February and March 2005 Issue

Contents:

Letter From Lindy - To Invent, a Definition of the Museum

Meet James McLurkin, Inventor

Lights, Camera, Ballantyne: Omaha Company Projects Innovation Around the World

Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc.: February Sponsor of the Month

Sharen Campbell, In Memoriam

Letter From Lindy - To Invent, a Definition of the Museum
To invent, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "to produce (something previously unknown) by the use of ingenuity or imagination." That sounds remarkably similar to the mission of a children's museum. Imagination and ingenuity are inspired daily by the interactive play associated with a visit to Omaha Children's Museum.

That's why we've brought you the nationally recognized exhibition Invention at Play. As this exhibit points out, it is through play and tinkering that many famous inventions are created. Who better to play and tinker than the thousands of children who'll be visiting the children's museum this spring?
I'm taken back to a fond memory of my nephew Justin, who was about six or seven years old at the time. One weekend, at a family outing at the lake, we had just built our bonfire for the evening. Soon, the fire grew pretty smoky. The kids were all coughing and carrying on, but Justin got an idea. He grabbed a Styrofoam cup, poked three holes in the end, removed the elastic bands from his swimming goggles and attached them to his cup. He put the cup over his mouth and nose and kept it on with the elastic bands around his head. For the rest of the night, he sat by the fire, cough-free. I remember getting a kick out Justin's believing that he'd made a gas mask, much like Garrett A. Morgan had done in 1912, even though it was only in his imaginative head that this particular gas mask was working. It was my first witness to a child's inventive nature.

I invite you to bring your children to the children's museum this year and let their inventive imaginations run wild. They will be truly inspired by Invention at Play, and you will be amazed to witness the creative geniuses that will grow out of the experience.

Lindy J. Hoyer
Executive Director

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Meet James McLurkin, Inventor
Creating battery-powered water guns, programming video games and making stink bombs were all in a day's play for James McLurkin. By age 15, McLurkin had already developed his own robot. Made from an old remote control car and random electronic chips, McLurkin was on his way to redefining robotics by combining ideas from engineering and biology. He is one of the many inventors featured in the Smithsonian's traveling exhibit, Invention at Play, now at Omaha Children's Museum through May 1.

McLurkin was a very creative and curious child. He was an average student but learned a lot. He learned by doing rather than through class discussion.

"I wasn't trying to do some esoteric research, I was having fun. Mostly I was trying to build better toys than those you get in stores, which are always lamer than what you really want," McLurkin said. "My first memory is of building with an erector set, and I was always getting into things. I hoarded broken bits, made messes, built things and burnt up bathrooms."

As an undergraduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, McLurkin focused his thesis project on nature and its relation with technology. He observed ant colonies, which he kept a large container of on his desk, and how they behaved. He built 12 "ant" robots. Each ant had feelers and other sensors along with an internal computer that ran three motors. He soon realized that his robots could work together to complete tasks, much like that of real ants. McLurkin programmed the "ants" to react to light, hunt for food and even play tag with each other.

After graduation, McLurkin worked as a lead scientist at iRobot, a company that creates realistic robotic solutions to real world problems. He built over 100 small robots that could communicate with each other and utilize touch-sensing for navigation. His work at iRobot eventually lead to his doctoral thesis which he is now working on at MIT. Through his graduate studies he continues to integrate engineering and biology. His creative, outside-the-box thinking has earned him many accolades. In 2003, he received the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize was named by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the "Best and Brightest Under 40."

"I didn't have the notion of being an inventor as a kid," McLurkin said. "I was too busy inventing."

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Lights, Camera, Ballantyne!
Omaha Company Projects Innovation Around the World
Omaha's own inventors and innovators have come in all types, from the creator of the Reuben sandwich to the investment mind of Warren Buffett. In some cases, their presence is as ubiquitous as it is unknown by most people.

In the case of Ballantyne of Omaha, movie-goers both past and present have laughed, cried, cheered and thrilled to the sound and light Ballantyne has projected. And now, visitors to the museum during Invention at Play will be able to enjoy an exhibit on the second floor that shows some of the innovations taking place at Ballantyne.

While only a handful of drive-ins still remain (including one in Council Bluffs), their importance in the American culture is undeniable. When people reminisce of sitting at the drive-in, inevitably Ballantyne figures into those memories. Ballantyne developed the special amplifier that make the individual speakers for each car possible and, thus, became one of the hallmarks of the drive-in.

While drive-in theaters are all but gone, the multiplex theater is bigger than ever. Ballantyne's presence is obvious. In 1970, they introduced the first new projector in 25 years. It was installed at Douglas Theater's Cinema Four at 120th and Q ("Q" Cinema 9) and is still used today. Every movie screen in Omaha—except one—uses Ballantyne equipment.

"That is pretty much the case for the nation as a whole," said Jim Feehrmeyer, publications manager of Ballantyne of Omaha. "We are the largest cinema projector manufacturer in the country."

Not only can Ballantyne's products be seen in movie theaters, they can be seen from outer space. Ballantyne's Strong Lighting division is a dominant manufacturer of xenon lighting fixtures such as the searchlight. The Xenontech searchlight atop of the Luxor Pyramid in Las Vegas was manufactured by Ballantyne and can be seen from the space shuttle. Ballantyne of Omaha also manufacturers SkyTracker which provides the automated searchlights used for Hollywood premieres and other special events.

Ballantyne of Omaha represents the innovative spirit of Omaha throughout the globe and even at Omaha Children’s Museum.

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Peter Kiewit Sons', Inc.
February Sponsor of the Month

Kiewit is the nation's 7th largest construction company with construction projects currently located in 25 states and 7 Canadian provinces. It is also a top ten producer of coal with mines located in Montana, Wyoming and Texas. Project locations range from tropical Honolulu to the frozen tundra of Northern Quebec. Many of the company's projects fill Omaha's skyline, including the Tower at First National Center and the Qwest Center Omaha. Since its founding in 1884, Kiewit has grown to be ranked in the Fortune 500 and was named by the magazine as one of America's Most Admired Companies.

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Sharen Campbell, In Memoriam
By Lindy J. Hoyer

In October, the museum lost a great friend when Sharen K. Campbell passed away after a battle with cancer. Sharen and her husband Charlie, began their relationship with Omaha Children's Museum in 1986 when Charlie, then Vice Chairman of Kiewit Construction Company, was asked to serve on the museum's board of directors.

After Charlie's untimely death in 1993, Sharen joined the board of the museum. Together with her children, and with support from Kiewit, Sharen helped raise over $170,000 to create the Charlie Campbell Science and Technology Center, which opened in 1996.

Over the years Sharen continually demonstrated her deep love for children. When I was named director in 2002, I asked Sharen what she would like to see in the Charlie Campbell Science and Technology Center. She answered simply "Lindy, I just want to see children having a good time there." Shortly after that conversation, we began working on the addition of the Super Gravitron, which fulfilled Sharen's dream of seeing children having fun with science.

Sharen left behind five beloved grandchildren, who are regular visitors to the museum; her daughter Ann Hofmann, who currently serves on the board of Omaha Children's Museum, and husband Scott; and son Chuck and wife Janet.

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