Chemistry goes ‘artistic’ with interactive Periodic Table

An interactive Periodic Table of the Elements mural, in which the elements or their applications are depicted by artwork, was unveiled last month in the Science Building.

The artistic chart is a collaborative effort of faculty and students in the university’s College of Science and Mathematics, and middle school and high school students from throughout the Valley. More than 100 students submitted original art for the "Adopt-an-Element" contest sponsored by the university.

The best of the artwork was color printed on 5-by-7-inch transparencies mounted on the back-lit 10-by-8-foot tall Periodic Table mural. Small LED lamps imbedded throughout the frames on the table flash to indicate element groupings and trends when visitors click switches on the table's control panel.

For example, Element 99, Einsteinium (symbol Es), is a portrait of Albert Einstein sketched by Alison Gish of University High School. Einsteinium, discovered in 1952, is named after the renowned scientist.

Trends among the elements within the periodic table are depicted by original computer-generated artwork created by Dr. David L. Frank of the Chemistry Department, who originated the project.

"Some of the student artwork is truly amazing,” said Frank. “The project provides a way to motivate visual learners and to reach students who are more oriented toward the arts than the sciences. The community has been very supportive, and we hope to continue the contest on an annual basis," he said.

The Periodic Table was constructed by Industrial Technology student Miles Wilhelm, who also printed the element transparencies. The electrical trends lighting was designed and implemented by Electrical Engineering graduate student Hasan Shahriar.

To view the chart, see Adopt-an-Element link at www.csufresno.edu/csm.