Reporting by Faris Rifai
(Zaman Al Wasl)- Through her scientific career which has spanned half a century, Doctor Fatima al-Halmouschi managed to prove herself as an esteemed scientist in nuclear physics, a field that still has many red lines.
Dr. al-Halmouschi was the first Syrian woman to hold a doctorate in physics, which a specialisation in nuclear physics, which she was obtained from Cairo University in 1980. Speaking to Zaman al-Wasl, al-Halmouschi presents some aspects of her scientific career in a field that has always been dominated by men.
Al-Halmouschi grew up in a modest working-class family with her three siblings, her father and mother. She was the first daughter in her father and mother’s families to enter middle school, as it was mainly male children who continued passed their elementary education. When she was a child she said she dreamed of becoming an elementary school teacher, but her father, who was illiterate, loved education, and he encouraged all his children to complete their high school degrees.
In her middle school, she was one of the first ten students in all the city of Homs which enabled her to continue onto high school where she was an outstanding student. She gained second placed in the state official exams among female students. She then entered university, and at that time in the early 1960s, there was only a handful in all Syria. She studied at Damascus University and graduated with a bachelor degree from the Faculty of Science in 1965.
She was sent by the university to Cairo University to study for a masters degree in nuclear physics which she was awarded in 1975. She returned some years later to Cairo University to earn a doctorate in physics in 1980. Since that time she has been teaching in different Syrian universities including Aleppo and Homs Universities.
Al-Halmouschi was sent to the USA, to Florida State University, several years ago to undertake theoretical research in nuclear and theoretical physics. She explained that the research went well.
Speaking to Zaman al-Wasl, al-Halmouschi said that the scientific research she has dedicated over 40 years of her life to is not limited to experiments and theories only but is a principle tool in developing any society. It affects every aspect of life from how people build their houses, the food they eat, the sports they play and to factory machines. She added, “We need scientific research as it is the scientific method to build new ideas, investigate them and it is a cornerstone of human creativity in different fields of life.”
Al-Halmouschi said she chose nuclear physics since it is a natural science that depends on meticulous laws placed by the creator to build material existence. By studying these laws, we reach the core of the harmony of this planet and get closer to uncovering its secrets. Acquiring knowledge is also a means to protect humans and avoid certain problems and dangers.
Dr al-Halmouschi participated in several regional and international conferences and workshops concerning the use of nuclear technology and higher education teaching methods. Other than her scientific research and academic work, Al-Halmouschi is a member of the Research and Higher Education Committee n the Higher Education Council. She was selected as a member of the Arab Academy for Science and a member of the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS).
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