Discover Science in Columbus!

Nestled along the banks of the Scioto River, COSI (for Center of Science and Industry; the acronym is prounounced KOH-SIGH) faces an impressive and young skyline of Columbus, Ohio (see right, click to enlarge). Part of the explosive growth of the area in the 1990s, COSI stands out as one of the premier science and learning "museums" in the state, if not the nation.

Founded several years after a Columbus advertising account executive visited Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry and felt that Columbus should have one too, COSI originated in the old Memorial Hall on Broad Street that had fallen in disrepair. Having visited the original location, COSI was a nice place to take the kids or go on a class field trip, but it did not stand out like it does today.

During the 1990s COSI desired to grow beyond its small footprint and a prime location was along the waterfront right across from downtown. Old Central High School had sat vacant for years and was in danger of being torn down. Many wished to see the building preserved, as it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985 (click and scroll down). A good portion of the original facade that faces the river was preserved and worked into the design. But the overall design that was constructed is very contemporary (see left, click to enlarge) and little of the internal part of the school remains as it once did.

During the 1990s, Columbus added key tourist destination points in addition to COSI, from a replica of Christopher Columbus's Nina, Pina and Santa Maria, and an expanded and renovated Franklin Park Conservatory (which held an international horticultural convention in 1992), expansion of the Ohio Statehouse (previous blog, statehouse web) museum, and the construction of not one, but two major arenas (one for professional hockey, the other for Ohio State University).

But what made, and still makes, COSI such a selling point is the wonderful interactive and hands on nature of the museum. In every gallery there is much for the visitor to do and for the various ages as well. While the permanent exhibits and an IMAX have their draw, what kept COSI fresh was the temporary exhibits. These short-lived, but interactive, exhibits ranged from the science of sport to dinosaurs that roamed the planet.

In one of the permanent exhibits, King Neptune beckons (see left, click to enlarge) in a watery gallery that allows students to investigate the science of water in one section and see the world beneath the ocean in another (complete with a science submarine that can be climbed into). Robotics are shown off in a tank with a small theater seating situation and kids can step up into a deep-sea diver's suit and look through the helmet.

In another gallery science meets history (see right, click to enlarge), as one enters a street from the 1880s complete with stores and stables. Turning the corner you jump nearly a century to the 1960s, where the little ones can serve up a some fountain fresh shakes and sundaes at the soda shop or sit in the broadcaster's seat at the TV studio and read breaking news to your home audience live on camera.

If it's not a crowded day and time is on your side, you can wait for a seat in the Gadget Cafe (see left, click to enlarge) and get a mini invention lesson led by COSI staff. This gallery adds the word fun to the idea of simple machines. Three different pullies show the advantages to this scientific principal. Laser lights, elecro-magnetics and more beckon in this gallery.

For the very youngest (Kindergarten and younger) there is an entire wing devoted to simple play in conjunction with simple science. Dress up medical stations with X-rays, an ambulance and more beckon the imagination of a child. Spongy balls are seen through half the wing where kids slide and jump on play gear that incorporate the balls with the equipment. And for the youngest of the youngest, there is a raised water pool where toddlers can splash and divert water and even squirt various objects from a sort of high chair with an accompanying yellow rain slicker (see right, click to enlarge).

One of the most popular attractions, which is a separate ticketed activity, is the unicycle on a wire. In what first looks like a circus act on steroids, sitting atop a wire on the 2nd floor of the building is a contraption you can peddle perilously in the open without a net below (see left, click to enlarge). While the rider is strapped into the unicycle (the weighting of the bike doesn't allow it to tip over), nonetheless you pedal out and back with nothing below in an adrenaline laden few minutes. A first-floor assistance is sometimes needed for those who run out of pedal power and need pushed back to the balcony.

COSI has (so far) thankfully survived the downturn that has plagued the non-profit world of museums and the fine arts. There was a time in the early 2000's where many wondered if COSI might shutter its facility. The grandiose vision and size of the complex was too much to sustain. Today a large portion of the original complex is now part of the Ohio State University and includes part of the WOSU broadcasting facilities.

The crush of visitors at the dawn of the millienium may have fallen to lower numbers, but there is no doubt that COSI is still a major draw. Having not visited in nearly 6 or 7 years, a visit this past Spring saw a jam-packed museum with little room to walk through the hallways (which also offer much to see and do -- see right, click to enlarge). I had half expected a trickle of visitors and instead suprisingly had to keep an eye out walking and waited three turns to board the elavator.

Well worth the time, COSI keeps up well with the other major Columbus area attractions.

- J.