Museum celebrates the Periodic Table 2
● 019 was designated as the International Year Of The Periodic Table (IYPT) by the United Nations and in this iconic year, Catalyst held a celebration to launch a unique Interactive Periodic Table Exhibit!
The brand new exhibit sponsored by the Royal Society Of Chemistry and one of its special interest groups (CICAG) and supported by Less Common Metals from Ellesmere Port, is the very first exhibit to be installed as Catalyst commences a programme of major refurbishment following a grant from the Wellcome Trust and UKRI.
The event was attended by invited guests, trustees and patrons, pupils from Widnes Academy West Bank, Lunts Heath Primary School, Cowley International College and representatives from Runcorn WI Ferry Girls who contributed artwork for a Periodic Table Exhibition which will run alongside the installation until Christmas.
As he unveiled the exhibit, Professor David Phillips CBE, FRS, Past President of the Royal Society Of Chemistry and patron of Catalyst said: “Catalyst is an inspiration.
“This is exactly the type of thing that we, the Royal Society
● Martin Pearson CEO of Catalyst, Dr Diana Leitch MBE chair of Catalyst Trustees and Professor David Phillips CBE, FRS from the Royal Society Of Chemistry. Top, Catalyst Science Discovery Centre
Of Chemistry should be supporting.
“It demonstrates the utility of chemistry for the world and it is in the site where so much of the chemical industry was founded and still continues today.
“It is a very, very special place.”
Catalyst CEO, Martin Pearson said: “This is a really exciting time for Catalyst, the Inspiring Science Fund project is enabling us to redevelop some of the physical spaces within the building and also expand our audience to work with more groups in the local community.
“The Interactive Periodic Table is the first of 25 new exhibits that Catalyst will take delivery of over the next six months in addition to an inflatable dome which will also allow us to present planetarium shows for schools and family visitors.
“We are very much looking forward to a positive future as this transformation progresses.”
Chair of the Catalyst Trustees, Dr Diana Leitch said: “The official opening of the new interactive Periodic Table exhibit was the culmination of a dream for Catalyst to be the first place in the UK to have such an exhibit and entirely appropriate for it to be based in the only science discovery centre in the UK specialising in the chemical sciences and also the only museum of the chemical industry in the UK.
“For it to be sited in a building which already existed as part of Gossages great soap works in 1869, when Mendeleev worked out the layout of the Periodic Table, is an added bonus.
“We cannot thank the Royal Society Of Chemistry enough for co-funding this new exhibit which is part of our Inspiring Science Project funded by the Wellcome Trust and UKRI.”
The exhibit will be a permanent feature in the ground floor gallery at Catalyst and will be available for people to investigate over the coming half term.
In future any visitors who agree to Gift Aid their admission to Catalyst will automatically receive a 12 month pass to return again and see the developments as the refurbishment progresses.