Then Maya said, “Hey, right there!” in a near-shriek. She was pointing to a large chart hanging on the wall of the lab.
“The Periodic Table of Elements,” Jamal said in pure adoration. “That’s so cool….”
“It certainly is,” Dr. G replied. “The Periodic Table lists all the chemical properties of every element known to humankind. The atomic numbers tell how many protons are in the nucleus of the element’s atom. See Number 22, for example? The one with the symbol Ti? That’s the metal called titanium, and it’s truly amazing. It’s strong, lightweight, and doesn’t corrode easily, which is why it’s ideal for making artificial knees, hip joints, pacemakers, and similar devices.”
Cooper’s eyes wandered over all the other elements. There were so many numbers and letters on the chart that his brain became a little dizzy. Then he noticed something quite remarkable.
“Hey, there’s a 10!” he pointed out.
“The number for the element neon,” Maya said. “Yes! Symbol Ne!”
“And look!” Chelsea jumped in, “there’s a 58, the number for cerium. Symbol Ce.”
“That has to mean something,” Simon said.
“But what?” Gabby wondered.
They all started saying the letters over and over, almost like they were chanting—Ne…Ce…Ne…Ce…. The answer seemed to be right there in front of them.
It was Mr. C who took the first step in that direction—“Hmm…is there a building on campus that begins with those letters—Ne and Ce?”
Chelsea smiled. “Uh, yeah…I believe there is!”
Then Simon smiled. “A new building!”
A grin from Gabby. “Yes! YES!”
“‘Ne’ would stand for Newton,” Jamal said.
“And ‘Ce’ for Center,” Maya added.
“Which would mean….” Mr. C began.
When no one said anything, Cooper turned to Pascal with the brightest smile of all. “Come on, big guy, you probably know this better than any of us!”
