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Science says fall is for winding down and spring is for, well, springing back. The Oregon Museum of Science and Innovation must know this as well as anyone.
OMSI’s Natural Science Hall will close on Tuesday, Sept. 30 for renovations before unveiling them next spring. It’s unclear now how close to Daylight Saving Time it will be by the time OMSI’s Natural Science Hall reopens, but it will have plenty of new features when that day comes.
The Natural Science Hall’s new namesake is Nancy Stueber, who spent 20 of her 38 years with OMSI as its president (she retired in 2020 with the title President Emeritus). Its exhibitions will center around climate change—particularly by sharing perspectives from several Oregonian communities, including “Indigenous, Black, Latine, rural, coastal, and youth voices,” according to a press release. Along with updates for OMSI’s Science on a Sphere globe and a new showpiece sculpture made from reclaimed yellow cedar, the Nancy Stueber Natural Sciences Hall will include a new theater showing short films on community solutions to climate change.
“This exhibition was made possible through the collaboration and contributions of an exceptional range of partners that includes tribal nations, scientists, artists, community and industry partners,” Akiko Minaga, OMSI’s vice president of learning experiences, said in a statement. “Their expertise and perspectives help us tell a story of climate change that is presented in locally and globally relevant ways, rooted in the specific landscapes and communities of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.”
OMSI’s new theater will show films made by teams connected to community partners including Adelante Mujeres Farmers Market, Albina Vision Trust, the High Desert Partnership and Our Future. Portland General Electric is a major sponsor of OMSI’s latest project, which will feature programming around “renewable energy, sustainable living, and conservation.”
PGE outlines its commitment to clean energy in an annual report. To be sure, WW has reported this year on some of PGE’s other nature-related projects, like attempting to run new power lines through Forest Park. The Oregon Journalism Project has previously reported on PGE’s other nature-related projects in Oregon, including restoring the Deschutes River and fishing access at Willamette Falls.
“At Portland General Electric, we believe that a sustainable, resilient future is within our reach if we work together,” Maria Pope, PGE’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “Communities across the Pacific Northwest are already experiencing both the promise of clean energy and the pressures of a changing climate, and it’s clear that the choices we make today will shape the world our children inherit. Through our partnership with OMSI and the new Nancy Stueber Natural Sciences Hall, we hope to inspire curiosity, spark innovation, and empower people of all ages to take part in building a healthier, more vibrant planet.”
