Olympus, Smithsonian team up for ‘Q?rius’ exhibition

Olympus, a provider of imaging solutions for health care, life and materials science and consumer electronics products, is partnering with the Smithsonian museum and research complex to create “Q?rius” (pronounced “curious”), an exhibition based at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) in Washington. Olympus has donated dozens of microscopes and imaging systems that will enable museum visitors and remote participants to access more than 6000 bones, minerals and fossils in the NMNH’s collection and engage in active, ongoing scientific inquiry.

Photo courtesy of Olympus.

Through involvement with scientists and interactions with thousands of objects, visitors will experience how science is relevant to them and how they can develop skills to become the scientists of tomorrow. Students and other visitors will contribute to the world’s body of scientific knowledge and participate in investigating real research questions by working with actual research objects. Students, with help from Smithsonian scientists, will use professional-level microscopes and other instruments to probe and study specimens that get them engaged in and excited about the scientific process.

“We are proud to help members of the public participate in the scientific process in collaboration with the Smithsonian, and, through their experience, be inspired to support scientific research and to pursue careers in science,” said Hidenao Tsuchiya, president of the Scientific Equipment Group of Olympus Corp. of the Americas.

Q?rius was scheduled to open Dec. 12. For more information, visit http://qrius.si.edu.