The Periodic Table Re-Visited: A Lively Evening on Chemistry and Life
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 — 7 p.m. to 9 pm
Auditorium, Canada Science and Technology Museum
1867 St-Laurent Blvd Ottawa
A lecture on the writing of Italian Chemist Primo Levi (1919-1987)
Presentation by Victor Snieckus, Professor and Bader Chair at Queen’s University in Kingston, Dr. Sniekus is a world-renowned synthetic chemist with long-standing experience in solving challenging synthetic problems for pharmaceutical and agrochemical companies worldwide.
Primo Levi, a trained chemist became a major literary figure in Italy. Having spent a year in Auschwitz, he wrote a number of highly praised memoirs. His book of short stories, The Periodic Table, published in 1975 is a collection of short pieces featuring episodes from Levi’s life, all related in some way to one of the chemical elements. At an event organised by the London’s Royal Institution on October 19, 2006, it was voted the best science book ever written.
To mark the International Year of Chemistry, the Canada Science and Technology Museum invites you to a reading, interpretation and dialogue based on this famous book.
