ERROR 1
ERROR 1
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
ERROR 2
Password and Confirm password must match.
If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)
ERROR 2
ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.
A generation ago, a profusion of tattoos often indicated a dangerous person. But today, University of California, Santa Cruz, chemistry lecturer Randa E. Roland says her abundant ink makes her approachable. “I’m kind of the chemistry ambassador around town,” Roland says. Her prolific ink “opens up a lot of conversations about chemistry.”
It started a little more than five years ago, when Roland, now 44, realized that she could spell her name in element symbols. “So I started small, with my name spelled out on my lower back in boxes like those on a periodic table,” she says. “I would mention that in class, and the students would start looking at the periodic table. I’d get e-mails saying, ‘I can spell my name, too!’
“Then I waited a little bit and thought, ‘Y’know, I have other ideas …’ ”
To download a pdf of this article, visit http://cen.mag/chemtattoos.
You may have issues viewing the gallery below when using Internet Explorer. Please try another browser.
Join the conversation
Contact the reporter
Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication
Engage with us on Twitter