Periodic table is brought to life with wool for the International Year of The Periodic Table #IYPT2019

Cambridge Regional College Science teacher is in her element! 

A science teacher at Cambridge Regional College is in her element after coming up with the perfect yarn to celebrate science – a woolly iconic periodic table!

Ursula Lowe and colleagues are knitting and crocheting all 118 elements of the chemistry reference tool to tie in with 2019 being the International Year of The Periodic Table (IYPT).

The knitted item will be hung in college, once it is complete, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the chemistry table.

A host of anniversary events have been organised globally, to make science accessible to all, to mark IYPT.

Ursula said: “I was inspired after I went to a lecture at the Cambridge Science Festival given by Yuri Organesson, a Russian nuclear physicist, who is the only living scientist with an element named after him.

“I then visited a Periodic Table exhibition and by chance saw an article on Twitter about teachers at Aberdeen University knitting a version of it.

“So I got my crochet hooks out and decided to create our own version for Cambridge Regional College.

“Ours is a mix of crochet and knit and will hopefully be completed before the end of the year and displayed in the Learning Resources Centre.”

This year has been designated by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (UNESCO) as the International Year of the Periodic Table, marking its 150th anniversary. It is only acknowledged once every 50 years.

The aim is to celebrate the profession and to engage people with both the periodic table and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC).

A spokesman for the RSC said:

“The Periodic Table of Elements is a great teaching tool and probably the most recognisable thing in chemistry.

“We’ve planned lots of exciting and diverse activities including public lectures, teacher resources, public outreach, themed journals and books.

“This year is an opportunity for us to develop new resources and raise awareness, to inspire people of all ages, experience and backgrounds.”

Ten periodic tables you really should know about #IYPT2019 https://t.co/kWrAnef3Nf

— FE News (@FENews) August 6, 2019