The New York Local Section of the American Chemical Society celebrated the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT2019) with a Giant 3D Periodic Table Display at New York Hall of Science

On Friday, October 18, 2019, the American Chemical Society New York Section (NYACS) unveiled a giant 3D Periodic Table at New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) – the Great Hall, as its members kicked off the 2019 National Chemistry Week (NCW) and commemorated the 150th Birthday of Mendeleev’s Periodic Table and the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT2019). View the Program and the New York ACS's celebration of National Chemistry Week here.

Artist's rendering of the periodic table design

The Periodic Table

The Table (artist's rendering and actual table, above), standing tall in all its glory, 12ftx12ftx11ft in size, reveals the hidden pattern of the universe and makes it clear for all to see how elements relate and why they do what they do. Thousands of NYACS volunteers representing 56 organizations, ranging from research labs, universities, colleges, high schools, chemical companies, business centers, for-profit and nonprofit organizations participated in and contributed to the designs of the 118 elements and construction of the Table.

Through their high quality, well though-out, aesthetic, and highly diversified original artworks, contributors tell rich and fascinating stories of their elements and how their elements’ discoveries and the discovery of the periodicity helped build the modern world. By showing their own Si and SiGe chips, the IBM scientists proudly celebrated the elements silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge), two closely related family members in Group 4A, and how these elements enabled IBM, via innovation and the use of the Periodic Law, to lead the computer revolution that has forever changed the way we live. The Mapham High School honored the element Lithium (LI) with an exquisite painting of Arfvedson, the chemist who first discovered the element in its compound form in 1817. Looking at the Li symbol with that “Mona Lisa” smile, Arfvedson is surrounded by the many uses of lithium, ranging from drugs to batteries. The smile on his face even seemed more glorious after the recent announcement that light weight, rechargeable and high power lithium ion batteries have won their creators the 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The element sodium (Na), claimed by their superintendent, Admiral Jack Buono, was well celebrated at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Using information research, one-page assay, one-minute presentation, and finally the graphical representations, students had much fun learning about and sharing the many modern and maritime uses of sodium. Many felt, that after the IYPT, perhaps element sodium (Na) should be “properly” renamed as “nauticalium”. Through the giant Table display, members of NYACS pay their ultimate tribute to all that the Periodic Table symbolizes: scientific discovery, innovation, human dedication and collective endeavors, and how these legacies have personally impacted who they are and what they do.

Even held on a working day, the unveiling event was well attended with hundreds of attendees, especially including a large number of area high school students. The Hall was crowded with an attentive and enlightened audience who helped bring this magnificent Exhibit to public and greatly appreciated an opportunity to meet and converse with the IBM eminent scientists and technology leaders including Dr. James Wynne, the LASIK inventor, Dr. Lubomyr (Luby) Romankiw, whose magnetic thin-film storage heads enabled a giant step in increased density of storage that led to the era of personal computers, and Ms. Linda Sanford, who headed up IBM global industries in 1990s that generated 70% IBM’s revenue.



The giant Periodic Table, was displayed at the New York Hall of Science during the entire National Chemistry Week as reported in The Indicator. and was displayed at the 58th Eastern Analytical Symposium and Exhibition, November 18-20, 2019, in Princeton, New Jersey as shown below.


The giant 3D Periodic Table, designed and constructed by nearly a thousand of the American Chemical Society New York Section volunteers, representing 56 organizations ranging from research labs, universities, colleges, high schools, chemical companies and business centers, was on display for National Chemistry Week at New York Hall of Science – the Great Hall. The volunteers of the NYACS Unveiling of the PT event, October 18, 2019, New York Hall of Science. Photo by Captain Tony Nigro.