The periodic table is in the news again (earlier appearance). Most of us are used to seeing it in textbooks and classrooms, but on the side of a building? Well, people in Chicago last month were treated to a eight-storey high, 200-foot wide periodic table, consisting of 111 posters (one for each element) displayed in the windows of a well-known Chicago building, according to Chemical and Engineering News.

It was part of a two-week science education program across the city, the Chicago Science Expedition, organized by a couple of the local colleges, the mayor’s office and other organizations. Events included hands-on demonstrations, exhibits and talks by local scientists.

I think something like this would be great for Boston. Rather than concentrate public science education in classrooms and museums, turn science into a fun, festival-like event and have it all across the city, outdoors in the summer or early fall when the weather is good. There’s no better place for this than in Boston with so much science going on. But it is all cloistered away so we need to bring it out to the streets. Next year’s Cambridge Science Festival is a step in the right direction. I hope in future years to see it grow and encompass other schools and cities on both sides of the river.