FOR Dr. Ahmed Zewail Gr’74 Hon’97 it was yet another mark of recognition when the Egyptian government honored his contributions to molecular science with the creation of two postage stamps bearing his portrait. Zewail, the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Physics and professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology, who has obtained numerous national and international awards for his research, was touched greatly by the accolade from his birth country and to be “in the company of stamps honoring the pyramids, Tutan-khamen and Queen Nefertiti.” Released last year, the stamps are still in circulation.
Although he is now a U.S. citizen, Zewail grew up and studied in Egypt before obtaining his doctorate in chemistry at Penn. Zewail is known for his development of ultrafast lasers and electrons for studies of dynamics in chemistry and biology. His work has made it possible to study atoms and molecules in motion during chemical reactions.
