Focus Area
Science & Technology Volunteering in Central Oregon
Matching organizations, in a different order on every visit
Oregon High Desert Grotto
also known as OHDG
The Oregon High Desert Grotto is Central Oregon's caving club, a Bend-based chapter of the National Speleological Society founded in 1989. Its members explore, survey, map, and photograph the region's lava tubes and caves, and work to protect these fragile underground ecosystems through cave cleanups, graffiti removal, and responsible-caving education, earning a USDA Forest Service Partnership Award along the way.
Volunteers and members help protect Central Oregon's caves through cleanups and graffiti removal, cave surveying and mapping, and photo documentation, often alongside land managers and local partners. Cave cleanups are a great first way to get involved; members also receive the club newsletter and invitations to caving trips. Anyone who respects the fragility of caves is welcome.
Airshow of the Cascades
also known as Central Oregon Airshow Inc.; Bright Wood Airshow of the Cascades
The Airshow of the Cascades is a two-day aviation festival at the Madras Municipal Airport each August, drawing about 20,000 people for precision jet teams, aerobatics, historic warbirds from the Erickson Aircraft Collection, a car show, live music, and family activities. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, it gives local civic organizations a chance to raise money for their programs and scholarships.
About 300 volunteers make the airshow happen each year, and many return year after year. Volunteers get free admission on each day they work, free entry to the Erickson Aircraft Museum, snacks and drinks, an official Ground Crew T-shirt, an orientation to the historic WWII Madras Airfield, and an invite to the annual kickoff party. Registration opens each spring.
The Sisters Science Club makes science visible and celebrated in Sisters, hosting the monthly Frontiers in Science talks, the annual Sisters Science Fair, and hands-on science programs that connect students and the community with scientists.
Volunteers help run the annual Sisters Science Fair (setup, event support, and take-down), organize the monthly Frontiers in Science lecture series at The Belfry, and support fundraising events for school science programs. Board seats are also open.
Girls S.T.E.A.M. Institute
also known as GSI, Girls STEAM Institute
Sunriver-based nonprofit that educates, mentors, and inspires girls ages 13–18 to build personal and professional skills as entrepreneurs and innovators in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. Through project-based team challenges, often held in immersive virtual reality with mentors from industry, girls develop solutions to real-world problems. Alumni have gone on to MIT, NASA, and Microsoft.
Volunteers mentor teams of girls and young women through STEAM business challenges, share their careers as monthly expert speakers, coach on leadership, finance, and pitching, and help run events, many of them held virtually so you can mentor from anywhere. Teens who've been through the program often come back as junior mentors and interns.
The High Desert Museum, just south of Bend, is the largest cultural institution in Central and Eastern Oregon and the only museum in the nation devoted to North America's High Desert. Opened in 1982 on 135 acres, it brings together live wildlife, art, history, and the region's Indigenous and pioneer cultures through indoor and outdoor exhibits, living history, bird of prey encounters, and hands-on STEAM programs, camps, and outreach for learners of all ages.
Volunteers support nearly every part of the Museum, from staffing exhibits and leading hands-on activities for visitors to helping school groups on field trips, assisting at Admissions, and interpreting living history and natural history at various sites. Teen-specific roles are available seasonally. Adult volunteers complete a background check and orientation.
High Desert Robotics & Rotors Expositions
also known as HDRex
High Desert Robotics & Rotors Expositions (HDRex), a program of Connect Central Oregon, inspires the next generation of Central Oregon leaders through hands-on robotics and drone experiences. It organizes expositions, workshops, and competitions, including the region's Aerial Drone Competition for middle and high school pilots and programmers, and connects robotics teams, clubs, schools, mentors, and the wider community.
The Sunriver Nature Center & Observatory has inspired visitors to cherish and understand the natural world for more than 50 years. By day, its nature center features birds of prey and native wildlife, a botanical garden, and nature trails on 8 acres around Lake Aspen; by night, the Oregon Observatory offers stargazing through the nation's largest collection of publicly accessible telescopes, plus daytime solar viewing. Its Second Tern thrift store in Sunriver helps fund its programs.
Volunteers work in animal care, education, grounds and landscaping of the center's 8 acres around Lake Aspen, visitor services, observatory programs, the Second Tern thrift store, and administration. Most roles are 16 and up (animal care is 18+), and youth 10 to 15 can volunteer with a parent. A background check is required; most roles run April to October, and volunteers get program and shop discounts.
A statewide nonprofit working to preserve Oregon's dark skies and reduce light pollution through advocacy, education, and monitoring, supporting Dark Sky community certifications like Sisters and the Oregon Outback.
Volunteers help measure and track light pollution using sky quality meters across Oregon, advocate for local lighting ordinances, and support outreach and education efforts on responsible outdoor lighting.
End of the list. Every organization on this page is now showing.