Periodic Table Project

To celebrate the International Year of Chemistry (IYC), Chem 13 News magazine together with the University of Waterloo's Department of Chemistry and the Faculty of Science encouraged chemistry educators and enthusiasts worldwide to adopt an element and artistically interpret that element. The project created a periodic table as a mosaic of science and art. Click the image above to access the interactive PDF (accessible) version of the poster.

Thank you to all the teachers and students who participated in the collaborative Periodic Table Project. Students from all Canadian provinces and territories, 20 U.S. states and 14 countries researched, created and designed the elemental tiles.

Mobile apps​​

a screenshot of Periodic Table Project app showing the elemental tiles

See the amazing artwork for each elemental tile designed by chemistry students from around the world. The apps include the creative process behind each tile along with basic atomic properties of the element. The apps work to truly highlight the artistic expression of the Periodic Table Project. 

Download the free applications for Apple or Android devices!

Posters

the University of Waterloo Periodic Table Project poster

We created a classroom-sized periodic table poster (36" by 27"), which we mailed out free to all participants, all high schools in Canada and Chem 13 News magazine readers. Our thanks goes to the University of Waterloo for making this mass mailout possible.

2013 flerovium (Fl) and livermorium (Lv) contest

Flerovium
Livermorium

The Periodic Table is a living model so it came as no surprise more elements were being added. So we ran an additional contest for the two latest elements, flerovium (Fl) and livermorium (Lv); read more about the winning tiles for the newly named elements flerovium (Fl) and livermorium (Lv)

2017 New elements contest: nihonium (Nh), moscovium (Mc), tennessine (Ts) and oganesson (Og)

New element contest winner tiles.

Chem 13 News magazine ran a contest to design tiles for the four newly named elements, nihonium (Nh), moscovium (Mc), tennessine (Ts) and oganesson (Og). Our New Elements Contest received over 200 submissions from over 40 schools. See the new elements contest page to see the winners.  

Wall Mural

Periodic Table Project wall mural

In April 2012, a 25-foot by 18-foot wall mural of the final Periodic Table Project was installed at the Earth Sciences Museum at the University of Waterloo. 

We wish to thank 3M Canada for providing the materials and the installation of the wall mural.

Project Contributors

Thanks to the Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo for their continued support of Chem 13 News magazine throughout the project. Thanks to Lew Brubacher, Kathy Jackson and John Honek for their help and advice.

Thanks to all the project sponsors:  3M Canada (London, Ontario), Office of Research, University of Waterloo, and Chemical Institute of Canada (Ottawa, Ontario).

Special thanks to Kent Neilsen, 3M Canada, for taking the time to contact his first University of Waterloo co-op student (Jean Hein) for International Year of Chemistry and initiating the relationship between 3M Canada and the University of Waterloo.