March 2017 - Oregon Museum of Science and Industry · Before volunteering at OMSI, ... March 2017...

interesting and inquisitive guests, both adults and children. Second, the museum is well organized, making her feel that her time is valued. She never feels superfluous or not needed. And finally, it’s easily accessible by bicycle! Next time you see Mary at a special event, ask her about her time in Brazil, about who she met of interest that day, or simply about the joys of cycling!

Volunteer Spotlight: Mary Moreira

When you meet Mary Moreira, you may notice that she wears a button welcoming visitors to converse with her in Portuguese. Before volunteering at OMSI, Mary lived in Brazil. One of her favorite pastimes was hiking through the Amazon Rainforest through deep jungle terrain. When asked for an iconic memory of her time in Brazil, Mary relished watching flocks of flying parrots at sunset on a regular basis. Mary also makes regular trips to her home in Italy that she shares with a friend. However, her three children and three grandchildren keep her grounded in the States for most of the time. This doesn’t keep her from being active, though! Mary regularly participates in kayak tours, skiing excursions and cycling around Portland. She says the best way to travel is by bicycle and will be completing a trip from Rome to London in May. “The people are so friendly and there are parts of the country that you would only be able to see from the view on a bicycle.” The Special Event volunteer opportunities tend to fit her schedule best because of all the activities outside of OMSI that keep her busy.

Being an active member of a local Science Center was always a priority for Mary Moreira. Her three children were regular visitors of the science center in their hometown of Minneapolis, MN. When she moved to Portland to be closer to her grandchildren, she joined OMSI’s Physics Lab and later moved to Special Events in order to continue with all of her other activities.

There are three main reasons for May to volunteer at OMSI. First of all, OMSI generally attracts

VOLUNTEERS IN PROMOTING SCIENCE | March 2017

March 2017

INSIDE:

OMSI Updates............................2-4

Mark Your Calendar ..................5-9

New Volunteers ............................ 9 VOLUNTEER N E W S L E T T E R

OM

SI

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OMSI Updates

March Mathness In 2016, Science Playground piloted ‘March Mathness,’ an entire month of fun, hands-on math activities geared towards OMSI’s youngest visitors and their caregivers. We engaged visitors with drawing Fibonacci spi-rals in nature, experimenting with weights and measurements, and a bracket about their favorite animals. Research shows that positive early experiences with math learning help children to develop dispositions such as curiosity, imagination, flexibility, inventive-ness, and persistence, which contribute to their future success in and out of school. This year, March Mathness is spreading mu-seum wide! Experiences will include classes, demonstrations, activities, events, social me-dia, and speakers from the field, with a strong emphasis on hands-on learning. By applying the successful principles of playful exploration and celebrating learning to a broader museum-wide audience, we aim to help increase participants’ positive attitudes towards math, raise their perception of self-efficacy, and help them have fun (while doing math!). Interested in getting involved with March Mathness? Ask your supervisor what they’ve got planned!

Ball Room Update Thanks to generous support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, OMSI will proto-type ideas for new early childhood experiences starting March 18

th in the Ball Room. Staff have

collaborated with local artist and maker Michael Yager to design and build a temporary experi-ence that creates opportunities for our youngest visitors to practice creativity and divergent think-ing skills. Additionally, the project team will ex-periment and iterate different interpretation strate-gies to provide parents with the latest research from the science community on cognitive devel-opment as it relates to creativity and divergent thinking. Mr. Yager is creating robots made from foam and leather that will behave autonomously in unique and surprising ways. Some may spin or wobble, others might make sounds or react to their envi-ronment as it changes. Known as Bloops this herd of robots will be a new experience for OMSI in the Ball Room starting March 18

th.

Volunteer Services Emails ≠ SPAM! In hopes of keeping volunteers updated, the Vol-unteer Services team has been sending out more emails than in the past. Unfortunately, this has marked some of our email addresses as spam or junk. We are working to tailor our communication in order to avoid this in the future, but you can help us as well! If you have a Gmail account, please check your spam or junk folder for the fol-lowing email addresses.: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] If found, you can follow this link for more infor-mation on how to whitelist our email address-es:http://onlinegroups.net/blog/2014/02/25/how-to-whitelist-an-email-address/

mailto:[email protected]




http://onlinegroups.net/blog/2014/02/25/how-to-whitelist-an-email-address/

http://onlinegroups.net/blog/2014/02/25/how-to-whitelist-an-email-address/

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OMSI Updates

Legacy Member Spotlight: “Lock Up the Place” Hank Swigert used to lock up the place at the end of the day. That was when OMSI was located on the hill at Washington Park. To him, it was just another one of the many responsibilities of an OMSI board trustee: make sure the place is safe and secure, ready to provide world-class informal science education to Oregon’s children. OMSI kids are Hank’s kids. He always wants the best for them. So, Hank made a provision in his will to support OMSI and the future education of generations to come. To this day, Hank believes one of his greatest accomplishments was volunteering as a Trustee for OMSI, and spending 46 years at his family’s business: ESCO. He worked on the shop floor to board chairman and everything in between. Both institutions revere Hank’s commitment, leadership, and generosity. He first got involved with OMSI because his father and uncle were very active community members. They instilled in Hank the idea that one should give back to the community that gave so much to them personally and professionally. His uncle established the C.F. Swigert Jr. Endowment Fund for OMSI’s benefit. Hank considers OMSI “as one of Portland’s world class resources.” He admires the excellent leadership and the importance of providing children and adults science education. Through his support and planned gift, Hank hopes to see OMSI continue to grow its programs and physical footprint for generations to come. When asked who inspires him, Hank confidently states his grandfather and father. These two individuals gave him so much. Their advice was to always take care of your family, employees, and community. Then with a smile full of admiration, he adds that Nancy Stueber, OMSI’s president and CEO, is the primary motivation for supporting OMSI and making a bequest in his estate plan. OMSI is honored to add Hank to our J.C. Stevens Legacy Society*. Although Hank is no longer an active OMSI board member, he is a member of our Emeritus Board and the strategic gift task force, and is on the

board of directors of his family’s business. He is staying very busy as a board member for several other local non-profits and continues to play squash, tennis, and paints. To learn more about how you can make a planned gift to OMSI and become a member of the J.C. Stevens Legacy Society, please contact Mike Conway at (503)797-4630 or [email protected].

*About the J.C. Stevens Legacy Society The J.C. Stevens Legacy Society, named after OMSI’s visionary founder, recognizes donors who have included OMSI in their estate plan. We are pleased to extend special invitations to exclusive OMSI events and private tours to Legacy Society members. All you need to do is tell OMSI that your plan is in place and that you are willing to be publicly listed on the J.C. Stevens Legacy Society honor roll, setting the example for others to follow. If you wish, your gift can remain anonymous.

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OMSI Updates

Benefit your family and impact OMSI’s future. Visit http://omsilegacy.org/ for helpful information to plan your will or trust, provide for your needs, your family’s future, and your favorite cause.

Save the Date! Volunteer Appreciation Week is Coming to OMSI Because OMSI volunteers do so much, we are planning TWO Volunteer Appreciation Events this year! The first will be held during the National Volunteer Appreciation Week from Sunday, April 23 through Sunday, April 29, 2017. The second event will be held near the end of the summer months as an extra “thank-you” for your tremendous support. More information to come about both events, so stay tuned!

Welcome to Volunteer Services, Deb! Meet the newest addition to the Volunteer Services Team: Deb Abela-Chauvin! Deb has worked at OMSI in the Human Resources department for 7 years. She started here as an HR Generalist, then moved up to HR Manager and is now taking on her new role as the Human Resources and Volunteer Services Manager. In this new role, Deb is responsible for managing organization-wide professional development for both paid and unpaid employees, overseeing all employee relations issues, ensuring regulatory government compliance, and developing and maintaining OMSI policies and procedures. When asked why she likes working at OMSI, she states that she is driven by “the passion people have for our mission and how kind everyone is.”

One of her favorite experiences working at OMSI involved going out to Camp Hancock and Camp Gray and watching the “Aha!” moments that occurs out there. As she puts it, “You get to see how OMSI puts a thumbprint on them and see how these kids might one day become volunteers and then interns and then potentially paid employees. It’s fun to hear how employees and volunteers at OMSI start out as kids in our camps.” Deb was born in New York, but has lived in Oregon since she was 7 years old. She describes herself as having a good sense of humor and being a lifelong learner. When she’s not working hard at OMSI, Deb enjoys baking, making jewelry, and dragon boating. She does the Portland to Coast relay every year and is a guide for her visually impaired team. You can find Deb in the Human Resources office on the mezzanine level. Stop by and say hello!

http://omsilegacy.org/

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Mark Your Calendar

Science Pub Portland: Water Drop Photography

Thursday, March 2nd

7:00 PM — 9:00 PM

Water is fundamental. It comprises the majority of the Earth's surface and is present in all life. From our primordial beginnings to our prenatal environment to our very constitution, it is us. In this talk, Martin Waugh, Liquid Sculpture Photographer, discusses the techniques, discoveries, and surprises he encountered in his ten-year obsession with photographing water drops. As with so many things, even if it appears simple, the closer you look the more complex and beautiful it becomes.

Located at: McMenamins Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, Portland

Doors Open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation

Movement in the Museum: The Internal Ecosystem

Tuesday, March 7th

6:00 PM — 8:00 PM

Movement in the Museum is a new class series that explores principles of science in the actions and sensations of our moving bodies. Each class kicks off with a hands-on science activity or demonstration to explore the evening’s topic, a 1-hour dance or yoga class, and a 15-minute

discussion. No previous dance or yoga experience is required. Open to ages 12 and over.

Located at: Classroom 1 | Tickets: $15

Science Pub Eugene: Missoula Floods

Thursday, March 9th

6:30 PM — 8:30 PM

One of the greatest set of geological events to ever have occurred in North America was given the name, the Missoula Floods, which occurred between 15,000 and 18,000 years ago. This talk will focus on the incredible story of discovery and development of the idea of the floods by J Harlen Bretz and then will discuss the effect of the floods on the development of the landscape of 16,000 square miles of the Pacific Northwest.

Located at: Whirled Pies at Cozmic, 199 W 8th Ave, Eugene

Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation

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animal brains, prizes, activities, and OHSU neuroscientists explaining and demonstrating their groundbreaking research.

Located at: OMSI Auditorium | Free

Meet A Scientist

Saturday, March 11th

& March 25th

1:00 PM — 4:00 PM

Current science gets up close and personal at Meet a Scientist. This program, held on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, features local scientists who share their research and knowledge with you through hands-on activities and conversation. Meet a Scientist exclusively features professionals who are OMSI Science Communication Fellows.

Located at: OMSI | Included in GA

Science Pub Corvallis: Soft Robotics

Monday, March 13th

6:00 PM — 8:00 PM

In the movies, the typical robot is as soft as a tin can. But, inspired by animals that slither, swim and crawl, engineers are designing new robotic systems as soft as skin and muscle.

At the Corvallis Science Pub, Mengüç will present his research in soft active materials, bioinspired mechanisms and 3D printing. In his laboratory, called the mLab, he uses liquid metal alloys, biodegradable rubber, electroactive fluids and other materials that produce machines with the agility of geckos and the flexibility of snakes.

Located at: Old World Deli, 341 SW 2nd St., Corvallis

Doors open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation

Mark Your Calendar

Cheese Making


10:00 AM — 12:00 PM

Explore the wonderful world of cheese making! We’ll learn the art and science of making cow’s milk fresh mozzarella cheese in this class. Participants will sample a variety of cheeses, make their own mozzarella, and learn about several types of fresh cheeses to make at home. One batch of cheese per ticket. One ticket per batch of cheese, maximum three participants per ticket.

Located at: OMSI | Tickets: $18

OHSU Brain Fair


10:00 AM — 5:00 PM

Learn about the amazing adaptive power of the brain when OBI’s Brain Fair returns to OMSI on March 11. This year’s “cerebral celebration” will include interactive exhibits, real human and

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years later, he had read three hundred books and crisscrossed the seven seas to see the largest, fastest, scariest, and most amazing tides in the world. In China he confronted the Silver Dragon, a twenty-five foot tidal bore that races eighty miles up the Qiantang River; at London’s Royal Society, he dug into the earliest Western tide science, which preoccupied thinkers from Da Vinci to Galileo to Newton; and in the Arctic he followed an Inuit elder down a small hole through thick winter ice to gather fresh blue mussels in the cavities left by low tide. With photographs, stories, and short readings, Jonathan takes his audiences on an enthralling journey into the surprising and poetic workings of the tide. Located at: Empirical Theater Doors Open @ 5PM | $5 Suggested Donation

Star Party: Vernal Equinox Celebration


7:00 PM — 9:00 PM

On Saturday March 25, OMSI and Rose City Astronomers will celebrate the vernal equinox and the beginning of spring with a free Star Party at both Rooster Rock State Park and L.L. "Stub" Stewart State Park! From beginners to experts of all ages, here's your opportunity to view the stars and other celestial objects up close and personal through telescopes. Viewing highlights includes the planet Jupiter, waxing gibbous Moon, Orion Nebula, and more! Warm clothing and a flashlight with red light are recommended. Personal telescopes and binoculars are welcome. Location: Rooster Rock State Park or LL Stub Stewart State Park| Free with $5 parking per vehicle.

Mark Your Calendar

Reel Science: Era of Megafires

Thursday, March 16th

6:30 PM — 8:30 PM

6:30PM | Lecture: Wildfire in the West with Paul Hessburg, PhD, EFHR Team Leader & Research Ecologist at the USDA Forest Service 7:30PM | Movie: Era of Megafires (Duration: 50 mins. | Rating: NR | Year: 2017) Megafires, wildfires over 100,000 acres, and the destruction caused by them is a serious and growing issue to our region. Our communities, homes, businesses and our very way of life are threatened. If we are going to make effective progress towards increasing fire resiliency, we must increase awareness and stimulate conversation about this important issue across all levels of society. Through education, we firmly believe we can change the way we perceive fire and smoke. The Wildfire Project is a 60-minute, multi-media, traveling presentation hosted by Dr. Paul Hessburg, who has conducted fire and landscape ecology research for more than 27 years. Located at: Empirical Theater

Science Pub Portland: Ocean Tides

Tuesday, March 21st

7:00 PM — 9:00 PM

After nearly losing his 65’ wooden schooner in a large Alaskan tide, writer, sailor, and surfer Jonathan White vowed to understand the tide. He knew the moon had something to do with it, but what exactly? He read a book, then two. Ten

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OMSI After Dark: Science of ‘97

Wednesday, March 29th

6:00 PM — 10:00 PM

#Throwback to 1997s when Google was in its infancy and Dolly the sheep made headlines.

Shoot off water rockets, concoct chemical creations, and explore the wonders of OMSI with no kids in sight! Enjoy a glass of wine while learning about robots, tornados, or fossils. Talk to a brewer about the science behind beer, or sample products from local artisans.

All that and more with OMSI After Dark, a night at the museum for the 21-and-over crowd filled with food, drink, and science fun!

21+ Only | ID's Required

Located at: OMSI | $15/non-members, and $7.50/OMSI Members

Mark Your Calendar

Science on Screen: The Imitation Game

Tuesday, March 28th

6:30 PM — 9:30 PM

6:30PM | Lecture and Q&A: Computers and the Dawn of Modern Cryptography with Erik L. Arneson, Amateur Cryptologist, Software Developer, Author, and Technologist

7:30PM | Movie: The Imitation Game (Duration:

1h 54mins. | Rating: PG-13)

During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing

tries to crack the enigma code with help from

fellow mathematicians. Starring Benedict

Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley.

Watch and learn at The Empirical Theater as OMSI brings the science of your favorite movies to life on the big screen. Science on Screen creatively pairs screenings of classic, cult, and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine. Each film is used as a jumping off point for the speaker to reveal current scientific research or technological advances, providing the perfect combination of entertainment and enlightenment.

Located at: Empirical Theater

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New Volunteers

We are pleased to welcome the following new OMSI volunteers who are currently in the process of completing their training. Thank you all!

Chemistry Yuhan Wang

Design Lab

Xavier Cuadrado William Hopper

Featured Hall

Ameena Bossier Morgan Johnson

Rabin Pun Julie Snyder

Laser Lab

Rodney Whitehouse

Physics Frank Chu

Life Science Alex Assaf

Ivana Turner

Science Playground Madeline Caron Hannah Carroll Justice Jarrett

Claire Patzman Yuriy Popvich Jackie Potter

Ashley Sardarian Sofia Solares

Teen Science Alliance

Erica Chiang

Thu. Mar 2

Science Pub Portland: Water Drop Photography

7:00 PM — 9:00 PM

Tue. Mar 7

Movement In The Museum: The Internal Ecosystem

6:00 PM — 8:00 PM

Thu. Mar 9

Science Pub Eugene: Missoula Foods

6:30 PM — 8:30 PM

Sat. Mar 11

Cheese Making Lab Experience

10:00 AM — 12:00 PM

Sat. Mar 11 OHSU Brain Fair

10:00 AM — 5:00 PM

Sat. Mar 11 & Sat. Mar 25

Meet A Scientist

1:00 PM — 4:00 PM

Mon. Mar 13

Science Pub Corvallis: Soft Robotics

6:00 PM — 8:00 PM

Thu. Mar 16

Reel Science: Era of Megafires

6:30 PM — 8:30 PM

Tue. Mar 21

Science Pub Portland: Ocean Tides

7:00 PM — 9:00 PM

Sat. Mar 25

Star Party: Vernal Equinox Celebration

7:00 PM — 9:00 PM

Tue. Mar 28

Science on Screen: The Imitation Game

6:30 PM — 9:30 PM

Wed. Mar 29

OMSI After Dark: Science of ’97

6:00 PM — 10:00 PM

Mark Your Calendar

March 2017 - Oregon Museum of Science and Industry · Before volunteering at OMSI, ... March 2017...

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