NPR

She May Be The Most Unstoppable Scientist In The World

First she was shot at on the way to work. Then her house was destroyed by a bomb. That didn't deter this woman scientist.
"In college, I would tell my friends that I wanted to pursue a Ph.D., and they would chuckle and ridicule the idea," says Eqbal Dauqan, who is an assistant professor at the University Kebangsaan Malaysia at age 36. Born and raised in Yemen, Dauqan credits her "naughty" spirit for her success in a male-dominated culture.

Two years ago, Eqbal Dauqan was going to work in the morning as usual. She's a biochemistry professor. And was driving on the freeway, when suddenly: "I felt something hit my car, but I didn't know what it was because I was driving very fast," she says.

Dauqan reached the parking lot. Got out of the car and looked at the door. What she saw left her speechless.

"A bullet hit the car, just on the door," she says.

The door had stopped the bullet. And Dauqan was OK. She has no idea where the bullet came from. But it turned out to be an

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