Exciting news for OMSI visitors – there’s a new exhibit in town.
Designing Our World aims to engage underrepresented youth, especially girls, in engineering. OMSI is highlighting the ways in which engineering serves the community and is an important part of everyday life. The exhibition focuses on eight design challenges and visitors can engineer our city with scenarios such as miniature tsunami shelters, the role of gravity in the Portland water system, and bioswales. These collaborative activities were selected for their personal relevance to local residents, and in particular, the water main and bioswale activities allow visitors to engage with creative designs that affect their daily lives yet are often invisible.
These interactive exhibits are supported with engineering profiles featuring local professionals, including Teresa Elliott, the Portland Water Bureau’s first woman Chief Engineer.
“I had a teacher once who told me that women did not have the temperament for math and science. I didn’t mind proving him wrong,” said Teresa. “I am where I am because I love my job, I’m committed to building and maintaining a safe and resilient water system and I have a personal touch that is not necessarily common with my generation of engineers.”
Next time you and your family visit OMSI, stop by the Designing Our World exhibit to dream up your vision of our city, and get to know some of the people who are engineering the real thing.
The installation is now a regular part of Turbine Hall and is included with museum admission.
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