YSU Installs Periodic Table in Memory of Biersdorfer
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A periodic table featuring samples of all 118 chemical elements has been installed in Ward Beecher Science Hall at Youngstown State University.
The project was facilitated by environmental and geological sciences professor Ray Biersdorfer, who helped secure the donation of the cabinet from an anonymous donor before his death in October.
Inside the display case for each element, from hydrogen to oganesson, are samples of how the element is used in daily life. The aluminum case, for example, features coins and deodorant, while indium features a Blackberry phone and Swiss army knife.
The periodic table was designed and built by Marcos Polomo of Madrid, Spain. Helping him install it at YSU was Andrew Goodall, a chemistry elements specialist with London-based RGB Research Ltd. The two have worked together on 15 such displays in the United States and have done pieces in England, Canada and Australia.
The periodic table is just one of the memorials to Biersdorfer, known on YSU’s campus as “Dr. Ray.” A month after his death, a group of friends planted a scarlet oak tree on campus and a western oak on the Isle of Man. Work is also underway do dedicate Rockhopper Ray’s Environmental Field Station on the island.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
