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Journalist Brady Haran worked with faculty members from the University of Nottingham’s chemistry and chemical engineering departments to create a series of YouTube-friendly videos exploring the elements. The Periodic Table of Videos includes short segments on each of the elements: information ranging from basic notes about atomic weight to comments about different isotopes and the element’s role in science, technology, and culture, along with experiments and researchers’ comments about their “favorite” elements. Ranging from the Hindenburg-style combustion of a toy balloon filled with hydrogen (one can seldom go wrong beginning things with an explosion) to a description of uranium–”the boogeyman of the periodic table”–and beyond, the videos balance a fun, interactive approach to basic science education with a sense of the engagement and thrill experienced by upper-level researchers of every field. Nobel Chemistry laureate Roald Hoffmann describes the project as “the best reality show I saw.”
. Historian Shae Davidson's research interests include public policy and the relationship between culture and civil society. His publications range from articles on industrial history to absurdist poetry.
