COSI - Columbus, Ohio's Dynamic Hands-On Science Center

Available Experts Sessions

NEW - ELEMENTARY: G.R.O.S.S. - Functions of the Human Body

March 30, 2010, 9:00am ET
Grade Levels: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Subjects: Body, Scientific Method, Health

Gross, gooey, smelly, slimy, icky and sticky are words you might use when describing the functions of the human body. COSI is knee deep in obscure and unflattering information. To learn more about Grimy, Repulsive, Odoriferous, and Sloppy Science (G.R.O.S.S.), join COSI's Outreach Educator Derek Bringardner to find out what causes our bodies to do disgusting things through hands-on experiments and engaging demonstrations.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. The test connection for this program is scheduled on March 25, 2010 at 2:30pm ET.

Forensics: Latent Prints

March 31, 2010, 1:00pm ET
Grade Levels: 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Subjects: Forensics, Logic, Problem Solving, Scientific Method

Deborah Lanata, an Evidence Technician with the Columbus Police Detective Bureau, will show how a crime scene is dusted for prints, surfaces that work and don't work for latent fingerprint development, and tips and tricks to get good lifts from various surfaces. Deborah has FBI training in advanced latent print development and ten-print comparison. She also helps with teaching new police officers (the recruits) about proper crime scene procedures and first responder duties at crime scenes. Rob Lawson, the Columbus Police Latent Unit Supervisor, will discuss how the latent lifts Ms. Lanata brings him are examined and how they attempt to match the prints to a suspect.

Ms. Lanata has been with C.P.D. for over 14 years and regularly responds to crime scenes. She is also currently preparing to become certified by the International Association for Identification as a Crime Scene Analyst. Mr. Lawson has been with the Columbus Police Department for over 19 years He became supervisor of the Latent Unit in March 2003 and has taken many training classes through the F.B.I. and other police agencies. Mr. Lawson is now the 1st Vice President with the O.I.O. (Ohio Identification Officers Association).

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. The test connection for this program is scheduled on March 25, 2010 at 2:30pm ET.

ELEMENTARY: Sound Science

April 6, 2010, 1:00pm ET
Grade Levels: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Subjects: Sound, Waves, Frequency, Amplitute

What is sound? How do we hear it? Elementary school students can join COSI demonstrator Rachel Thompson as she explores the incredible topic of sound while showing some strange and unusual ways of making it. The presentation will help students better understand sound, sound waves, amplitude, frequency and how we hear through fun demonstrations and interactive hands-on experiments.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher.The test connection for this program is scheduled on April 2, 2010 at 2:00pm ET.

Forensic Handwriting Identification

April 9, 2010, 1:00pm ET
Grade Levels: 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Subjects: Forensics, Logic, Problem Solving, Citizenship, Government, Non-traditional

Kathleen Stuebe will present information on forensic document examination and handwriting identification as performed in crime laboratories. Using mock evidence, Ms. Stuebe will challenge your students to help solve a "crime" by analyzing handwriting. She will then demonstrate how this handwriting is examined in order to determine the identification of the writer. Ms. Stuebe has been a Forensic Document Examiner since 1999 and is a Criminalist at the Columbus Police Crime Laboratory.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. The test connection for this program is scheduled on April 7, 2010 at 2:00pm ET.

Students should have prior knowledge of: Basic understanding of the criminal justice system.

NEW - Artificial Intelligence in Game Playing

April 15, 2010, 9:00am ET
Grade Levels: 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Subjects: Computer Programming, Artificial Intelligence, Games, Computers

How can a computer be programmed to play a game like Connect 4? Is it possible for a computer player to be better at a game than the person that programmed it? Dr. Bogaerts will discuss a general strategy that can be applied to many different games. Students will design components of a computer Connect 4 player that uses this strategy. Various designs will be discussed, and the session will end with a matchup of human versus machine.

Dr. Bogaerts is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Wittenberg University. He teaches a variety of courses, including artificial intelligence, algorithms, and introductory programming. He also conducts research in artificial intelligence and parallel computation.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. The test connection for this program is scheduled on April 13, 2010 at 2:00pm ET.

Developing Exercise Training Programs

May 7, 2010, 9:00am ET
Grade Levels: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Subjects: Sports, Athletics, Physiology, Biology, Physical Education, Nutrition Science

Dr. Timothy Kirby, Associate Professor Emeritus of the School of Physical Activity and Educational Services at The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology will discuss the physiological basis for developing a training program and the most effective techniques to improve performance in sports and exercise. Based on his perspective as a former collegiate coach and as an exercise physiologist, he will discuss training programs used by athletes at various levels of achievement, with suggestions for implementing programs for anyone wishing to perform at his/her best. Dr. Kirby will challenge students to think and act from a science based perspective as they develop programs designed to improve performance and health.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information packet sent to the teacher. The test connection for this program is scheduled on May 5, 2010 at 2:00pm ET.

Space Cowboys: What It Takes to Put a Man in Space

May 11, 2010, 1:00pm ET
Grade Levels: 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Subjects: Space Travel, Astronaut Training

In 1959, seven pilots were selected to train as America's first astronauts, and would become known as the Mercury 7. These men, who jockeyed for the best flying jobs in the military, began competing for rides on rockets. Most would eventually vie for the ultimate ride to the moon. Join Ed Buckbee, as he describes the dreams of astronauts flying higher, faster and farther than anyone in the known universe. You are invited behind the scenes to witness the competition and the conflict between NASA engineers designing capsules and those who would pilot them. They were our first astronauts. They are The Real Space Cowboys.

Ed Buckbee has been associated with the U.S. space program for five decades. He began his career as a NASA public affairs officer during the l960's working with all of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts and for rocket scientist Wernher von Braun. He covered Alan Shepard's Mercury Redstone launch in 1961 and was present when the Apollo astronauts launched for the moon landings. Mr. Buckbee will discuss his experiences with the early NASA missions, as well as how it takes the combined efforts of engineers, architects, dieticians, communications specialists, and more, to achieve the daunting task of launching humans into space and returning them safely to Earth.

Mr. Buckbee is director emeritus of the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and the founder of Space Camp that has graduated over 500,000 students and teachers. He has also developed Space Camp programs in five other countries. Collaborating with Alan Shepard and Wally Schirra, they established the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, which honors America's astronauts. An author, lecturer and advocate of space exploration, he continues to be associated with America's space program and NASA through appearances on CNN, Late Night with David Letterman, Good Morning America, Today Show, BBC-TV and the History and Discovery channels.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher.The test connection for this program is scheduled on May 6, 2010 at 2:00pm ET.

Computers Working at the Speed of Light

May 13, 2010, 1:00pm ET
Grade Levels: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Subjects: Computers, Technology, Nanotechnology,

Are you tired of waiting for your favorite songs, movies, or internet files to download? Imagine being able to retrieve a music file from the internet in the blink of an eye. How can future computers be developed to process information nearly instantaneously? Instead of depending on electric currents, tomorrow's computers will use beams of light!

Join Dr. Reano to learn how laser beams are being used on the nanoscale to develop not only faster computers, but also better sensors, speedier communications devices, and microscopic laboratories.

Dr. Reano holds Bachelor degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering as well as Master and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University where his research focuses on integrated optics, hybrid wireless and photonic devices, and nanotechnology for next generation sensors, communications systems, and computing.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. The test connection for this program is scheduled on May 10 at 3:00pm ET.

ELEMENTARY: The Science of Harry Potter

May 14, 2010, 1:00PM ET
Grade Levels: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th
Subjects: Electricity, Magnetism, Taste, Chemistry, Light

Magic for muggles! Learn how some of Harry Potter's magic is possible with modern science, through re-creating magic spells and phenomena using chemistry and physics. Elementary school students join COSI demonstrator, Ryan Westhoven, as he explores the incredible world of Harry Potter through amazing demonstrations and interactive hands-on experiments.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. The test connection for this program is scheduled on May 12, 2010 at 2:45pm ET.

Forensic Anthropology: What the Dead Tell Us About the Living

May 17, 2010, 1:00pm ET
Grade Levels: 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
Subjects: Biology, Archaeology, Forensic Anthropology, Biological Anthropology, Scientific Process.

Our skeletons are a reservoir of information about who we are - gender, age, size, health, and activity. In this presentation, Dr. Clark Larsen discusses what skeletons tell us, whether thousands of years old or from a recent crime scene. Dr. Larsen received his Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Michigan in 1980, and previously taught at the University of North Carolina before coming to Ohio State University. At Ohio State, he chairs the Department of Anthropology. He is a leading expert on bioarchaeology, the study of human remains from archaeological settings. His work takes him all over the world. He is especially interested in the long term history of human health, from 10,000 years ago to the present.

Students should prepare questions in advance, based on the information sent to the teacher. The test connection for this program is scheduled on May 13, 2010 at 2:15pm ET.

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