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CORVALLIS - Oregon State University will highlight connections between art, science and technology at Corvallis' da Vinci Days celebration, July 15-17.

The non-profit community festival honoring Renaissance artist, scientist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci is now in its 17th year and is held at various locations on the OSU campus and at Corvallis' Central Park. Admission is $8 for adults and $4 for children 6-12, with children 5 and under free. A three-day pass is $12 for adults and $6 for children. For information, call 541-757-6363 or http://www.davinci-days.org.

Sponsored by the OSU College of Engineering, the child-friendly OSU Wireless Village is back at the festival this summer and features more than a dozen exhibits and learning stations.

"We want to show people in a fun, hands-on way how engineers help make the world a better place," said Chris Bell, associate dean at the OSU College of Engineering. "There will be something for everyone, whether you want to make art with a remote-controlled TekBot, see what it's like to learn in a wireless classroom or just sit in the shade and surf the internet."

A popular village feature is the Segway, a two-wheeled personal transporter that moves with just thoughts. Digital photos of riders will be taken and made available for download at home.

Village exhibits will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 17. Other activities at the village include "goop-making," LEGObots, and wave, earthquake and tsunami demonstrations.

OSU's O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory offers da Vinci Days guests guided tours of the Tsunami Wave Basin and the large wave flume from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday. The 45-minute tours start every 10 minutes.

And at noon on Saturday, OSU opens a four-hour science and engineering symposium at the university's LaSells Stewart Center. The event begins with Sherman Bloomer, dean of the OSU College of Science, talking about volcanoes, followed by a 1 p.m. presentation on NASA projects by Trina Ray, an astronomer with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Healthy aging will be the topic of a 2 p.m. talk by Balz Frei, director of the OSU Linus Pauling Institute. At 3 p.m. Annette von Jouanne, OSU professor of electrical and computer engineering, will discuss wave energy.

In tribute to da Vinci, OSU's Giustina Gallery at LaSells Stewart Center is presenting "The Golden Ratio: The Measure of Life," which features regional artists. The golden ratio was used extensively by da Vinci and refers to a ratio of length to width of about 1.6. Also on display will be golden ratio artwork produced by Corvallis teenagers. Featured at the festival's interactive children's village will be the OSU Beaver Stadium Bounce House inflatable play structure.