USGS OPEN HOUSES - Menlo Park, CA

Peter H. Stauffer

The USGS staff at the Menlo Park facilities have always been concerned about helping the public understand what their work is about and also sharing the excitement of scientific discovery. In addition to individual scientists talking to school classes, giving tours of their laboratories, or presenting demonstrations and lectures to the public, one very effective way of accomplishing these goals is to invite the public to the facilities for a day in a general open house. Though staging an open house takes much time and effort, the rewards are very great, both in public understanding and in staff morale--and appreciation of what others are doing within the same facilities.

Soon after topographic map production moved into the new Building Three, the first open house at these Menlo Park facilities was held in 1959 to show the public our state-of-the-art cartographic technology and to demonstrate how topographic maps were made. About 800 people attended, and Secretary of the Interior Fred Seaton spoke. A second open house was held in 1979, to mark the centennial of the USGS, which attracted our local Congressman Pete McCloskey, former USGS Director Vincent McKelvey, and even a U.S. Navy band from Treasure Island. More than 100 people attended to view exhibits and films.

In 1984, the National Mapping Division held another open house, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Building 3 and again showcasing their topographic map production operations [in Building 3]. The response to this limited event was so encouraging, it was decided to hold a campus-wide open house the following year. That began a regular triennial tradition in Menlo Park that continues today. Some highlights of these open houses are given here.
October 19, 1985. In this, our first campus-wide open house, about 100 exhibits were set up in 10 buildings. Additionally, the research vessel S.P. Lee was opened for tours at our marine facility (MarFac) at the Port of Redwood City. An estimated 7,500 visitors came to see the displays.
November 19, 1988. Held in conjunction with a high-profile invitational conference on natural hazards ("GeoHazards '88"), this open house featured nearly 150 exhibits in 13 buildings. Food services, musical performances, and sales of USGS souvenirs by our on-site daycare center (GeoKids) were also available to the more than 8.000 visitors. These features have been continued at subsequent open houses.
May 17-19, 1991. The dates for this open house were moved to the spring, because the 1988 event narrowly avoided being drenched by rain (many exhibits are outdoors). Also, responding to pleas from the public and USGS staff, the open house was extended to cover a full weekend. Additionally, a third (preview) day was added on the Friday, at which invited VIP’s and our own employees could tour the exhibits. Attendance by the public soared past 10,000. To help visitors find their way, the exhibits were grouped into "themes." The continuing success of these Menlo Park open houses now persuaded the USGS management at headquarters to authorize (and help fund) regular public open houses on a three-year rotation among the USGS centers in Reston, Denver, and Menlo Park.
May 20-22, 1994. At this open house, the preview day became mainly a special day for local school groups, a feature which proved very popular. Another innovation on the two public days was an earth science "passport" for younger visitors, with 22 rubber-stamp stations scattered around the campus where they could stamp the appropriate page dealing with a particular aspect of earth science. A hands-on gold-panning exhibit was added because that proved extremely popular at Denver’s open house the previous year--it instantly became one of the most popular exhibits at the Menlo Park open houses. Two large tents were rented to accommodate the overflow from the numerous exhibits and the estimated 15,000 visitors. At MarFac, two ships, the Polaris and the recently acquired Worthy, were open for tours.
September 12-14, 1997. Open houses in Menlo Park reached a high point at this event. Despite again risking the fall weather, and experiencing one dog fight and a minor windstorm that blew over a few exhibits, this was the smoothest and most successful open house so far. There were more than 200 exhibits, 1,500 schoolchildren attended the preview Friday, and the crowds on the weekend totaled more than 20,000. In addition to eight buildings, including the newly completed McKelvey research building (Building 15), the exhibits were spread through three tents and several rented trailers. Gold panning and the kids’ "Passport" were again hits, as were the many hands-on displays about water quality and earthquakes. This open house was the first at which the new USGS identifier was displayed. The 1997 open house was dedicated to the memory of Gene Shoemaker, USGS scientist and founder of astrogeology, who had recently been killed in a tragic car accident in Australia.

Photo snapshots of the 1997 Open House. Photos by Mike Diggles and Fran Mills, USGS Menlo Park, CA.
May 12-14, 2000. Although both the size of the campus and the number of employees had decreased since 1997, more than 250 exhibits were prepared for the 2000 open house, which returned to a spring date. USGS Director Charles Groat came to officiate at an opening ceremony on the Friday, among the streams of touring school classes. Five tents were rented to accommodate the many exhibits that could not fit in the seven open buildings. As always, exhibits on earthquakes, water pollution, and gold panning were popular--as were the musical performances and food services! Visitors numbered between 12,000 and 15,000.
May 30-June 1, 2003. The most recent open house was again officially opened by Director Groat, as 1,500 schoolchildren toured the exhibits on the Friday. Although limited to five buildings and a single tent, this open house featured more than 200 displays prepared by the now-smaller number of staff, and an estimated 12,000 members of the public attended on the weekend. The "Passport" for kids was replaced by an equally popular set of "USGS Trading Cards," each with a place for a stamp from one of many stamping stations around the campus. A new exhibit of numerous 3-D photographs (viewed with red-blue glasses) was a popular addition at this event.

Related articles 2003:
"USGS expects thousands for Open House" The Almanac (The hometown newspaper for Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley and Woodside. Publish date: Wed., May 28, 2003).

"Open House Informs public, cheers scientists" Geotimes, August 2003

Sometime in 2006. Our next open house at the Menlo Park facilities should be in 2006. Stay tuned and watch for announcements

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