Zeina El Hoss, Office of Communications, communications@aub.edu.lb
The Transformative Education (TrEd) Program and the American Chemical Society (ACS) Student Chapter at AUB held an event on January 20, 2026 in celebration of three momentous anniversaries: the 160th anniversary of AUB, the 150th anniversary of ACS, and the 157th anniversary of the Periodic Table of elements.
Echoing “The Longest Dabke in the History of AUB," another student-led large-scale event celebrating AUB's sesquicentennial, gathered science enthusiasts, students, and other community members from all over campus to witness the revelation. The Periodic Table that we know today, formulated by Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev in 1869, has been a driving force for breakthroughs in medicine, renewable energy, and environmental chemistry. Thus, the event sought to highlight the significance of this 19th century discovery, engaging STEM and non-STEM students in a creative and memorable way.
The large outdoor installation was comprised of printed element panels arranged to scale AUB's Green Field, covering an area of 20m by 13.35m, and made of durable, weather-resistant materials to ensure visibility, clarity, and structural stability. Initially covered, the installation was unveiled then carried by over a hundred students.
The 118 elements were not the only stars of the show, as the organizing team of 118 students kept the audience engaged, with interviews conducted by Gaelle Hankash, and entertained, with the music prepared by Mohammad Chhaitle. In her opening remarks, Farah Alawar, president of the ACS Student Chapter at AUB, reflected on TrEd's mission and initiatives which underscore how passion and ambition influence true learning, saying, “TrEd transforms knowledge into action, inspiration into structure, and redefines learning as a collective endeavor." Student collaborators also included Jana El-Houri, the event's MC, and Lea Slim, who wrote and performed a special song named “TrEd's Periodic Table Song" paying tribute to AUB's and ACS's long educational legacies:
“AUB is 160 this year,
A legacy written in minds and years,
ACS turns one-five-zero strong,
A century and a half pushing science along.
As we build this Table and sing along,
Honoring roots while moving on,
Cheers to the years that shaped our name,
And to the future we're building now."
The event was facilitated by Dr. Bilal Kaafarani, professor of chemistry at AUB's Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and director of TrEd, with the support of the TrEd team and numerous faculty members. Since its inception in 2011, the TrEd Program has launched ten different initiatives that have transformed conventional education through interactive academic events, experiential learning, and inspiring talks by world-renowned speakers, while providing students with the platform to excel and think outside the box. “The Largest Periodic Table at AUB" will be paving the way for other exciting chemistry-related and outreach programs this semester, including the highly-anticipated annual ChemCarnival 2026, a main component of the TrEd Program, that will be held in the spring.