OMSI serves up science fun

Published 2:50 pm Monday, April 7, 2008

After going to school all week, the last thing most children want to do on the weekend is study science.

However, that’s a different story when you’re talking about the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry’s traveling science fairs.

“We knew as soon as you say the word OMSI, with the kids, that’s pretty much a lock-in,” said Marie Baldo, Hermiston Public Library director.

Baldo said within the first hour Saturday morning, nearly 150 people crowded into the downstairs community room at the library.

“We love OMSI,” Umatilla resident Sandi Cliff said. “When I came to the library and saw the poster, I though, ‘We have to come.'”

Erik Anderson, an outreach fairs coordinator with OMSI, had the undivided attention of children as soon as he had them place balloons in liquid nitrogen.

A fog-like cloud rose above the container as Anderson stirred the balloons in.

“It’s kind of like cooking it,” Anderson said.

However, at 320 degrees below zero, the balloons shrivel up from the cold.

Using a pair of tongs, Anderson pulled the mangled clump out and then handed them to children.

“It shrunk and then when you blow on it – it gets big again,” Jeramy Simon said.

The 6 year old was wide-eyed as he looked at the smorgasbord of activities, as well as live critters and brainteasers.

“He’s been pretty interested in the hissing roaches and the walking sticks,” said Jeramy’s mother, Cheryl.

After her 11-year-old son, Justin, enjoyed an OMSI presentation at Sandstone Middle School, Cheryl jumped at the opportunity to bring her younger children to the event.

“It was pretty cool to me, because I never seen anything like it,” 8-year-old daughter, Emily said.

Scattered throughout the room were tables with a variety of brainteasers puzzles.

Jessica Flower watched her 10-year-old daughter, Brenna Vargas, and her 9-year-old friend, Gaby Hernandez, as the pair worked on color blocks.

The duo worked on mastering the puzzle, by placing the 16 squares in rows, without having matching colors in the same row.

“I worked on this for a long time, but I couldn’t get it,” Flower admitted.

Cliff also acknowledged having some difficulty with the puzzles.

“I’m enjoying the brainteasers myself, but some of the kids are doing better than me,” said.

Her daughter, Krista, 8, was across the room at another table, totally enthralled with a cube puzzle.

Krista worked intently on the puzzle, periodically sticking her tongue out and putting her finger on her temple, as she attempted to figure out how to transform the seven odd-shaped blocks into a single cube.

Michelle Kane, with the High Desert Neighborhood Girl Scouts, was also perplexed by the displays.

As Kane stood in front of “Ten,” she couldn’t figure out how she could possibly remove six of the 15 sticks and have 10 remaining on the puzzle.

“Mathematically it’s not possible,” Anderson said as Kane continued to fumble with the sticks.

Finally, Anderson gave her some clues as to which sticks to remove.

As Kane removed them, it became very clear, the remaining nine sticks spelled out the word 10.

“It’s all a trick,” she said as she moved on to another puzzle.

The event, which cost $1,000, was co-sponsored by a Girl Scout group and the Libraries of Eastern Oregon.

“That’s exactly $1,000 more than we could afford,” Baldo said.

Baldo is looking forward to a series of programs, provided at no cost to the library, through the LEO.