A Year in the Fulbright Life: Taha’s Story
For the next year, Fulbright MENA will be showcasing a handful of students as they study in the United States with their new series, A Year in the Fulbright Life. Each month, spotlighted students will share an update as they continue on their Fulbright journey.
September 2019
Astronomy is a discipline that you carry with you wherever you go. You only need to look up to the stars. Here is a picture of a bright meteor crossing the Colorado sky, with the planet Jupiter (bright object), plane navigation lights (red trail) and our home galaxy, the Milky Way. Meteors and meteorites are objects of my research, and I enjoy tracking them in my new home.
I also took a photo of the great sand dunes in Colorado. In Morocco, I always go to the deserts and mountains where there is no light pollution to enjoy the bright sky spectacle during the night. The sky here is amazing, and I spent a great night doing astrophotography. I thought they were beautiful and should be shared with the Fulbright Community.
December 2019 & January 2020
During a balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hundreds of hot-air balloons with different colors and shapes ascended in the sky at the same time. The spectacle was amazing. I went uphill in the city of Corrales so I could have a panoramic view of the show.
There are millions of asteroids located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. What happens when one of them hits the earth? During one of my trips, I had the chance to visit the meteor crater (Barringer Crater) in Arizona. The meteor crater is 0.7 miles wide (1200m) and 560 feet deep (170m) caused by a 160 foot (50m) iron impactor known as a canyon diablo meteorite. It was incredible to see in person.
I visited four states in one day at a place called the four corners. This region is where four states meet: Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona. This monument is protected and administrated by the Navajo Nation.
As a kid, I always dreamed about becoming an astronaut or an astronomer. I had the privilege to have a short discussion with Harrison Hagan “Jack” Schmitt, the Apollo 17 astronaut, who walked on the Moon during the final Moon landing mission of NASA’s Apollo program in 1972. I was inspired by his adventure story, his vision, and philosophy!
I also met with Debra Anne Haaland, one of the first Native American women elected to the United States Congress. During a meeting with her, organized by the Fulbright Association of New Mexico, we discussed the cultural and academic differences we faced when we first came to the University of New Mexico. In addition to that, she shared her inspirational story with us and asked us to talk about our countries. I discussed with her some social and cultural aspects in Morocco and both their similarities and differences with the American ones. An enriching and fruitful exchange with a great woman!
It is always mesmerizing to hold pieces from both Mars and the Moon. During the 75th anniversary of the Institute of Meteoritics, I was able to hold a lunar meteorite and two Martian meteorites. These meteorites were formed at the surface of the moon and Mars then ejected by an impact.
Canada, Denmark, Belgium, Turkey, Ireland, and Morocco in one picture. During the 2020 Salt Lake City Fulbright seminar, I had the opportunity to make many new friends from all over the world. Imagine bringing more than 150 people from more than 60 countries to one conference room. Imagine the kind of conversations and exchange they are going to have in only one hour. It is amazing what the Fulbright program is providing for us!
Taha is a Fulbright student from Morocco. He is studying Mineralogy, Petrology, and Geochemistry of Meteorites at the University of New Mexico.
Follow updates from Taha and other Fulbright students on our Facebook and Twitter pages. Check back here every month for more updates on the blog and Medium Series to see what Taha does this year!
