CORRECTED VERSION: ENTER THE OMSI DA VINCI CHALLENGE AND PUT YOUR IMAGINATION TO WORK

PLEASE NOTE RSVP PHONE NUMBER HAS BEEN CORRECTED

PORTLAND, OR (Jan. 22, 2009) — The natural impulse to invent leads not only to innovation but to great entertainment—and the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) is joining in the fray. In celebration of Leonardo da Vinci, OMSI is inviting 16 teams to put their inventive minds to work and build a modern adaptation of a da Vinci invention using an alternative energy source—air, water, solar, or human power.

The challenge is free and open to the public. To enter the challenge, teams must submit a short description (100 words or less) explaining their design idea to challenge@omsi.edu by February 16 at 8:00 a.m. The design must be modeled after an actual da Vinci invention or idea and be powered by alternative energy: air, water, solar, or human power. Please include names, ages, and contact information for each team member with your submission.

The challenge is open to teams of no more than six people. There will be eight youth teams (high school age) and eight adult teams selected. Teams with mixed age groups are permitted. Teams will be announced and full challenge instructions and rules will be released on February 20. Teams will have six weeks and be given $250 to design and build their inventions.

On April 4, all teams will demonstrate and test their inventions in front of a panel of judges and the general public in a fun-filled Da Vinci Challenge event at OMSI. At the event, teams will also be given a surprise challenge to complete in a specified amount of time (bring a spare change of clothes!). Teams traveling to OMSI from further than 75 miles for the event may apply for a travel and lodging stipend.

Teams will be judged based on creativity and the performance of their invention. Prizes will include an OMSI membership for each winning team member and a night at the museum for the winning team and their friends.

The Da Vinci Challenge is made possible by the generous support of The Lemelson Foundation. For questions or comments, please e-mail challenge@omsi.edu or call 503.239.7817.