Discovery Day at OSU-Cascades features talks, demos, hands-on activities and fun for all ages

Sept. 9, 2019

Oregon State University - Cascades will host Discovery Day, a community festival including talks, research demonstrations and hands-on activities that showcase OSU’s growing Central Oregon campus.

Discovery Day will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28. It is free to the public. The festival will include tours of the campus public art collection and of the future expansion area, a rock climbing wall, children’s activities and food created by chefs from the OSU-Cascades’ Beaver Dam dining hall that feature Oregon-sourced products. 

Highlights include family-friendly keynote presentations by OSU researchers:

  • “The Six Qualities of Healthy Families” by Dennis Lynn, a senior instructor in human development and family sciences.
  • “First Victims of Climate Change” by Elizabeth Marino, an assistant professor of anthropology.
  • “Robots and Comedy” by Heather Knight, an assistant professor of computer science in OSU’s College of Engineering.

Additional presentation topics include how spending time outside can improve mental health; how virtual reality can enhance classroom learning; and the impact of artificial beaver dams on local streams. 

Activities also include demonstrations using a life-size 3-D digital model of the human anatomy, opportunities to launch micro rockets, cooking s’mores with a solar oven, and fitness stations where adults and children can assess their fitness levels.

OSU Extension experts -- a master gardener, a nutritionist, and Juntos high school volunteers -- will hold hands-on sessions demonstrating flavored vinegars and pressure canning, Spanish bingo and more. 

To learn more about Discovery Day visit OSUcascades.edu/discoveryday or contact 541-322-3100 or info@osucascades.edu.  Discovery Day is coordinated in partnership with OSU Extension in Central Oregon.

Note to Editors: Digital images are available for download and use with this article: https://beav.es/Zej

About OSU-Cascades: Oregon State University’s campus in Bend, Ore. features outstanding faculty in degree programs that reflect Central Oregon’s vibrant economy and abundant natural resources. Nearly 20 undergraduate majors, 30 minors and options, and three graduate programs include computer science, energy systems engineering, kinesiology, hospitality management, and tourism, recreation and adventure leadership. OSU-Cascades expanded to a four-year university in 2015; its new campus opened in 2016.