Da Vinci Days in Corvallis may be taking a hiatus this year, but fundraising events planned this week to help retool the festival for the future will have a University of Oregon presence during Science Night, beginning at 7 p.m., Wednesday (July 16), at the Majestic Theater, 115 SW 2nd St.

A group from the UO that may include undergraduates, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers and scientists will serve on a panel discussion about university research, says Andy Bedingfield, the UO-based director of outreach for the Center for Sustainable Materials Chemistry (CSMC).

That panel discussion will follow a presentation by Doug Keszler, CSMC director and associate dean of research in Oregon State University's College of Science. CSMC is a National Science Foundation-supported center operated jointly by OSU and the UO.

After Keszler's talk and the panel discussion, a "Science Demo Civil War" will feature demonstrations by representatives from the UO, OSU and Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. The audience will judge the presentations.

Science Night will open with a performance by the Svens, a Corvallis-based band specializing in cowboy surf poetry.

The evening is one of four fundraising events occurring during the week at the Majestic Theatre. The events are listed on the theater's Da Vinci Days webpage.

—By Jim Barlow, Public Affairs Communications