International Year of the Periodic Table
#MyFaveElement: High School Contest
In November-December 2019 we invited high school students to tell us their favorite element on the periodic table using words and images.
We selected one winning class, which will get a tour of Berkeley Lab, and three individual grand prize winners, who will get a special behind-the-scenes tour of element-discovery historic sites and active element research sites. We were excited by the interest in the periodic table and thank everyone who took the time to compose an entry.
Without further ado, here are the winners!
Class Winner
Making Waves Academy (Richmond, California) – 16 students entered, and their favorite elements included oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, gold, nitrogen, tungsten, and sodium.
Grand Prize Winners
A student of Contra Costa Christian School (Walnut Creek, California) chose mercury, with a tribute to musician Freddie Mercury:
Mercury is my favorite element because it is a pretty Killer Queen element. When mercury is Under Pressure, it acts as a transition metal. Sometimes mercury causes another one to bite the dust. Sometimes I wonder if mercury just needs Somebody to Love. So, Don’t Stop Me Now as mercury is my favorite element.
A student of Making Waves Academy (Richmond, California) chose oxygen, with a video about protecting our air.
She wrote, “If we take the correct steps to protect our planet, our air (containing oxygen) will be clean for us to breathe in without side effects.”
A student of The Quarry Lane School (Pleasanton, California) chose silicon, with a sing-along video about its properties.
