UA Librarian Wins Photo Contest, 3-D Model to Make Cover

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Vincent F. Scalfani, a University of Alabama faculty member, has combined his passions for chemistry, libraries, teaching, 3-D printing and photography to create a black-and-white photo that won an international journal-cover photograph contest held by the Royal Society of Chemistry.

Scalfani, science and engineering librarian at the UA Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering, used the library’s 3D Printing Studio to build a polylactide, or PLA, plastic model of a diamond crystal structure molecule.

Such models are useful teaching tools for chemistry students – they magnify tiny structures and give chemistry students an immediate sense of what the molecules look like.

“I took the molecular structure of diamond and made it much larger with the 3-D printer. This way you can actually visualize it and touch it,” Scalfani said. “The symmetry and beauty of the molecule becomes immediately apparent on the larger scale.”

In addition to creating teaching aids for students, Scalfani also enjoys photography. Using his knowledge of photography, he took an artistic photo of the diamond-molecule model sitting atop the 3-D printer.

“I saw an interesting light-and-shadow effect when sunlight passed through the model; the structure of the diamond lattice was highlighted by the light and simultaneously projected as a shadow,” Scalfani said. “That effect inspired me to take the photo there on top of the printer.”

Scalfani, who has a doctorate in chemistry, then came across the Royal Society of Chemistry contest announcement on a listserv and decided to enter. He recently was notified his photograph was selected and will appear on the cover of the 2014 RSC Publishing catalog.

Rodgers Library, part of University Libraries, offers 3-D printing services to UA students, faculty and staff.

“Students may sign up to use the printer independently after some training and can print objects related to education or research based on their own designs or designs available on the Internet,” Scalfani said. “They can make molecules or robot parts or rockets.”

The 3-D printer is just one example of new services available in libraries. Scalfani’s photograph offers a glimpse into the future of science and library technology.

Based in Great Britain, the Royal Society of Chemistry is the largest organization in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences. Supported by a worldwide network of members and an international publishing business, their activities span education, conferences, science policy and the promotion of chemistry to the public.