Rammal Rammal

Rammal Hassan Rammal (September 30, 1951 – May 31, 1991) is a Lebanese condensed matter physicist. He was born in Doueir, South Lebanon. He lived and went to school in Beirut. He was the top student in his class. He graduated high school and ranked first place in the official exams of the baccalaureate Section II (general science) in Lebanon. At 18 years old, he traveled to France to continue his education and start his scientific career. He studied at the Joseph Fourier University in France and got his baccalaureate in mathematics and physics. In 1981, he achieved his international doctorate there and started working at CNRS in Grenoble. Rammal continued working in France for most of his professional life. He achieved a lot in his life and won a number of awards.

Career

Between 1978 and 1981, Rammal worked as a researcher at the National Center for Scientific Research (CRNS) in low-temperature physics department. He had a thesis that it subject addressed as follows: "The importance of statistical mechanics to explain the energy distribution in solids transparent (amorphous) spiral shape using numerical methods", this thesis was discussed in front of 16 scientists, senior physicists in France and it was a subject of appreciation and admiration prompting then the French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac to meet student researcher Rammal Rammal. This thesis has caused a major stir in the academic community and in France.

Rammal became famous all around the world, he went to many important universities in the United States as a visiting professor and a especially in the US space agency, "NASA".

During 1983-1984, Rammal served as a visiting professor for six months in Nuclear Physics, co-managing the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia Research Department (United States) and National Laboratory Brokmaven in Upton (New York). He had also served as a visiting professor for another six months in the Department of Physics at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec (Canada).

During 1984-1986, he served as a research professor at the National Center for Scientific Research at the University of Grenoble.

Rammal was deputed by the French National Center for Research for representation in several scientific conferences in France and internationally.

In 1988, he was promoted to become the head of research team and he was only 37 years old. He was the only person to be in this position in France, even tough he didn't have the french nationality.

Dr. Rammal has published 113 scientific researches in the topics of statistical physics research (Mathematics, thermodynamic, laws of motion applications specific heat in solids, liquids and gases, molecular hydrogen gas behavior in the lower temperature limits, extreme behavior of nuclear particles in the microscopic tropical systems, characteristics of the Fermi-Dirac statistics, etc. ..). Dr. Rammal research has contributed to build the basics and origins of modern physics and development. As a result of the importance of his research, the National Center for Scientific Research awarded him a bronze medal in 1984, in recognition of the best doctoral thesis in France. In addition, the French government awarded a silver medal for Scientific Research, and it was presented by the French Minister of education himself in 1988, in recognition of his research in the fields of statistical physics.

In 1989, the French magazine Le Point included Rammal's name in an article in 11 December 1989 among the one hundred French figures representing the glory of France. He was named among the top twenty French character who will play an important role in changing France in the 2000's. And as the magazine mentioned: "Dr. Rammal Rammal was a mathematician-physicist of Lebanese origin, and one of the leading specialists of the few at the global level in the intensification of material and energy storage research areas."

Awards

• The Rammal Award for scientists from Mediterranean countries was created in his honor by the EuroScience organization and has been awarded annually since 1993.
• Rammal Rammal high school was built in his hometown Doueir for his honor.
• The science and research States magazine awarded him in 1984, the smallest researher in the world of his generation.
• the French government awarded him a silver medal for Scientific Research.
• the French magazine Le Point named him among the top twenty French character who will play an important role in changing France in the 2000's.
• the National Center for Scientific Research awarded him a bronze medal in 1984, in recognition of the best doctoral thesis in France.

Death

On 31 May 1991, Rammal Rammal died in France in mysterious circumstances, and was buried in his hometown. French authorities that accompanied his body to Lebanon did not allow him to disclose. However, the family represented by his brother who lives in France, confirmed that Rammal had been suffering from heart problems and stress that caused his death.

References

• Gérard Toulouse (1999-11-01). "Ethics enters the 21st century". PhysicsWorld.com. Institute of Physics. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
• "The Rammal Award". Euroscience. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
• "The Rammal Rammal Foundation". Retrieved 2008-01-06.
• "Rammal Rammal". www.proud2blebanese.com. Retrieved 2008-01-06.
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