My Mother
Today is my mother’s birthday; so, I dedicate today’s post to this remarkable woman, who has led an exemplary life, and whom my siblings and I are privileged to call Mama.
In the early 1970s, after my mother had graduated from college, gotten married to her college sweetheart, and had my brother, she was awarded a full scholarship to complete her graduate studies and earn a PhD in Physics from the University of London. So, my parents packed up and moved the family from Cairo, Egypt to London. I was born soon after that, and my sister followed 8 ½ years later.
My mother, an Egyptian woman in London in the 1970s, earned her PhD in Nuclear Physics, a field that was almost entirely dominated by men. Not only was my mother the only woman in her class at Birkbeck College; she was also the only woman that had ever worked under the tutelage of Professor John Barrett Hasted (February 17th, 1921-May 4th, 2002), who was a renowned British atomic physicist and a folk musician. He recognized her talent and determination and took her under his wing.
My mother was very fortunate to have had male classmates that she describes as decent, respectful, and accommodating. She once told me of a time, when they displayed genuine consideration for her. She got really upset and broke down in tears, because her classmates stayed in the lab late, working on their research without her, while she needed to go home to be with her family. She was the only student in the class who was married with kids, and she didn’t think it was fair to be excluded for it. While a bit dramatic, this only shows how dedicated my mother is. I was most tickled, when my mother told me that, upon her arrival, her classmates felt a need to discard the posters they kept in the locker room. While funny, it is also very heartwarming.
“I am in awe of this exceptional woman.“
In 1983, my parents moved the family back home. Since graduating and until this day, my mother has been committed to giving back to al-Azhar University in Cairo, which awarded her the scholarship. She has taught there for decades and contributed significantly to the expansion of its School of Physics. She helped create its first Biophysics Department and was the first to be appointed its Chair. Because of the relatively small number of scholars in the fields of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, my mother’s research and academic projects and partnerships have extended well beyond al-Azhar University, nationally and globally. She spent a number of years working abroad, while the family stayed in Cairo, and she has traveled extensively, attending and participating in conferences around the world.
Even though my mother is officially retired and has been for several years, she has never stopped working, sharing her expertise, and inspiring the next generation of physicists. The last time I facetimed my mother, just a few days ago, she answered the call and took off her reading glasses, a sight all too familiar. I honestly cannot imagine her living otherwise, and I am in awe of this exceptional woman.
One day, I hope to share a glimpse into the life of the exceptional man, who is the love of her life.
Happy Birthday, Mama!