ROBOT SHOWDOWN AT OMSI OCT. 24
Student Demos And Scrimmage Showcase Real-World Robotics
PORTLAND, OR (Oct. 6, 2009) Don’t miss the excitement when high school robotics teams from throughout the Northwest converge on the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) Saturday, Oct. 24, for a day of mechanical madness at the FIRST Robotics Showcase. Get an up-close look at these 120-pound student-designed robots and see them in action. The event will be held in OMSI’s Auditorium and Classroom 1 from 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. Admission to this event is free, but does not include museum admission. Learn more >
OMSI’S OMNIMAX THEATER PRESENTS THE EXOTIC WORLD OF THE DEEP SEA
PORTLAND, Ore. (Oct. 2, 2009) –The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) invites you to experience Deep Sea, an immersive, underwater OMNIMAX adventure that will transport you deep below the ocean’s surface to witness never-before-seen, up-close encounters with a wide range of exotic undersea life. Through the magic of IMAX film technology, experience what it’s like to swim with some of the most unique, dangerous and colorful creatures on the planet, from the unusual Wolf Eel, to the Giant Pacific Octopus, to the bizarre Rainbow Nudibranch. Deep Sea premieres in OMSI’s OMNIMAX Dome Theater Tuesday, Oct. 20.
Deep Sea audiences will be introduced to a colorful cast of characters and observe at arm’s length these creatures living out their lives in a variety of unique and often humorous relationships…some predatory, some symbiotic, yet all ultimately dependent upon one another for survival. From the Mantis Shrimp—who engages in a one-on-one, matador-like challenge with a threatening octopus—to the Green Sea Turtle—who allows schools of fish aestheticians to clean its shell of unwanted algae—Deep Sea focuses on the unusual and often surprising alliances struck between some of the world’s most exotic creatures.
Deep Sea is narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, with an original score by Danny Elfman.
OMSI INVITES VISITORS TO CELEBRATE THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE USS BLUEBACK SUBMARINE
PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 28, 2009) The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) invites visitors to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Blueback submarine with a special celebration in the OMSI lobby, Oct. 15 at 2:00 p.m. The anniversary event will feature historic Blueback memorabilia and an opportunity for guests to share their favorite memory of the USS Blueback, either as a submariner or a visitor. Additionally, the U.S. Postal Service will be providing a special USS Blueback commemorative cancellation postmark and setting up a temporary postal station at OMSI. This event is free and open to the public and refreshments will be provided.
The Blueback is one of OMSI’s most well known attractions and more than 75,000 OMSI visitors climb aboard the sub each year and experience what life was like for the men who lived and worked on the boat. Tours lasting 40 minutes occur throughout the day, and include a behind the scenes look at how a submarine dives, produces its own electricity and fresh water, and stays submerged for up to weeks at a time. Highlights of the tour include a look at the engine room, the radio room, the control room and attack center, the crew quarters, and the escape and torpedo-loading trunk. Overnight sleepovers for kids are also available as part of OMSI’s camp-in program.
OMSI HOSTS 17TH ANNUAL "WHAT WILL WINTER BE LIKE" AMS MEETING SATURDAY OCT. 17
Prognosticators to Give Weather Outlooks for
Upcoming Winter
PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 23, 2009) — Weather experts from the Oregon chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) will gather at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon for the 17th annual “What Will the Winter Be Like” meeting. The event is held in the OMSI auditorium and is free and open to the public. More >
WATCH THE LCROSS IMPACT THE MOON AT OMSI
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9
PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 23, 2009) The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) will offer space exploration enthusiasts the opportunity to watch the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) crash-land on the Moon Friday, October 9. The LCROSS will crash into the Moon in order to gather data from the 6-mile-high impact cloud it willcreate. OMSI will be showing the impact in the auditorium live via satellite on NASA TV beginning at 3:30 a.m., with the impact scheduled at 4:30 a.m. PDT. Admission for the televised impact is free. More >
PAULING ACADEMY OF INTEGRATED SCIENCES FORMS SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP WITH OMSI
PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 15, 2009) Science exploration is expanding for students at the Pauling Academy of Integrated Sciences (on the Marshall High School campus) thanks to a partnership with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) and a $25,000 grant from the Jordan Fundamentals grants program. The extraordinary efforts of Pauling Academy science teacher Jill Semlick made the partnership possible.
Learn more >
OMSI DARES YOU TO FACE YOUR FEARS IN ITS NEW EXHIBIT- SCREAM!
PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 14, 2009)— Why do our hearts race, our knees shake, and our bodies sweat when we are scared? Do crawling cockroaches give you the creeps? Are you brave enough to put your head in a guillotine, pet a tarantula, or take a free fall? Get your heart pumping and your palms sweaty as you examine the physiological, neurobiological, and sociological aspects of fear in the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry’s (OMSI) new exhibit, SCREAM! Featuring Goose Bumps! The Science of Fear opening Oct. 10, 2009. More >
NOAA FISHERIES SERVICE PARTNERS WITH OMSI TO HOST SCIENCE ON A SPHERE
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 26, 2009) The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) has partnered with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries Service to bring an exciting new permanent exhibit to OMSI’s Earth Science Hall called Science On a Sphere. Science On a Sphere is a six foot suspended sphere that uses computers and video projectors to display dynamic animated images of the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, animal migration patterns, global warming trends, hurricane paths, as well as the surface of the sun, Mars, moon and more. In addition to a variety of pre-programmed content, Science On a Sphere will feature live demonstrations and other special programming options. Science On a Sphere will make it’s debut in OMSI’s Earth Science Hall July 24. More >
PORT OF PORTLAND SPONSORS OMSI's KIDS' PORT EXHIBIT
PORTLAND, Ore. (June 24, 2009) The Port of Portland has partnered with the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) to sponsor Kids’ Port, a new interactive exhibit based on the processes carried out at the Port of Portland’s marine terminal when shipping containers arrive. Kids’ Port will include a small model of a crane, several push trucks, blocks representing cargo containers, a model cargo ship, a colorful printed carpet, and a model warehouse with a scanner. Kids’ Port is now open in OMSI’s Turbine Hall.
“Kids’ Port is a great addition to the Port’s Where in the World school outreach program,” said Port of Portland Executive Director Bill Wyatt. “It will be a fun way for kids to learn more about how the clothes they wear and the products they buy actually get here while building understanding of the role imports and exports play in our state’s economy.”
In Kids’ Port young visitors will move through the process of receiving model cargo containers by removing them from a model ship with a child-sized crane, loading them in toy trucks, and taking them to a miniature warehouse to be scanned. They will receive information regarding the simulated product in each container by way of a computer screen on the outside of the warehouse. Through this activity, children will learn why the Port of Portland is so important in our daily lives and gain a basic understanding of the processes related to receiving goods at the Port.
The Port of Portland sponsorship of Kids’ Port represents the continuation of a long term partnership between OMSI, the Port of Portland, and other partners to promote science and technology through real life experiences.
ABOUT PORT OF PORTLAND
The Oregon legislature created the Port of Portland in 1891 to dredge a shipping channel from Portland to the sea. Today the Port owns four airports (Portland International, Hillsboro, Troutdale and Mulino), four marine terminals and four industrial parks. The Port also owns and operates the Dredge Oregon to help maintain the navigation channel on the lower Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
