CORVALLIS, Ore. - The 12th semiannual Beaver BarCamp, an informal conference where participants can explore anything from science to art, technology, food, art, culture or other topics, will be held Saturday, Oct. 12, at Oregon State University.

The event, which is hosted by the Open Source Lab at OSU, is free and open to the public. It will be at the Kelley Engineering Center on the OSU campus from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and will include presentations by the Corvallis Bicycle Collective, executive in residence Bob Mayes, and Open Source Lab director Lance Albertson.

Introductory science topics will be offered for high school students and interested community members, and participants can attend any portion of the day. A continental breakfast, lunch and afternoon snack will be provided.

Most sessions at Beaver BarCamp are not predetermined. It allows sharing of ideas and projects, discussions, demos and interaction among attendees, who both provide the sessions and choose the schedule. Anyone can participate in sessions throughout the day or propose their own, based on a project, hobby or research interest. More information is available online at http://beaverbarcamp.org

The Open Source Lab, which provides host and support services to more than 160 open source projects, will also have information sessions at Beaver BarCamp for those who are interested in learning more about the Open Source Lab and opportunities to become involved.