Shadia Rifa'i Habbal (

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: شادية رفاعي حبال) is a Syrian-American astronomer and physicist specialized in

Space physics Space physics, also known as solar-terrestrial physics or space-plasma physics, is the study of plasmas as they occur naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere ( aeronomy) and within the Solar System. As such, it encompasses a far-ranging number of ...

. A professor of Solar physics, her research is centered on

Solar wind The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the upper atmosphere of the Sun, called the corona. This plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy between . The composition of the sol ...

and

Solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six mon ...

Life and education

She was born as Shadia Na'im Rifa'i in the city of

Homs ar, حمصي, Himsi , population_urban = , population_density_urban_km2 = , population_density_urban_sq_mi = , population_blank1_title = Ethnicities , population_blank1 = , population_blank2_t ...

where she finished secondary education, she enrolled in the

University of Damascus The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

where she received her bachelor in physics and math. She received a master in physics from the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB) ( ar, الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, aut ...

before receiving her PhD from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

Career

She completed a one-year ASP term at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (1977-1978) and joined the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian in 1978 where she established a research group in solar-terrestrial physics, a position she kept until 2000. Habbal was also appointed as a professor of solar terrestrial physics at the Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the

University of Wales , latin_name = , image = , caption = Coat of Arms , motto = cy, Goreu Awen Gwirionedd , mottoeng = The Best Inspiration is Truth , established = , , type = Confederal, non-member ...

, Aberystwyth. Between (1995-2000) she was a lecturer at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

. In 2002 she was appointed editor in the

Journal of Geophysical Research The ''Journal of Geophysical Research'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal. It is the flagship journal of the American Geophysical Union. It contains original research on the physical, chemical, and biological processes that contribute to the un ...

, Space Physics Section. Prof Habbal is a member of many professional bodies including the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

, the

International Astronomical Union The International Astronomical Union (IAU; french: link=yes, Union astronomique internationale, UAI) is a nongovernmental organisation with the objective of advancing astronomy in all aspects, including promoting astronomical research, outreac ...

, the Hawaii Institute for Astronomy as well as being a fellow of the

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NG ...

Research

Prof. Habbal focus on the origin and evolution of the solar wind, solar magnetic fields and eclipse polarimetric observations. She led 10 solar eclipse expeditions, visiting places such as India (1995), Guadeloupe (1998), China (2008) and French Polynesia (2010). Habbal led a team of the Hawaii Institute for Astronomy that took part in the observation of

solar corona A corona ( coronas or coronae) is the outermost layer of a star's atmosphere. It consists of plasma. The Sun's corona lies above the chromosphere and extends millions of kilometres into outer space. It is most easily seen during a total solar ...

during eclipse in association with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

in 2006, 2008 and 2009, she also played a key role in establishing the NASA

Parker Solar Probe The Parker Solar Probe (PSP; previously Solar Probe, Solar Probe Plus or Solar Probe+) is a NASA space probe launched in 2018 with the mission of making observations of the outer corona of the Sun. It will approach to within 9.86 solar radii ...

, which launched in 2018 and was the first spacecraft to fly into the solar corona.

Honors

*Pioneer, Arab Thought Foundation, December 2004. *Certificate of Guest Professor from the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, September 4, 2001. *

NASA Group Achievement Award The NASA Group Achievement Award (GAA) is an award given by NASA to groups of government or non-government personnel in recognition of group accomplishments contributing to NASA's mission. The criteria for earning the Group Achievement Award are ...

, Spartan 201 white Light Coronagraph Team, Washington DC, August 14, 2000. *Adventurous Women Lecture Series Award, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Women's Program Committee, June 8, 1998. *Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding service and support - Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, December 19, 1997. *Certificate of Appreciation for outstanding service -National Research Council, Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, 1996. *Certificate of Award in recognition of special achievement reflecting a high standard of accomplishment, Smithsonian Institution, July 25, 1993.

Selected publications

* * * * *

References

External links

Shadia Habbal - Google Scholar
{{DEFAULTSORT:Habbal, Shadia Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Syrian astronomers Syrian physicists Syrian women scientists Women astronomers Syrian emigrants to the United States NASA people People from Homs Damascus University alumni American University of Beirut alumni University of Cincinnati alumni Syrian scientists