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AUGUST EVENTS

- Wed 1 through Fri 31 - SUMMER SCIENCE ADVENTURE CAMPS, see schedule on our website at sciencefactory.org for compete info.

- Thurs 9 - SCIENCE PUB, 7:00-8:30 pm at LUNA, 30 E. Broadway, Eugene, FREE.

- Fri 17 - SCIENCE FACTORY DEMONSTRATION at the Lane County Fair, will take place outside the Lane County Historical Museum, 3:30.

IN THE MUSEUM

Exhibit Hall:

Flex Your Power and Model Train Exhibit - Try your lung power and learn how windmills produce electricity, or put a train set in gear. Examine energy conservation and transformation. A large-scale model train display offers its own lesson about energy. Flex Your Power is sponsored by the Eugene Water and Electric Board.

Planetarium:

We've added shows on Wednesday - Friday for summer 2007! Here's the expanded schedule.

Wednesday - Sunday through August 19, then Saturday - Sunday,1 pm - Up in the Sky, $4 for non-members, free for members

Wednesday - Sunday through August 19, then Saturday - Sunday, 2 pm - Galaxies through September 30; $4 for non-members, free for members



THE NEWS SCOOP

STILL TIME TO SIGN UP FOR SUMMER CAMPS IN AUGUST!
Children, parents and our summer camp teachers have been reveling in the variety of summer camps offered this year -- and there's still a full month of summer camps left to enjoy! There's still space in most summer camps, so sign up soon. New Tot Camps, a new After Care program, some wonderful new instructional materials and even a brand new classroom await Science Factory summer campers for 2007! The great new Tot program for kids 3-5 is a two-hour program offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays; the Tot camp is for parents to attend and enjoy with their child and will include indoor and outdoor activities. We're excited about being able to offer camps for tots this year, and parents should enjoy it, too! Also new this year is the availability of After Care from 4:00-5:30 for kids from K-8th grade. There are some financial aid scholarships available through a generous grant from the Weyerhaueser Company Foundation. Also thanks to Carter and Carter Financial for sponsoring our Dollars and Sense camps and to EWEB for contributing sponsorship for some of our summer camps and also scholarships.

Among our choice offerings during August are: Cool Colors, Dino-Mites, Computer Kids, Boats and Floats, More Power to Ya, and Advanced Digital Art and Photography! One of the many highlights so far was the appearance of experts from the University of Oregon Biology department to introduce kids to stickleback fish and talk about fish jaws and how fish eat. Kids got to net fish in our discovery ponds, and tried eating snacks like a fish would eat (which means, without their hands). Thanks to Prof. John Postlethwait and his assistants Bill and Mark. Threse experts will be coming back for the Water Wonders camp on August 6 for more fishy fun. For more information and a full schedule of all of our summer camps, see our printed schedule or our website at http://www.sciencefactory.org/

Kids in our Computer Fun and Games camp learned how to create their very own web page. To see the results, visit http://www.geocities.com/sciencefactorycomputers . Once on that web page, scroll down if necessary to access the links to the web pages created by kids in grades 3-5.

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THIRSTY FOR KNOWLEDGE?
Science Factory is collaborating with Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland and the University of Oregon to sponsor a new Science Pub monthly event at Luna, a lounge and restaurant in downtown Eugene. Find out about advances in science and technology from leading researchers and scientists while enjoying fine food and beverages. There have been large and enthusiastic audiences for the first two Science Pub events in June and July, so the new lecture series is off to a flying start!

The third in this new series is on August 9 at 7:00 pm with "The Invader in My Backyard: Invasive Species in Oregon" with Professor Sam Chan, aquatic invasive species specialist with Sea Grant Extension at Oregon State University. The Science Pub is held every second Thursday of the month and is open to anyone and everyone. No RSVP is necessary. Presentation begins at 7:00 pm and will last around 90 minutes to two hours. Come early if you want to order food and drinks! Where: Luna, 30 E. Broadway, Eugene, http://www.lunajazz.com/ .

Oregon's natural communities and the urban, suburban, and rural communities we reside in are increasingly threatened by invasive species, a silent form of biological pollution that often goes undetected until it is too late to treat. Once established, invasive species spread relentlessly. In the process, they degrade natural habitats, displace desired species and are even linked to health epidemics. The pace of national and global trade and travel has created pathways for species to move rapidly across great distances, and the rate of new introductions has risen so dramatically that Oregon is losing ground in the fight to keep out invasive species.

Please join Professor Chan to learn about the growing threats from invasive species and how you can help prevent their spread and minimize their impacts. Chan will also share scenes from a new project where Oregon and China are working together in solving invasive species problems. The Science Pub is brought to you by OMSI http://www.omsi.edu, the University of Oregon http://www.uoregon.edu, and the Science Factory http://www.sciencefactory.org.

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ENERGY AND TRAIN EXHIBITS ROLL ON
There are many kinds of energy that we rely on in our daily lives, and kids can learn more about 'em at the Flex Your Power exhibit that looks at energy using an array of informative and interactive displays.

The central feature of the Electrical Energy exhibit is the energy conservation kiosk that was generously purchased for the Science Factory by the Eugene Water and Electric Board. The kiosk emphasizes the dual benefits of energy conservation to preserve limited natural resources and to save money.

In conjunction with the energy exhibit, a large-scale model train display offers its own lessons about energy. The train exhibit features multiple trains taking turns chugging over a bridge and through a town. Kids can flip the switch that makes them go!


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PLANETARIUM SHOWS NOW AVAILABLE DURING SUMMER WEEKDAYS, TOO!
This summer you might decide to attend a planetarium show after picking up your child at camp or just because you want to see stars! These planetarium shows on weekdays have been a startling success, and on a recent afternoon we had 87 people. From June 27-August 19, we're offering public shows on Wednesday - Friday, in addition to our weekend shows at 1 pm and 2 pm. The 1 pm show, Up in the Sky, will show you how to find the visible planets, bright stars and major constellations that you can see in the sky at night. Starting on August 1, the 2 pm show will be Galaxies, a program that explores the wonders of galaxies: find out what they are, what types of galaxies exist, and even what happens when galaxies collide. So join us this summer for a planetarium show during the week.


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CATCH YOUR PARKING PASS FOR DUCK FOOTBALL -- 2007 SEASON PARKING SPOTS CAN BE YOURS
Dreaming of a prime parking space right next to Autzen Stadium for all Duck home games? Our season football parking pass is just the ticket! In addition, your funds help generate funds for all Science Factory programs. Read all about it by going to our website at www.sciencefactory.org and clicking on "Duck Football Parking" near the top of the page. Tell your friends, neighbors and colleagues with season tickets about our parking spaces to ensure that Science Factory programs can continue. Register today, and GO DUCKS!


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MEMBERSHIP RATES WILL BE GOING UP IN JANUARY '08 - NOW IS THE TIME TO JOIN
Membership in the museum will go up to $55 for a family of four (the current rate is $50). Additional rate changes and structures are currently being reviewed. It's a great deal with free entry to over 280 museums nationwide. See our website for more info.


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THE METEORS ARE COMING! THE METEORS ARE COMING!
Mark your calendar for the night of August 12 and the early morning of August 13. The Perseid meteor shower reaches its peak at around 2 a.m. on Monday, August 13. The Perseids are one of the most reliably spectacular meteor showers, and this year will be especially good because the Moon will be new and therefore absent from the night sky, so it'll be a dark night. At the peak, you could see as many as 120 meteors or "shooting stars" per hour (or two a minute.)

"Shooting stars" or "falling stars" are not really stars at all and are properly called "meteors." They are actually tiny bits of comet dust that hit the Earth's atmosphere traveling at 132,000 miles per hour. At that speed, a piece of dust burns up in the atmosphere, leaving a streak of light in its wake. In the case of the Perseid meteor shower, the Earth ploughs into dust left behind by Comet Swift-Tuttle, and it is this dust that creates the meteors that we can see.

The best way to see a meteor shower is to go away from the lights of the city and find a dark place with a wide, unobstructed view of the sky. The show begins between 9 and 10 p.m. with the earthgrazers -- meteors that skim the atmosphere overhead like a stone skipping across the surface of a pond. These are long, slow and usually colorful and are among the most beautiful meteors. Later, as the constellation Perseus rises higher in the sky, the number of meteors you see will increase and reach their peak in those darkest-before-dawn hours between 2 and 4 a.m. The Perseids get their name because they seem to originate from the constellation of Perseus, but watch as much of the sky as you can - meteors will appear anywhere and will be best at least 45 degrees away from Perseus.

As an added bonus, you can also see Mars shining like a bright reddish star just below Perseus in the constellation of Taurus the bull, and nearby you will also be able to find Aldebaran, an orange-colored star that marks the bull's eye. With all of that in the night sky, it'll be a good night to stay up late or rise early!


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FIND US AT THE FAIR ON FRIDAY
The Science Factory will be among those doing presentations during the Lane County Fair outside the Lane County Historical Museum, located at the fairgrounds. We'll be there doing dazzling demos at 3:30 on Friday. Enjoy the fair, and if you're there on Friday, come and see us!

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THE GALAXY ZOO IS LOOKING FOR YOU
Do you have what it takes to become a contributing member in an ongoing astronomy research project? All that is needed is a sharp eye, a computer with an Internet connection and some of your time. The Galaxy Zoo project is seeking volunteers to help them classify a million galaxies as part of a project to better understand our universe and the influences that create different types of galaxies.

To take part, go to the Galaxy Zoo website complete a short tutorial that will teach you how to tell the difference between spiral and elliptical galaxies and to identify stars and satellite trails that may show up in the pictures used in the Galaxy Zoo project. After the tutorial, you take a short test to see if you have picked up the skills that you need for the job. Once you've passed the test, you become a part of the galaxy hunting team and can start work immediately.

"It's not just for fun" said Kevin Schawinski of Astrophysics at Oxford University where the data will be analyzed. "The human brain is actually better than a computer at pattern recognition tasks like this. Whether you spend five minutes, fifteen minutes or five hours using the site, your contribution will be invaluable." Participants will also be able to print out posters of the galaxies they have explored and even compete to see who's the best virtual astronomer.

Don't forget that the Science Factory Planetarium's show "Galaxies" that is running in August is a great place to learn even more about galaxies!

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THANK YOU TO DONORS AND VOLUNTEERS
The generous donations of time and funding to the Science Factory from our supporters enable the museum to do everything that we do, and we are very thankful for that support. This month we would like to thank the following supporters:

Weyerhaueser Company Foundation deserves a big thank you for a generous grant that is providing financial aid scholarships for children attending our summer camps.

Alan Hughes donated some wonderful science materials as he moved out of his downtown 4-J District Office and over to Bailey Hill Road. A wealth of beakers and measuring kits will be used in our lab thanks to Alan.

The Eugene Marathon hosted a kids' run, 5K, and half marathon in addition to the marathon on April 29, and the Science Factory was a beneficiary of the 5K and the kids' run.

John and Ruth Bascom made a donation to assist the Science Factory.

Becky and Dan Troxel donated as well.

Trader Joe's made an in-kind donation to support the Science Factory.

Thompson Landscape continues to donate grass cutting services to the museum (and we have a lot of grass to cut).

Thank you all for your generosity and care for the Science Factory.

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FUN, 2, 3, 4 EXHIBIT OPENS ON AUGUST 27:
SEEKING SPONSORS
Whether it's measuring, graphing or estimating, this traveling math exhibition shows visitors the fun of applying math to everyday activities. Learn how to double your allowance, count like the Aztecs, or team up with a partner to take our time challenge. We will have a grand opening in mid-September several weeks after the show appears -- watch for announcements.

This is a great exhibit, and we are very fortunate to have received a challenge grant to cover half of the exhibit cost. To cover the other half, we're counting on you. If you're interested in supporting this math exhibit, contact Joyce Berman at 682-7887. For more information about sponsorship benefits, visit our online info at http://www.sciencefactory.org/join/become_sponsor.shtml . If you are making a donation to sponsor this exhibit, please note with your donation that it is to meet the challenge grant. In addition, we would like some volunteers to assist us with moving in the exhibit on August 26 and 27 -- please contact our front desk or send an e-mail to info@sciencefactory.org with your contact info, and we will get back to you with more information.


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CONNECT YOUR KIDS WITH NATURE
Wouldn't you like to spend quality time with your kids or grandkids observing and learning about the animals in your neighborhood? Together you can take a hands-on approach to nature right in your own yard by making it wildlife friendly and certifying it with National Wildlife Federation.

All you need to certify is to provide four basic things that wildlife need to survive: food, water, cover, and places to raise young -- plus your $15 application fee. By creating an NWF Certified Wildlife Habitat, you'll help National Wildlife Federation reach its goal of 100,000 habitat sites, and you'll be helping local wildlife. To sign up, go to https://secure.nwf.org/backyard/certify.cfm


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WISH LIST OF EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES
Do you have any of the following items just gathering dust in your grage and taking up space? If you do, we could put them to good use to improve our activities and facility.
--sturdy ladders
--vacuum cleaner
--adjustable office chairs
--conference table and chairs
--commercial garbage can for outdoor use
--pavilion tent
--locking walk-in storage unit
--anti-virus computer software

If you have any of these items and would like to donate them to the museum, please contact Joyce Berman at 682-7887.


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VOLUNTEER OF THE MONTH
Ray Hull, former Executive Director of WISTEC, is now volunteering to assist with many facets of the museum. Ray is chairing our Education Committee, helping to create strong educational materials and supplemental educational activities for the museum and also assisting in grantwriting efforts for the museum. Ray is also assisting in identifying potential exhibits and other resources for the museum. His continuing stalwart assistance and longevity with the organization make Ray Hull one of our most valued volunteers. Many thanks, Ray, for your efforts on behalf of the Science Factory.

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SCIENCE WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20070711/Note2asp

From the web site for Science News for Kids comes new research about the cats we have as pets and what part of the world their ancestors came from. Can you guess where our pet cats originated? To learn more, visit the website above.

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NEW MEMBERS
More and more visitors are realizing the value of a membership to the Science Factory, and we now have over 1,100 members. Here are our new members for July.

Jon and Deborah Bakin, Anahid Bertrand, Amanda Bowden and Susan Bowden, Brandon Brooks, John Carlson and Gweneth van Frank Carlson, Chara Carrier and Grant DeBauw, Heidi and Mark Denney, Tracy and Chris Engstrom, Jim and Maureen Files, Leslie Finlay and Jake LeMasson, Tricia and Don Fraser, Alanna Gardner and DeAnna Zwill, Sarah Grew and Michael Stern, Martha and Luke Hardy, Roddy and Alysse Hennessey, Scott and Christine Holt, Tracy and Chris Hoover, Cyndi and Jon Jasper, James Jenkins and Nancy Wade, Joseph and Elizabeth Keebler, Eun Hee and Jong Young Kim, Deanne Lahaie-Noll and Bartell Noll, Jenifer and Colin McAllister, Tina and Mark McCalloch, Alina Miller and Mae Miller, Truels and JoAnna Modsen, Kate Mondloch and Andrea Loreto, Shari and Randy Murphy, Judith Palmer and Genny Palmer, Diane and Rob Priewe, Mary and Jimmie Riggs, Cindy Roe and Tony Kampen, April and Michael Sakell, Fredrick Schafer, Candice Smith, Margaret Steel and Jan Sjostrom, Kristie Steele and Jason Walsh, Autumn and Robert Taylor, Ben and Tobbie Thornton, Mildred Voelker, Melanie Williams and Fred Fauquembergue, Hsingsen Yeh and Chao-Hswan Cheng

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COMING IN SEPTEMBER

- Thurs 14 - SCIENCE PUB, topic and speaker to be announced, 7:00-8:30 pm, Luna. Although not intended for children, minors can attend.