If you were a science student this last year you might have stumbled across a friendly group of chemists in the atrium of Nobel Hall, drinking coffee, nibbling on some pepparkakor and enjoying conversation during chapel break. If you weren’t in a rush to be somewhere, you hopefully sat down to join in.
Berzelius Fika is a new event this year. It was created by senior chemistry major, Scandinavian Studies minor, Anthony Cesnik, who was inspired by the Swedish tradition of fika after returning from the Gustavus Semester in Sweden, 2011. I recently was able to catch Anthony in his busy schedule to ask him a few questions about it.
Anthony explains fika as “a social coffee break that has slightly different expectations than US coffee breaks. Every day at 10 AM and 3 PM in Sweden, sometimes even in the middle of a class, many colleagues and peers put down work, enjoy some coffee and treats, and engage in conversation with their colleagues or peers.”
In Sweden, Anthony saw fika as a way to strengthen the sense of community within the workplace/school and decided that fika was exactly what the chemistry department needed to drag the professors and students out of their labs.
“My goal was to bring this tradition into the chemistry department to help build community between chemistry students and between chemistry students and the professors by making the event open to all chemistry faculty and students,” he says.
“Berzelius Fika” was named after Jöns Jacob Berzelius (1779-1848), a Swedish chemist who is often referred to as the father of modern chemistry. If you have ever taken a course in chemistry, then you’ve undoubtedly encountered and used Berzelius’s work. “I chose him to be the namesake of the Sweden-inspired event because he himself is Swedish and because of his great impact on the field of chemistry,” explains Anthony.
The event has been a great success. Over 50 people poured into the first fika last fall, and it has since leveled off to an average of about 10 students plus the professors at each event. The biggest challenge for Anthony has been getting people to take a pause in their morning schedules. In the US, we tend to grab coffee on the go, drinking it as we move or work, rarely taking a full break.
Anthony will be graduating later this month. When asked about the future of the event after he graduates Anthony said:
“I will be having a meeting soon with the Departmental Assistants for the chemistry department, who were just recently chosen, and I will tell them why I created the event, provide them general information on how it is run, and hope they continue and improve it!”
So next time you want to have a coffee break, think about grabbing some friends/collegues and making it a true fika instead. Everyone needs to ta en liten paus every now and then.
Anthony Cesnik is a senior chemistry major, music minor, and Scandinavian studies minor from Rice Lake, Wisconsin. He is a Gerhard T. Alexis Scholar, Presidential Scholar, Björling Scholar, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and the chemistry departmental assistant. He is also co-president of the Musical B.A.R., a Gustavus student organization focused on enriching community in music and performance. Next fall, Anthony will begin his chemistry Ph.D. studies at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.