Discovering Periodic Table Elements Throughout Penn Yan

KEUKA PARK, NY –(Marketwired – June 23, 2015) – Keuka College Associate Professor of Chemistry Andrew Robak has used fine art and photography to educate others about the intricacies of science, and his latest student collaboration showcases another new perspective. In 2012, Robak collaborated with Kat Andonucci ’13 to produce “The Art of Chemistry,” a unique exhibit featuring chemical experiments often photographed by Andonucci at slow speeds or in low light to highlight the array of colors, shapes and textures within a variety of chemical solutions, reactions and even optical illusions. This time, Robak’s collaboration with biology major Phil Longyear ’14, a Rushville resident, explores the variety of natural elements from the Periodic Table found in and around the Penn Yan area. Together, the duo visited manufacturing plants like Abtex and Ferro, artisan studios and even retail shops such as Pinckney’s Ace Hardware to document in photographs the elements in their natural or manufactured forms. The resulting images — with each name, two-letter scientific abbreviation, and a brief description of its characteristics and uses — are now on display in many storefront windows along Main Street, Penn Yan, effectively turning Main Street itself into an art gallery for “Elements of the Finger Lakes.” Nearly 60 elements of the Periodic Table’s full 118 elements were found; the full collection of images can also be viewed at the Lightner Gallery at Lightner Library on the campus of Keuka College. The exhibit will continue through July on Main Street and through August on campus. “The project really helps people understand what chemical elements are, where they come from, how we use them and where they are [found],” Longyear said. “I like the fact that it will bring science to the masses in a way that they can understand.” According to Longyear, the “field trips” he and Robak took last fall to companies like Ferro or Coach and Equipment proved how common many of the elements truly are. Ferro, the former Transition Element Company (TransElCo), manufactures an array of pigments, powders used to make computing materials, polishing applications for lenses, polymers, plastics and more. Coach and Equipment produces small to mid-size transit buses using elements including lead (Pb), Fluorine (F), lithium (Li) and argon (Ar) in its engineering process. At Ferro, workers take basic elements like carbon (C), titanium, (Ti) and tungsten (W), and refine them for an industrial use. So the up-close-and-personal views offered at Ferro for the exhibit educate participants beyond just a logo or company tagline, Longyear said. “This is more than the sign on the front and [the product] that comes out the door. This is what’s in-between and that was really interesting,” he described. According to Robak, a project such as this serves to merge science with the community. Not only will participants learn a little more about chemistry, but they’ll learn more about the community where they live and work too. “The Periodic Table can be hard to relate to … but in its simplest sense, it’s a list of the essence of every material that we can touch, see or interact with in our daily lives,” Robak said, adding that many people may not realize just how many elements could be in their own homes, too. “This project would not have happened without those willing to let us ask questions, give tours or shoot photography inside their businesses,” Robak said, noting that many company staffers actively tried to find elements in use or suggest others for Robak and Longyear to document. Community participation for the exhibit has also been high, Robak added, thanking the numerous business owners along Main Street who agreed to display the poster-size images in storefront windows or indoor displays. A trifold brochure will also be available at many participating businesses so pedestrians can learn about the project as they stroll Main Street. Artisans such as Pete Knickerbocker of Spider’s Nest Pottery or Keuka College Professor Emeritus Dexter Benedict of Fireworks Foundry were also part of the exploration. Benedict sculpts works of bronze, using oxygen (O), aluminum (Al) and lots of copper (Cu) in the process. Meanwhile, Knickerbocker makes use of elements including cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), chromium (Cr), and also copper (Cu) in his pottery. “I had no idea that a potter could tailor and design not only his or her own glazes, but the clay itself, and (Pete) was able to manipulate those elements in order to set himself apart in his field,” Longyear described. While Longyear served as primary photographer, a few elements, such as hydrogen, posed a challenge to shoot because they can only be seen when reacting with another element, he said. In those cases, it was a challenge to “tell the story,” he said. But Mother Nature also offered a few elements as well, which the duo incorporated into the project, including images of bones for calcium, the night sky (space) for hydrogen, and a sunset at Montezuma Wildlife Refuge to represent helium, Longyear explained. “Every day we use elements from the earth. You can look at the Periodic Table and see a number and a name, but if you really dig into it, it’s really cool,” Longyear said. Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Helium–MontezumaSunset–900pxH-472546948399.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/bromine–Hardware-850pxV-285623712716.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Sulfur-Hornings-900pxH-937614699350.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Calcium_Macedon950pxH-427386026291.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Iron-DrillPress-SNPottery-850pxV-1170595856173.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Cerium.-campingsurvival-900pxH-1339263308544.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Aluminum–artDB–850pxV-212773057731.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Silicon-JSaner-Abtex-950pxV-328708060214.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/EOFL-Title-Sign-786648714915.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Phil-Longyear_Andy-Robak_Main-STPY_2_H1100px-248003026829.jpgImage Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Images/Periodic-Table-on-the-wall-at-Ferro-864619850956.jpgAttachment Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2015/6/23/11G045685/Elements_of_the_Finger_Lakes_Brochure-1185425725062.pdfContact Information: Contact Information: Pete BekiszDirector of Marketing and CommunicationsOffice: (315) 279-5484Cell: (585) 766-1304Email: pbekisz@keuka.edu