UCLA chemistry lecturer and author Dr. Eric Scerri was recently featured on an NPR radio trivia show called “Go Fact Yourself” as an expert on the periodic table.
“Go Fact Yourself” is a trivia show with a live audience and celebrity contestants hosted by J. Keith van Straaten and Helen Hong. The heart of the show is a quiz about a topic the guest has chosen for him/herself, followed by the appearance of an actual expert in that topic. Listen to the 1 hour 13 min episode here. The portion featuring Scerri begins at the 27:11 mark. In the show, Scerri discusses the periodic table and answers some general questions. The celebrity contestant was quiz show personality Brandon Blackwell.
In November 2020, Scerri was ranked 2nd in all chemical influencers in the world over the last decade (2010-2020) by AcademicInfluence.com, which is a team of academics and data scientists who are working to provide “an objective, non-gameable influence-based” ranking for the people, schools, and disciplines that make up higher education.
Scerri is a chemist, author and leading historian and philosopher of chemistry, specializing in the periodic table of the chemical elements. He is the author of The Periodic Table, Its Story and Its Significance, (Oxford University Press, 2019) and numerous other books on this and related topics. His writing includes a number of books directed at the general public such as A Very Short Introduction to the Periodic Table, and 30-Second Elements. He is a frequent contributor to popular science magazines such as Scientific American and New Scientist.
As a full-time lecturer in chemistry and history and philosophy of science at UCLA for the past 22 years, Scerri regularly teaches classes of 350 undergraduates as well as classes in history and philosophy of science. His research ranges across many areas including chemical education, and historical and philosophical questions such as the relationship between chemistry and quantum physics.
Scerri has been a consultant for TV and radio programs and appears in TV interviews. He was featured extensively in the PBS television series titled “The Mystery of Matter” and has given lectures to general audiences on all six continents.
Penny Jennings, UCLA Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, penny@chem.ucla.edu.
