Haiku + Chemistry ⤑ Fun

Haiku, a centuries-old poetic form in which a writer conveys expansive meaning in only 17 syllables, might seem like an unusual topic for a Nanomaterials Chemistry assignment. But students in CHEM 361—which draws both chemistry majors and nonmajors—find the smallest of poems the perfect way to describe what they discovered through electron microscopy. The course is taught by Anne Bentley, Pamplin Associate Professor of Science.

Paper’s texture shown
In electron’s careful gaze
Dollar’s art exposed

—Max Larrabee BA ’25

The surface of a dollar bill, transformed by the power of an electron microscope.
Credit: Max Larrabee BA ’25