Tuesday, 11 June 2019
Children from Blue Bell Hill Primary School have been given an exclusive sneak preview of the first- ever Nottingham Periodic Table, ahead of its official unveiling at the University of Nottingham’s Wonder event on the 15th June.
To mark this 150th anniversary year of the Periodic Table the University of Nottingham has created its very own Nottingham version featuring local landmarks, people and sayings chosen from hundreds of suggestions made by people over the last few months.
A huge freestanding version of the Periodic Table of Nottingham is in the chemistry building and features an interactive advent calendar style design with the Nottingham and chemical elements on the outside with doors that can be opened to reveal facts about the chemical element and the Nottingham replacement. An online version will also be on the university website from June 15.
From Brian Clough to Cheese Riots
The Nottingham Periodic Table is hugely varied with some expected big local names appearing including; Nottingham legends Robin Hood and Brian Clough for Rhodium (Rh) and Bromine (Br). The University’s own Sir Peter Mansfield is Promethium (Pm) and fashion designer Paul Smith takes the spot for Protactinium (Pa).
Some popular Nottingham haunts, both on and off campus also feature, with Wollaton taking the spot for Tungsten (W), Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem for Yttrium (Y), Portland Building for Lead (Pb) and of course the iconic Lions for Lithium (Li).
There are also some unexpected ideas featured that uncover some little-known Nottingham facts – did you know there were Cheese Riots in Nottingham in 1766 over the price of food? – an unusual suggestion for Cromium (Cr) or that Queen Isabella (I) sought refuge in Nottingham Castle?
Ay up me duck!
This Nottingham Periodic Table is a fantastic celebration of the people and places that make the city such a great place to live, work and study. It is also a fun and creative way to mark the important milestone this invaluable tool of chemistry has reached. People really engaged with this idea and we had hundreds of suggestions, there’s a good mix of the obvious things that everyone knows but also plenty of unexpected suggestions that revealed something we didn’t know about the city. I think it will be a real talking point at this year’s Wonder!
Wonder at the periodic celebrations
Celebrating The Year of the Periodic Table will be a theme throughout Wonder with the free fun day featuring a range of activities that have a link to the elements. With approximately 100 activities taking place on campus — ranging from art workshops through to science experiments — the public are invited to explore how the University’s world-leading research and exceptional teaching changes lives.
Visitors can discover more about the periodic table and how elements such as gold, carbon and silicon link to world-changing discoveries at the University of Nottingham in the latest issue of University’s research magazine Vision, which will be available at Wonder.
Wonder is free to attend and takes place on Saturday 15 June 2019 between 11am and 4:30pm.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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