Interview with Ahmed Zewail

AHMED ZEWAIL (1946 - 2016) INTERVIEWED BY HEIDI ASPATURIAN June – November 2015 Photo by Joe Umbro, October 1999 ARCHIVES CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY Pasadena, California Subject area Chemistry, femtochemistry, physics Abstract Interview in seven sessions (June-November 2015) with Ahmed Zewail, Linus Pauling Professor of Chemistry and professor of physics, and 1999 Nobel laureate in chemistry. Zewail talks at length about growing up on the banks of the Nile in Desouk, Egypt, describing 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 (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, where molecular dynamics research with C. Harris set the stage for his future forays into laser-based femtoscience. He recalls turning down numerous academic jobs, including one proffered by S. Hussein in Iraq, to http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Zewail_A accept a faculty position at Caltech in 1976. He traces the decade of work that led in 1987 to the first direct observations of the making and breaking of chemical bonds, including collaborative work with R. Bernstein and the crucial role of Caltech institutional support. He recalls traveling to Saudi Arabia and Israel to receive the King Faisal and Wolf Prizes respectively and the circumstances surrounding the announcement of the Nobel Prize in 1999 and its aftermath. Zewail talks about the Nobel’s impact on his personal and professional life, including his involvement in public policy, global educational initiatives, and commitment to advancing science education in Egypt, and discusses his post- Nobel 4D electron microscopy research and the establishment of Caltech’s Physical Biology Center for Ultrafast Science and Technology. He recalls discussions with then-Egyptian president H. Mubarak that ultimately led to the founding of Zewail City and touches briefly on his involvement in the 2011 Egyptian Spring. He offers his thoughts on personalities who influenced his life and career, including the iconic Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum and numerous members of the Caltech community. The oral history concludes with a retrospective on his 40 years at Caltech. Occasional references in this oral history to a memoir or autobiography refer to Voyage through Time: Walks of Life to the Nobel Prize, by Ahmed Zewail, American University in Cairo Press, 2002. Administrative information Access The interview is unrestricted. Copyright Copyright has been assigned to the California Institute of Technology © 2017. All requests for permission to publish or quote from the transcript must be submitted in writing to the University Archivist and Head of Special Collections. Preferred citation Zewail, Ahmed. Interview by Heidi Aspaturian. Pasadena, California, June – November 2015. Oral History Project, California Institute of Technology Archives. Retrieved [supply date of retrieval] from the World Wide Web: http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Zewail_A Contact information Archives, California Institute of Technology Mail Code B215A-74 Pasadena, CA 91125 Phone: (626)395-2704 Fax: (626)395-4073 Email: [email protected] Graphics and content © 2017 California Institute of Technology. http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Zewail_A CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ARCHIVES ORAL HISTORY PROJECT INTERVIEW WITH AHMED ZEWAIL BY HEIDI ASPATURIAN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA Copyright © 2017 by the California Institute of Technology http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Zewail_A ii Ahmed Zewail, October 1999 Photographer, Joseph Umbro http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Zewail_A iii NOTE TO READERS These interviews with Professor Ahmed Zewail were conducted in seven sessions between June and November 2015. The original plan called for ten, grouped into three stages: his formative years, from his youth and upbringing in Egypt through his first decade in America; the years of scientific development and discovery at Caltech and his engagement with the Caltech community; and in the aftermath of the Nobel Prize, his growing commitment to science diplomacy and world affairs, focusing on his role as the first science envoy to the Middle East, his involvement with the Egyptian Spring, and his vision for Zewail City, an Egyptian institute of science and technology modeled on Caltech. The first two aspects of his life are fully represented in the oral history. It is the final third, to which we had hoped to devote three sessions in the second half of 2016, that he did not live to complete. When Ahmed agreed to sit down with me for these interviews—“for history,” as he expressed it—one of the reasons he gave was that the year 2016 would coincide with the 40th anniversary of his arrival at Caltech, an event that he considered pivotal in his career and in many respects his life. It seems fitting that the publication of this oral history in 2017 will mark the 30th anniversary of his landmark breakthrough in femtochemistry—a tribute to the scientist and his achievements and to the institution that he firmly believed made those achievements possible. Heidi Aspaturian June 2017 http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Zewail_A iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTERVIEW WITH AHMED ZEWAIL Session 1 1-45 Youth and adolescence in Desouk, Egypt. Family background, history, and genetic roots. Parents’ personalities and courtship. Father’s government work, bicycle business, and education; mother’s notable facility with numbers. Impact of 1952 Nasser revolution on Egypt and Zewail family. Zewail writes to Nasser, c. age 8, and receives “almost prophetic” response. The young “Dr.” Ahmed’s passion for knowledge; secondary school education, youthful reading, and interest in current affairs. Egyptians’ impressions of the West during the 1950s and ’60s. Zewail’s involvement in sports, drama, and photography; early fascination with science, and success in school. Maternal uncle as a role model and intellectual mentor. Zewail reflects on the “incredibly moderate and intellectually rich” Islam of his youth. Absence of tension between faith and secular outlook/ activities contrasted to conditions in present-day Egypt. Recalls studying after school with friends in local mosque and imam blessing their pursuit of knowledge. Youthful escapades include nearly setting home on fire with chemistry experiment and driving family car into the Nile as part of a “thought experiment.” Perception that science and religion need not conflict. Comments on perpetually serious expression in boyhood photographs. Undergraduate study at University of Alexandria; recalls impact of first visit to campus and adolescent “passion” for science for its own sake. Enjoys and excels in math and geology but gravitates early to intellectual challenge and problem-solving aspects of chemistry. Designation as a “special”—one of a select group of outstanding undergraduates. High quality of teaching at Alexandria and early attraction to spectroscopy. Exposure to Western science; student life and extracurricular activities. Decision to pursue PhD work in the US rather than Eastern Europe or USSR. Inspirational example of Western-trained Egyptian faculty. Recalls navigating Egypt’s labyrinth-like educational bureaucracy to secure approval for study in America. Inquiries to American universities elicit “very distant” letter from Caltech and encouraging response from University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). Absence of bureaucracy in 1960s America contrasted to pervasive bureaucracy then and now in Egypt. Present-day efforts to establish bureaucratic-free environment at Zewail City. Family responds with pride and sorrow to only son’s imminent departure for Philadelphia. Comments on impact of http://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechOH:OH_Zewail_A v Kennedy’s “we choose to go the moon” speech and on “amazing” environment for science and fundamental research at time of arrival in America. Session 2 46-68 Reflects on absence of conflict between science and religion during formative years in Egypt, and Egyptian society’s respect at the time for education and knowledge. Recalls tolerant climate of “living in peace,” without sectarian tensions. Socializing with Coptic students at Alexandria leads to lasting friendships. Informality and distinctive teaching style of Alexandria professors educated in America. Recalls national and personal ambivalence toward United States in context of Aswan Dam withdrawal and Six Day War with Israel. Arrival in “extremely humid” Philadelphia in summer of 1967 to pursue PhD research with R. Hochstrasser. Astonished at absence of bureaucracy. Early experiences acclimating to the United States. Contrasts environment at UPenn with that of Alexandria. Eagerness to embrace American culture aided by welcoming climate for international students at Penn. Comments on American students’ limited awareness of Egypt and Egyptian culture. Recalls warm reception from Penn “host families.” First forays into writing research papers in English and influence on subsequent publications. Hochstrasser’s

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