Public Science Day 1999 at OMSI

What:

OMSI joined twelve other science museums nationwide on Thursday, January 21 to celebrate Public Science Day 1999, a program of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in collaboration with The Franklin Institute and Presenting Sponsor Unisys Corporation.

People in the Pacific Northwest live with a dramatic manifestation of this year's Public Science Day theme: "Our Changing Earth." Many of the mountains that make up our volcanic Cascade range are still active today. The most famous of these is Mount St. Helens, which erupted in 1980, less than 75 miles from OMSI. Mt. Tabor, just a short city bus ride from the Museum, is the only volcanic cone within a major US city. Our proximity and the relevance of these mountains to our daily lives here in Oregon led OMSI to focus on "volcanoes" to study "Our Changing Earth."

Mount St. Helens BEFORE May 18, 1980	Mount St. Helens AFTER May 18, 1980
Photo credit: USGS/Cascades Volcano Observatory

Vist OMSI's Guide to Earth Science Resources Online to begin your own inquiry into "Our Changing Earth."

Who:

Students, educators and scientists from around Oregon focused scientific inquiry on volcanoes during fall 1998 and winter 1999. Participants came together at OMSI on Thursday, January 21, 1999 to share their projects and celebrate Public Science Day.

• Petersen School, a rural 4th through 6th grade school in Scappoose, Oregon, rests in the shadow of Mount St. Helens. Students there followed their natural curiosity about the Cascade Mountains as they investigated the science of volcanoes. The entire school visited OMSI on Public Science Day to present their projects.
• Explore student projects on volcanoes and "Our Changing Earth" from the Petersen School.
• See what the students wrote about Public Science Day.