technique. This technique used super-short laser flashes. It allowed scientists to see reactions as they were happening. They could even see the "transition states." These are the tiny moments when molecules are changing. Because of this groundbreaking work, he became known as the "father of femtochemistry."
Role as a Science Envoy
In 2010, Dr. Zewail became one of the first US science envoys. This program was started by President Barack Obama. Its goal was to build better relationships. It aimed to connect the United States with Muslim countries through science.
Dr. Zewail visited many Muslim-majority countries. He shared his knowledge and promoted scientific cooperation. He wanted to use science to help build bridges between nations.
Helping Egypt
Dr. Zewail was often asked about politics in Egypt. He always said he had no political goals. He stressed that he only wanted to serve Egypt through science. He wished to be remembered as a scientist.
During the 2011 Egyptian protests, he returned to Egypt. He joined a committee to help reform the country's laws. He also played a role in connecting different groups. He worked as an intermediary between the government and youth groups.
Awards and Honors
In 1999, Dr. Zewail made history. He became the first Egyptian to win a science Nobel Prize. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His Nobel Lecture was about "Femtochemistry." It explained how he used lasers to study chemical bonds.
In the same year, he received Egypt's highest honor. It was called the Grand Collar of the Nile. In 2006, he won the Albert Einstein World Award of Science. This award recognized his work in femtoscience and physical biology. He found new ways to understand how living things work. He did this by seeing them in four dimensions: space and time.
He received many other important awards from around the world, including:
- King Faisal International Prize (1989)
- Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1993)
- Tolman Award (1997)
- Othmer Gold Medal (2009)
- Priestley Medal (2011)
- Davy Medal (2011)
Dr. Zewail was also elected to many important scientific groups. These included the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. He received many honorary degrees from universities worldwide. These included University of Oxford, Cambridge University, and Yale University.
A special place, the Zewail city of science and technology, is named after him. It was established in 2000 and reopened in 2011.
Personal Life
Ahmed Zewail had two daughters, Maha and Amani, from his first marriage. He later married Dema Faham in 1989. They had two sons, Nabeel and Hani.
Honours
Egyptian National Honours
- Grand Collar of the Order of the Nile (1999)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Merit (Egypt) (1995)
Foreign Honours
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Officier of the National Order of Merit
- Grand Cordon of the National Order of the Cedar
- Grand Officer of the National Order of the Republic of Sudan
- Commander of the Order of the Republic
- Grand Officer of Order of Zayed
Death and Funeral
Dr. Zewail passed away on August 2, 2016, at the age of 70. He had been recovering from cancer. A military funeral was held for him in Cairo, Egypt, on August 7, 2016. Many important people attended, including the President of Egypt.
See Also
In Spanish: Ahmed H. Zewail para niños
- Zewail City of Science and Technology (ZCST)
- Ahmed founded ZCST and even donated his entire Nobel prize money in order to establish this university. Due to his need of wanting help Egypt to excel and advance academically the first batch of students were exempted from fees due to their scientific brilliance.
- List of Egyptian scientists
