The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, OMSI, presents different special exhibits all year, and currently, it is exhibiting Dinosaurs Revealed. The current exhibit is described as taking a journey back to North America 250 million years ago. Visitors can experience life sized dinosaurs, detailed fossils, and more. On average, this exhibit takes approximately 60 to 90 minutes to explore, but since there is no time limit, visitors are welcome to stay as long as they like.
When visitors first arrive at OMSI, a giant model of a dinosaur will greet them. The exhibition starts with a short video introduction and after that, visitors can freely tour the museum.
Walking through the exhibition, the details of the model catch the visitor‘s eye first. From bumpy skin texture, pointy teeth, and shiny eyes to colorful feathers and scars on the dinosaurs, it attracts every visitor. For little children who have not yet learned about dinosaurs, older kids who get to have visual interactions with what they only saw in books, adults who carefully read all the signs, and families who want to have unique and special family time, this exhibition seems like a great weekend plan. As expected, most of the visitors are families, especially with young children. Even though kids may not understand all of the content, this exhibit seems like a great encounter that can intrigue children with a new, interesting topic.
You can hear young children saying “I don’t want to meet them in real life” or “I don’t want to stand in front of this alone” when parents make their pictures. More to the delicacy in models, how they move and make sounds, truly make visitors feel they are back in the prehistoric era. Movements of each dinosaur aren’t just random, but they emphasize the uniqueness of different species. Seeing the Sauropod’s neck moving left and right, Dakotaraptor’s wings flapping, and Trex’s jaw opening up, can show visitors that there are many different traits to each of the many dinosaurs.
This exhibition is not only about seeing model dinosaurs. There are also giant fossils displayed on the floor and even up on the ceiling. There are models of plants and trees from the time period that heighten the quality of the overall experience. One thing that I personally found is that the whole exhibition lacks a touching experience except when visitors were allowed to play with sand at the end of the exhibition. But thinking about this, during a time when health is important due to COVID19, taking a tour through Dinosaurs Revealed won’t disappoint anyone.
Haelin Park, Grade 12,
Sunset High School
