lunedì 6 febbraio 2012

Così pochi congressi

Così pochi congressi per onorare Mendeleev

Eric Scerri
Department of Chemistry
University of California in Los Angeles

There have been surprisingly few international conferences on the central icon of chemistry and indeed one of the most central icons in all of science - the periodic table.

The first was held in 1969 in the Vatican as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Mendeleev's first periodic table.  Participants included such luminaries as the physicist John Wheeler.  The proceedings were published in:
Verde (ed), Atti del Convegno Mendeleeviano, Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Tornino – Roma, 15-21 Settembre, 1969, Torino, Vincenzo Bona, 1971.  

The second was held in Banff, Canada, in 2003.  The proceedings are published as two books edited by Rouvray and King: "The Periodic Table: Into the 21st Century", Research Studies Press, Baldock, England, 2004 and "The Mathematics of the Periodic Table", Nova Science Publishers, New York, 2006.

The past few years has seen a revival in interest in the periodic table, at the scholarly as well as popular level.  New scholarly books and special issues have appeared on the subject as well as the highly popular books by Sam Kean and Hugh Aldersey-Williams.  Many websites feature alternative forms of the periodic table.  The i-Pad application featuring the elements and the periodic table has been a great success.  The time is ripe for a new meeting to bring together scholars and educators to discuss all aspects of the periodic table. 

The meeting in Cusco, Peru,  "International Conference on the Periodic System, including Scientific, Mathematical, Historical, Philosophical and Educational Aspects", will be held in Cuzco, Peru (and close to the legendary archeological wonder of Machu Pichu to which a visit has been organized), August 14-17, 2012, will be only the third such meeting.  Articles will be published either as a book or as a special issue of the journal Foundations of Chemistry.

The conference will be to honor the memory of Dr. Oswaldo Baca Mendoza (Cusco, 1908-1962), author of a remarkable study and mathematical interpretation of the periodic system (1953).

If you have any interest in attending please contact the organizers as they are hoping to motivate authorities and institutions of Cuzco and get sponsorship and support with a list of interested speakers.







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