SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY Alimohammadi, who received a B.S. degree in health and exercise science with a minor in studio art, had taken several chemistry classes and suggested working with the chemistry department. She plans to attend dental school. Clark was a double major, receiving B.A. degrees in stuThus far, Gray has collected samples of dio art and communication. She plans more than 80 elements. It's a monumen- to study art direction at an advertising tal achievement, and he describes his ad- school. ventures in building the table and gatherThey were inspired by the work of artist ing samples in near-excruciating detail on Claes Oldenburg, who popularized the idea a website (http:/Avwwtheodoregraycom/ of taking everyday objects and blowing periodictable). Perhaps the latter is the rea- them up to a large scale. Their periodic son Gray's efforts were rewarded with a table has a hint of that, but it also can func2002 Ig Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The tion as a table where a chemist can take a Ig Nobels are issued by the Annals of Im- break, study, or have lunch. "When art can probable Research for scientific work that be both aesthetically pleasing and func"cannot or should not be reproduced." As tional at the same time, it makes for a great far as he knows, this is thefirstperiodic combination," Clark has said in describtable table, Gray tells C&EN. ing the work. Alimohammadi prepared the structurAt about the time Gray was finishing his table, two students at Wake Forest Uni- al steel for the table and Clark hand-paintversity were creating their own periodic ed the surface tiles for each element. The table table as a public arts project. Nazila piece, which was dedicated during an inAlimohammadi and Anna Clark's "Peri- formal picnic ceremony on April 15, is unodic Table" is a functional art installation mistakably a periodic table,rightdown to that sits by one of the entrances to Salem the lanthanides and actinides that make Hall, the chemistry department building at up the table's bench. Wake Forest. "The chemistry department is ab-
PERIODIC TABLES
The elements' 'bible' easily lends itself to artistic adaptations—even a few real tables
I
N PLACE OF THE ELEMENTS, CREA-
tive renditions of the periodic table may show vegetables, hardware, poetry, or even investment returns. One example of a "real" periodic table is a popular poster created a few years ago by the Royal Society of Chemistry that features photos of the elements in their elemental form. A newer version of the RSC poster replaces the elements with symbolic art images inspired by the elements. A logical extension of taking artistic license with the periodic table is to create a periodic table table—a real table that looks like the periodic table. It's unclear how novel an idea this is, but during the past couple ofyears at least two such tables have been created. One of these is a wooden periodic table desk that has an engraved tile for each element. Beneath the tiles are cubbyholes to place actual samples of the elements. The table was built by Theodore W. Gray,
TABLED Left photo: Alimohammadi (left) and Clark pose with their periodic picnic table. Right photo: Gray (left) and Sacks look over Gray's Ig Nobel-winning periodic table desk.
a B.S. chemist by training and cofounder of Wolfram Research, the makers of Mathematica software. Gray was inspired to build the table by reading neurologist Oliver Sacks's book "Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood." In this book, published in 2001, Sacks describes being chemically inspired as a child by a wall display of elements in a museum. 32
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The students, both of whom graduated in May, made the picnic-style table this past year as part of a course on public art taught by associate art professor David Finn. Students in the class were paired up and assigned to work with campus departments or organizations in creating art for public display Several ofthe works are nowplaced around the Wake Forest campus.
solutely thrilled with the table," notes assistant chemistry professor Paul B.Jones, who served as departmental liaison for the project. "I think it's one of the cleverest ideas I've seen in a long time. And they executed it perfecdy. I've already taken a few lunches out there." The university's ACS student affiliates chapter provided funds to construct the table.-STEVE RITTER HTTP://WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
