Courtesy of OMSI

This Friday, the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry will unveil the final piece of a big redesign, wrapping up a project that has resulted in 6,200 square feet of new exhibit space.

The Southeast Portland museum has spent the last two years restructuring and redesigning its Turbine Hall building, transforming it into an educational play space that encourages kids to explore the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and math.

“It’s a pretty big deal to be perfectly honest,” said John Farmer, a spokesman for OMSI.

The $6.5 million project received support from several outside organizations, including Union Pacific Railroad and the Cambia Health Foundation. OMSI spent five years raising money for the initiative and started construction in January, 2018.

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Courtesy of OMSI

The new Innovation Stations exhibit at OMSI allows visitors the chance to learn about design thinking and the scientific process.

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Courtesy of OMSI

The Innovation Stations (left) and the Epicenter (right) were both installed at OMSI in 2019 as a part of the Turbine Hall building's update and transformation.

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Recent visitors to OMSI may have already experienced two of the new exhibits: the Curium, completed last spring, and the Epicenter, installed over the summer. The final piece will be the Innovation Stations, opening to the public Friday.

The Curium is designed for younger kids, where they can play with air power, big blocks and a giant instrument called the Soundstack, while the Epicenter is a new earthquake simulator (replacing the old Shake House) that allows visitors to experience big temblors. The Innovation Stations offer several smaller hands-on activities that encourage problem solving

According to OMSI, the new exhibits are meant to actively engage kids in both learning and play, giving them fun, hands-on experiences that will hopefully leave them feeling empowered and inspired.

“The new experiences are extremely entertaining but they’re also deeply rooted in educational thinking,” Farmer said. “Ultimately to show kids they can be an engineer, they have what it takes to be a scientist. It’s not scary, it’s not hard, it’s actually kind of fun.”

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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Courtesy of OMSI

A young visitor plays at an exhibit in the Curium, part of a big redesign at OMSI's Turbine Hall building.

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Courtesy of OMSI

The Soundstack is a towering, guitar-like instrument in the Curium at OMSI, part of the big redesign of the Turbine Hall building.