Portland Public Schools

Molten metal being poured is one of the demonstration that will be on display at the Benson Tech Show.

Molten metal being poured is one of the demonstration that will be on display at the Benson Tech Show.

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Want to see robots in action? Play with stream tables and try chemistry experiments? Buy works by talented student artists? Watch a display of micro home projects and smart home technology? Check out a live journalism broadcast? See molten metal being poured? 

Have we got an event for you. The Benson Tech Show will be held for the 99th year Thursday and Friday, March 14-15. The free event will run from 6 to 9 p.m. both nights.

The event is a showcase for the many programs offered at Benson Polytechnic High School, known as Oregon's premier four-year technical education focus high school. Benson "offers the academic rigor and the practical training that prepares students for college and the highly skilled, highly paid 21st-century work force."

Benson, located at 546 NE 12th Ave., will open its doors to the public, and visitors can wander the halls and take in 32 displays in classrooms and other rooms. In addition to displays listed above, there will also be:

• A showing of design options for the Benson campus, which is scheduled to undergo a major modernization campaign starting in 2021. A detailed scale model of the gym and full campus will be displayed.
• Demonstrations of mills, lathes, hydraulic jacks and other industrial machinery.
• A live portrait studio, where visitors can have their pictures taken.
• Three different medical displays, including a CPR lesson, diabetes screening, minor surgery and suture demonstrations, and a showing of proper brushing and flossing techniques.
• A sale of previous years' Benson yearbooks, from 1970 to 2012, most in new condition.

For a full list of the displays, see the event webpage.