Dave Knows Portland

OMSI After Dark: Burn, Baby, Burn (27-June-2012)

by Leave a Comment

OMSI After DarkBurn, Baby, Burn: OMSI Gets Fired Up! is the theme of this month’s OMSI After Dark, on Wednesday, June 27, 2012.

[W]e’re all fired up with this month’s event theme, fire and water. Flaming balloons, great balls of fire, vanishing water, tornadoes of fire and more. Don’t try this at home!

Yup, it’s time for another child-free night at OMSI, and there’s alcohol!

The OMSI After Dark Summer Concert Series also debuts Wednesday, with performances by Radiation City, and The Robinsons & The Psychedelic Family Band.

Visit the OMSI Cafe for special menu items, and Altengartz Bratwurst will be out front from 9:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Bring cash (only!) for the beer and wine and cocktails at the bars set up throughout the museum.

Featured science demonstrations and activities include Flaming Baloons, Freezer Burn, and Tornado of Fire. Coffee, spirits, chocolate, and beer vendors will be on hand.

Hours are 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Admission is $18 for non-members, $9 for members. You can buy tickets online, or at the door (no reservations necessary). 21 and over only!

OMSI Science Pub: Driving on Sunshine (19-June-2012)

by 2 Comments

Omsi Science PubJoin OMSI, the Citizens’ Utility Board of Oregon, and Solar Oregon for a special OMSI Science Pub – Driving on Sunshine: The Intersection of our Electrical Grid, Solar Power, and Electric Vehicles – on Tuesday, June 19, 2012 at the Mission Theater (1624 NW Glisan).

As more solar power comes online and more plug-in electric vehicles begin driving through our communities, it is increasingly important that we design creative solutions that intelligently connect these technologies to our electrical grid. How can solar power and electric vehicles work together to support a cleaner, more efficient electrical grid? What needs to be done to safely and affordably integrate these technologies into our neighborhoods and cities?

The presenter include Cameron Coleman from InSpec Energy Solutions

Cam has worked on a wide variety of renewable energy projects and supported “clean tech” industry development. He has been involved in the design and integration of solar photo-voltaic (PV) systems, solar electric vehicle charging stations, solar thermal projects, small hydro power generation, and energy storage systems. Most recently, Cam designed and lead the integration of a solar PV system at Safeco field for the Seattle Mariners.

The science begins at 7pm but arrive early to secure your beer, grub, and a seat! There’s a $5.00 suggested donation/cover charge. Minors with adults are welcome, otherwise this event is 21 and over.

The Portland Earthquake Walking Tour (12-June-2012)

by Leave a Comment

Cascadia Subduction ZoneJoin Yumei Wang of the the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries tonight, Tuesday, June 12, 2012, for the Portland Earthquake Walking Tour.

Portland’s Old Town is a crossroads of urban
arteries, essential city services, and historic
architecture. On this twilight walking tour you will
learn to identify unreinforced masonry buildings,
consider ways to strengthen our bridges, ponder
soil liquefaction risk near the Willamette River
Harbor Wall, and examine the extensive seismic
retrofits at Portland Fire Station #1.

This free event is open to the public and begins at 7 p.m. at the Mercy Corps Action Center (28 SW 1st). Join the Q&A session in the Mercy Corps Aceh Room after the tour.

OMSI After Dark: Beans of the Gods: Coffee & Cacao (30-May-2012)

by Leave a Comment

OMSI After DarkBeans of the Gods: Coffee & Cacao is the delicious theme of this month’s OMSI After Dark, on Wednesday, May 30, 2012.

Qahwa, kahve, koffie–Fragrant bean of all that is worth waking up for on this wildly orbiting orb, I prostrate myself before thee, not ever to rise until your steaming elixir passes my lips.

Yup, it’s time for another child-free night at OMSI, and there’s alcohol!

Visit the OMSI Cafe for special menu items, and bring cash (only!) for the beer and wine at the bars set up throughout the museum.

Featured science demonstrations and activities include Oh That Heavenly Aroma…, Candy Coated Chromatography, and What’s In That Drink? Coffee, spirits, chocolate, and beer vendors will be on hand.

Hours are 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Admission is $12 for non-members, $6 for members. You can buy tickets online, or at the door (no reservations necessary). 21 and over only!

History Pub: Finding David Douglas (21-May-2012)

by Leave a Comment

David DouglasFinding David Douglas, a documentary about the famous botanist, will be shown at the latest History Pub at the Kennedy School (5736 NE 33rd), this Monday, May 21, 2012.

The compelling story of the intrepid 19th century Scots botanist David Douglas is told in this tri-national production. Finding David Douglas transports viewers to England and Scotland; treks through locations in Oregon, Washington, California and British Columbia; sweeps across the high Canadian Rockies to remote York Factory on Hudson Bay; and reaches Douglas’s mysterious final destination on the Big Island of Hawaii. The film focuses on Douglas’s groundbreaking contributions to science – the Douglas fir and many more plant and animal species are named for him. It details his relations within the multi-cultural community of the Hudson’s Bay Company and the many Indian tribes he visited.

After the screening, filmmaker Lois Leonard will host a Q&A.

Join event co-sponsors Oregon Historical Society and Holy Names Heritage Center at 7 p.m. Monday for a beer and history! Admission is free and this event is all ages.