The Periodic Table represents more than 5,000 years of human discovery...
We marked the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT) in 2019 with a timeline illustrated by students from 118 schools in 28 countries, entitled Timeline of Elements.
We welcome you to visit the full-wall mural and interactive exhibit located in the basement of the Science Teaching Complex (STC) on the University of Waterloo main campus.
Why 2019? Why a timeline?
The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2019 as the International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements (IYPT 2019). The goal "in proclaiming an International Year focusing on the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements and its applications, the United Nations has recognized the importance of raising global awareness of how chemistry promotes sustainable development and provides solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture, and health."
This year coincides with the 150th anniversary of Dmitry Mendeleev’s published periodic table in 1869.
Chem 13 News readers will remember our 2011 Periodic Table Project, which produced a wall mural, free mobile app, and classroom posters. To celebrate the Year of the Periodic Table, we decided to take a different approach to the table and deconstruct it into the years the elements were discovered. Our goal was to have chemistry students from around the world join together to create an original and imaginative version of the Timeline of Elements focused on their discovery.
The Timeline of Elements was eventually turned into a full-wall mural and interactive exhibit located in the basement of the Science Teaching Complex (STC) on the University of Waterloo main campus.
The mural, measuring 16-metres (52.5-feet) long by 3.3-metres (10.8-feet) high, occupies the entire wall between rooms STC-0060 and STC-0050. Interactive displays include touchable native elements, reconstruction of the original voltaic pile (i.e., battery), and a spectrometer visitors can use to identify a variety of elements.
Visit this exhibit in the STC basement
To learn more about the project and download the various electronic resources, visit the Timeline of Elements and Mendeleev Mosaic webpages.
Visiting the Timeline with your class? View our Teacher Resources.
We wish to thank 3M Canada for providing the materials and the installation of the wall mural.