Feb. 28--These researchers don't work down some long, dark hallway in the bowels of an ancient university building.
They don't sit in silence at a lab bench, surrounded by beakers and petri dishes, all attention trained on microscopic who-knows-what.
When they talk about what they do, they aren't even hard to understand.
And all of that is sort of the point. Welcome to out-in-the-open, regular-Joe-friendly science.
A group of Ohio State researchers have handed over anonymity to become part of COSI's Labs in Life.
Their research focuses on exercise and nutrition and, on a recent Sunday afternoon, it was plain to see that visitors -- everyone from toddlers to seniors -- were drawn to the glass-encased labs inhabited by scientists, student interns and their subjects.
Some of the younger visitors were so mesmerized by the action inside the lab on COSI's second floor that they smashed their faces and hands up against the glass walls to watch two studies being performed by researcher Carmen Swain and her team.
In the first study, they're seeking to discover if Wii workouts really are workouts. They're doing this by having people walk or jog with the Wii Fit program. While they exercise, the joggers wear a mask that measures oxygen intake. They also report the intensity of the workout to the researchers every five minutes.
Elan Lieber, an OSU sophomore recruited by the team, was barely winded at the end of his jog, during which he demonstrated how to "cheat" the Wii by moving the hand-held control faster than he was actually jogging. He laughed as the Wii instructed him to take it easy.
Meanwhile, intern Jenny Brichler picked up a microphone and explained the study to the crowd gathered outside the glass walls.
In a second study, Swain's team is comparing the Presidential Fitness Challenge and an electronic BodyTest system to see how different tests influence the motivation of 8- to 11-year-old children who are recruited during their visits to COSI.
"We kind of think (the Presidential Fitness Challenge) might be outdated," Swain said, explaining that it's an extrinsically motivated program, one in which the child is scored and gets an award.
Philip Kaufholz, an 8-year-old from Canton, was game for trying alternative fitness measures, which included some time on a stationary bike.
As he pumped his feet, he pulled his hands away from the handlebars.
"Right now I'm just showing off!" he said to his mom.
After he finished a series of strength and flexibility tests, Philip answered questions about physical activity and what motivates him to exercise.
He said he enjoyed the computer screen on the bike, and was happy to be part of an experiment. He even might become a scientist someday, Philip said.
The exhibit's history includes an agreement between COSI President David Chesebrough and then-OSU President Karen Holbrook.
"This had never been done before anywhere in the country so there wasn't a blueprint," Chesebrough said.
The project cost $700,000 to put together, he said.
Research that people can relate to is best suited to the space, he said, and studies that look at nutrition and exercise seemed to fit. Jackie Buell and Gail Kaye, both of the OSU Department of Human Nutrition, also work in the lab.
One of their studies looks at bone density in women runners.
"We needed to make sure that we were continuing to connect the public with science and research in an engaging fashion," Chesebrough said.
The young student researchers who work on the team are enthusiastic and help make the project work because children at COSI can relate to them, he said.
"We try to have kids see themselves as potential scientists and researchers."
Swain, who directs the health and exercise program in the School of Physical Activity and Education Services, said it was "a little crazy" getting used to working in a fishbowl.
Now she and her team enjoy the interactive research.
mcrane@dispatch.com
-----
To see more of The Columbus Dispatch, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbusdispatch.com.
Copyright (c) 2010, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.