New York Times: Is It Time to Upend the Periodic Table?
The Institute’s Brigitte Van Tiggelen is quoted in this article on Mendeleev’s chart and the variations proposed in the 150 years since.
Brigitte Van Tiggelen, a chemistry historian at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, discussed the work of Ida Noddack, a German chemist who discovered rhenium, and Lise Meitner, an Austrian-Swedish physicist who, with Otto Hahn, discovered protactinium. Dr. Van Tiggelen is an editor of a new book, Women in Their Element, that explores more than 30 similar stories, including, of course, that of Marie Curie, who discovered two elements, radium and polonium, and twice won the Nobel Prize.
“We present the story as a communal enterprise,” Dr. Van Tiggelen said.
Read more in the New York Times >>
Above: 3-D wooden periodic table model designed by Edward G. Mazurs, ca. 1974. Science History Institute.
More News
Science History Institute Welcomes 2026–2027 Beckman Center Fellows
Scholars from around the world will study a wide range of topics in the history and social studies of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences.
‘Flash! Bang! Boom!’ Exhibition Comes to Life at Philly Fair 250
Wawa Welcome America’s multiday celebration draws more than 2,500 visitors to the Institute’s pop-up museum, activity tent, and historical fireworks show.
Science History Institute Presents Historical Fireworks, Pop-Up Museum, Fun Giveaways, and More at Wawa Welcome America’s Philly Fair 250
Join us June 20 and 21 in Fairmount Park for a family-friendly celebration that will bring history to life.