Hiba was born in the beautiful town of Baalbeck in Lebanon as a Palestinian refugee. She values her Palestinian identity and the country that hosted her family since 1948. Hiba came to the United States for her undergraduate studies at Washington and Lee University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2010 with a B.S. in Physics and Mathematics. Hiba is pursuing her PhD in Theoretical Physics, and her work focuses on the relaxation properties of magnetic vortex lines in type-II superconductors.
Transmission power lines face some losses in the electric energy that goes through them. My field aims to study properties that will result in making materials that minimize these losses when cooled to certain temperatures.
Besides my scientific curiosity and my love for learning more about the physical world and its mechanisms, I had another important motivation on a personal level. My parents, especially my father, have always encouraged my sisters and me to excel in whatever we do, so I wanted to make them proud of me by pursuing my dreams.
Of course! Graduate school can be a lonely place, so I find it very important to have a solid base of friends to reach out to, irrespective of their field of study and how close it is to mine. Meeting people from different academic fields, countries, religions, and cultures makes the graduate experience a learning experience on the personal level as well.
I would like to merge Sociology with Physics. Sociophysics is already a prominent field in Europe, and I think graduate programs in the US should encourage such interdisciplinary fields. Sociophysics utilizes tools and models from statistical physics to study behavioral, social, and political problems.
The stress levels in graduate school are often high, so these are the times when I have to retreat into my personal space and re-energize by focusing on the other important side of my life: people in it. During those times, I spend time with my husband and friends and speak to my family and friends overseas.
My most meaningful academic relationship is with my PhD adviser, Professor Uwe Tauber. Not only is he a great physicist from whom I continuously learn, but he is also a well-rounded mentor that gives me and his other students advice about our academic and personal lives during our lunches and tea times. One of the most important factors to succeed and have a healthy time during graduate school is having a good relationship with your advisor and teammates.
Making my parents proud is the accomplishment that I value the most, and I thrive to keep them proud of me in whatever I do. The first time I witnessed this pride on their faces was when they learned that I got a scholarship to pursue my education in the US from the many students that applied for it. I was also very proud of this accomplishment because I felt that the countless hours of hard work and perseverance payed off. The next accomplishment would be graduating with the PhD degree in my hand. This would pave the way to having a better future for my family and fulfilling my dream of making a difference in the world.
The teaching assignments I was assigned during my time at Virginia Tech and being the sole instructor for an introductory physics summer course assured me of my passion for teaching. After obtaining my PhD degree in physics, I plan to fully pursue this passion by teaching at a liberal arts school.
Chocolate! Nutella!!!! Chocolate snack bars, chocolate-covered candy, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake... I think the sugar and the rich taste give me a relaxing feeling. I try not to over-indulge because of the low activity level after spending long hours sitting in front of my laptop.
I would have gone back home to Lebanon and taught Physics/Mathematics at one of the United Nations (UNRWA) schools for Palestinian refugees. I got my education in one of these schools, and I would like to give back by educating the coming generations. Furthermore, I would have joined a non-profit organization that aims to strengthen youth's different skills despite the impoverished conditions they live in.