Northwest Invention Center

www.invention-center.com

Northwest
Invention
Center

 

About us

After directing museums for nearly twenty years, Ed created the Northwest Invention Center to serve schools and museums with hands-on programs and exhibits, and to help inventors. Ed served as the first director of the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron, Ohio and founded the National Toy Hall of Fame at A.C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon. He also directed the South Florida Science Museum, the Museum of Science & History in Jacksonville, and the Fresno Metropolitan Museum. Ed taught museum management at the University of Washington and was elected President of the Ohio Museums Association.

 

In addition to directing museums Ed created and hosted a television show on inventing ("The Idea Factory," KFSN-ABC) and co-hosted a science series ("Blow the Roof Off") for the Ohio Public Broadcast Network. He has written fifteen books on subjects from backpacking to robots and kids science projects.

 

At California State University, Fresno, Ed worked with Professor Tim Stearns to launch Kids Invent Toys. Museums, schools and other groups now offer Kids Invent Toys throughout the country and in four other countries.

 

He holds a Ph.D. in oceanography from Oregon State University. He is a Fellow of the Explorers Club and serves as the Chairman of the Pacific Northwest Chapter. Ed is listed in Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the West.

 

Contact Ed


Northwest Invention Center
15848 NE 92nd Way
Redmond, WA 98052

Newsletter available

Interested in creative, hands-on activities that help kids learn science? We have a monthly newsletter that features creative learning activities. It’s free and you can unsubscribe with one click. Send me an email (sobey@GTE.net) with subscribe as the subject or register at www.kidsinvent.org.

Workshops in southeast US

In January we will be giving teacher workshops in the Southeast. These hands-on workshops cover inventing and innovation strategies to teaching science that have been very popular with both teachers and students. If you are interested in having a workshop at your museum or school, please contact us.

Creating Whimsy

This one-day workshop blends artistic creativity with technical problem solving to build computer-operated kinetic sculptures. Teachers learn basic digital control/computer programming, application of electric motors, and simple machines. And, they express their inner whimsy in wonderful creations. Totally hands-on and driven by imagination.