{"id":427112,"date":"2020-04-23T11:31:10","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T15:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/?p=427112"},"modified":"2020-04-23T11:59:20","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T15:59:20","slug":"fatima-zaidouni-20-awarded-gates-cambridge-scholarship-427112","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/newscenter\/fatima-zaidouni-20-awarded-gates-cambridge-scholarship-427112\/","title":{"rendered":"Fatima Zaidouni \u201920 awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"headshot
Fatima Zaidouni<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Fatima Zaidouni \u201920<\/a> has been named a Gates Cambridge Scholar, one of 77 students from 30 nations selected for the honor. The award will enable Zaidouni to pursue a postgraduate degree full time at the University of Cambridge in the UK beginning this fall and, after completing her degree, gain lifetime membership in a global network of Gates Cambridge alumni scholars and leaders.<\/p>\n

A native of Temara, Morocco, the physics and astronomy major will begin a master\u2019s of advanced study in astrophysics at Cambridge\u2019s Institute of Astronomy. She is the sixth Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ student or alumnus to win the scholarship, and only the second undergraduate to do so. Scholars are chosen based on outstanding intellectual ability and commitment to improving the lives of others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was surprised and extremely delighted to receive this honor,\u201d says Zaidouni, who recently was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa<\/a> honor society. \u201cI feel humbled and thankful for the journey that led to this.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not common for Moroccan students to apply to US universities, as fewer than 20 percent are fluent in English. \u201cI learned about Rochester from a simple Google search,\u201d Zaidouni says. \u201cI had two criteria: strong research and generous financial aid. Rochester was the perfect fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since Morocco closed its borders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Zaidouni is living in Rochester. Like many students, her classes and research now take place over Zoom meetings. \u201cIt\u2019s getting better as time passes,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m surrounded by friends and constantly talk with my family over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zaidouni has held research positions at Rochester, Princeton, and UCLA. At Rochester, her research has been primarily in computational cosmology, including work with Rochester faculty who are part of the multi-institutional Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument team<\/a>. This summer, she will intern remotely at California Berkeley\u2019s SETI Research Center.<\/p>\n

At Rochester, she was a teaching assistant for three physics classes and a tutor in the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) for two physics classes. She\u2019s also a member of several student organizations, including the Society of Women in Astronomy & Physics and the Kapitza Society, a relatively new undergraduate physics group dedicated to independent study of topics in theoretical physics.<\/p>\n

She plans to pursue a doctoral degree at MIT after her time at Cambridge ends.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeyond the science, I\u2019ve learned a great deal about self-learning and teaching at Rochester,\u201d she says. \u201cI was overwhelmed by the support and care from my department\u2019s faculty and coordinators. I couldn\u2019t have asked for a better undergraduate experience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The award will allow the physics and astronomy major to pursue a postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge in the UK beginning this fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":672,"featured_media":427152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[18662,19242,26462,16072],"class_list":["post-427112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-department-of-physics-and-astronomy","tag-global-engagement","tag-scholarships","tag-school-of-arts-and-sciences"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFatima Zaidouni \u201920 awarded Gates Cambridge Scholarship<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The award will allow the physics and astronomy major to pursue a postgraduate degree at the University of Cambridge in the UK beginning this fall.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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