verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . december 2007 learn how and when to remove this template message cosi columbus type independent not for profit 501 c 3 organization industry education founded 1964 ; 52 years ago 1964 in columbus ohio founder sanford n. sandy hallock ii headquarters columbus ohio key people dr. david chesebrough president and ceo pablo vegas chair cosi board of trustees number of employees 200 approx . website http www.cosi.org cosi an acronym for center of science and industry is a science museum and research center located in columbus ohio in the united states . originally opened in 1964 cosi was relocated to a 320 000 square foot state of the art facility designed by japanese architect arata isozaki along a bend in the scioto river in 1999 . cosi features more than 300 interactive exhibits throughout themed exhibition areas . 1 as a center of science and industry rather than a standalone science center 2 cosi established embedded partnerships with local organizations . wosu cosi central ohio s npr member station and public broadcasting service public media station maintains a digital media center and offices ; osu maintains a center of research as well as health & medicine laboratories staffed by medical residents ; and columbus historical society maintains offices and exhibit space . cosi also operates the largest outreach education program of any science museum in the united states through cosi in the classroom 21st century lab field trip experiences international distance education interactive video conferencing programs and cosi on wheels traveling outreach program . 3 as well cosi originated the camp in overnight program for girl scouts and boy scouts in 1972 a concept that is now commonplace in museums nationwide . since 1964 cosi has engaged with nearly 30 million unique visitors through on site and outreach programs . 1 as a not for profit organization cosi is supported by ticket sales a network of community and statewide partnerships including relationships with a variety of donors and sponsors a volunteer program supported by 10 000 volunteers annually and nearly 20 000 member households . 4 in 2008 cosi was the named the 1 science center in the united states for families by parent magazine . 5 contents 1 mission statement 2 exhibit areas 2.1 ocean 2.2 energy explorers 2.3 space 2.4 progress 2.5 gadgets 2.6 life 2.7 adventure 2.8 other features 3 history 4 operating statistics 5 see also 6 references 7 external links mission statement edit the museum s foucault pendulum located at the facility s west entrance . as adopted in 1964 ... cosi provides an exciting and informative atmosphere for those of all ages to discover more about our environment our accomplishments our heritage and ourselves . we motivate a desire toward a better understanding of science industry health and history through involvement in exhibits demonstrations and a variety of educational activities and experiences . cosi is for the enrichment of the individual and for a more rewarding life on our planet earth . 6 exhibit areas edit upon relocating to its new home in 1999 cosi was developed with large self contained themed atria each dedicated to a single topic similar to the style of world s fair pavilions and designed as immersive theatrical learning worlds . as of 2014 cosi contains seven main exhibit areas ocean energy space progress gadgets life and adventure . 7 hallways between each learning world are filled with hands on exhibits and displays . ocean edit the ocean exhibit is divided into two realms . accessed via an underwater cave through a crashed shipwreck the cavern path splits as guests pass to the right or left . the pathway to the right leads to a docked submarine laboratory where hands on exhibits explore the realities of ocean research submersibles scuba water pressure and remote operated vehicles . lilypad lab focuses on drainage basin and central ohio wildlife . the path forking right from the shipwreck leads to the temple of poseidon an ancient stone chamber built around a 30 foot tall statue of poseidon with waterfalls fountains and water jets . this second realm focuses not on the study of water but on the properties of water and the stories it inspires laminar flow whirlpools erosion water bells and mythology . energy explorers edit energy explorers cosi s newest permanent exhibit opened in summer 2013 allows visitors to choose an avatar computing character that follows the guest to the home zone transportation zone and product zone of a town making decisions via computer kiosks to balance energy efficiency and cost . space edit the space exhibit area features a replica space station pod to tour a recreation of john glenn s friendship 7 spacecraft from the mercury atlas 6 remote operated vehicles balance tests and other hands on experiments that deal with space flight trajectory gravitational pull and simulated rover landings . space was originally located on level 2 in its own enclosed atrium exhibit area entered via a black hole spinning funhouse hallway meant to disorient guests . the exhibit itself like ocean or adventure was in a dark immersive themed area stylized after the 1969 moon landing of apollo 11 . under starry skies guests interacted with retro stylized monitors and exhibits with a matching wood panel brushed metal motif that was reminiscent of the era and united in style . the exhibit even included a 1960s living room including shag carpeting where guests could watch the recorded landing . when the south end of cosi s building was closed due to lost levies in 2004 the space exhibit was cut off . as such it was relocated from level 2 to an empty gallery on level 1 . in 2012 that area underwent construction to become energy explorers necessitating yet another location switch . some of the space exhibit s displays moved to the mezzanine level while much remained in storage . with the re opening of cosi s planetarium in november 2014 the location of space on the mezzanine leading toward the planetarium s lobby was reinforced by the return and refurbishment of the rest of space s exhibits . however space still remains the only one of cosi s seven learning worlds to not have its own dedicated theatrical immersive atrium instead being located on the bright mezzanine bridge open to the atrium and entryway . the original home of space is now gallery 3 available for traveling exhibits and special event rentals . gallery 3 still contains the galaxy theater fittingly still painted with murals of planets and stars leftover from its time as a live theater for space . progress edit the progress exhibit modeled after the streets of yesteryear exhibit at cosi s original location traces the hopes and fears of a small town called progress in 1898 just as electricity horseless carriages and canned food become available . the recreated town specifically the shops homes and restaurants at the corner of hope street and fear street includes a telegraph office livery stable grocer apothecary and clothiers . after visitors walk through progress in 1898 they turn the corner enter the same intersection of the same town 64 years later in 1962 where a new set of hopes and fears have arisen . in 1962 the town of progress includes an appliance store working tv studio radio station where the telegraph office was department store diner and gas station replacing the livery . at the exit the exhibit challenges guests to consider how the streets of the village of progress might look today and to question why the concept of progress deserves as much weight in scientific study as that of oceans space or energy . gadgets edit the gadgets exhibit area contains many classic science museum hands on experiments such as pulleys wind tunnels plasmaglobes magnets light bulbs engines and counterweights . as well gadgets contains the gadgets caf where families are seated and given a menu with quick science experiments to choose from . a take apart menu allows visitors to disassemble donated phones computers clocks and other electronic devices . life edit life explores humanity through three separate areas dedicated to mind body and spirit . the mind area contains optical illusions physical illusions an anechoic chamber and a posable zoetrope . spirit discusses the concept of birth and death and how human cultures understand them . body features interactive health stations where visitors can record their weight flexibility and heart rate then compare their statistics to that of cosi visitors and national averages . life also contains the labs in life three working medical research pods staffed by osu health & medicine students and staff . adventure edit adventure is an interactive exhibit wherein guests are cast as new recruits in a mysterious 1930s club called the explorers society . in a live welcome ceremony overseen by an explorers society member guests are welcomed to the mysterious valley of the unknown a lost tropical island under perpetual night skies and tasked to find a way into the locked two story stone observatory of knowledge at the center of the island . guests are given a map of the valley and challenged to awaken four ancient stone statues who guard the treasure of knowledge . the spirits of question reason inspiration and perseverance each hold one piece of the four part code needed to unlock the observatory and only by engaging in activities that test each spirit s trait can visitors successfully awaken the statue and gain their piece . the island contains a well of questions maze of reason temple of inspiration and cavern of perseverance with one region belonging to each spirit with the stone observatory in the center . after unlocking the observatory and successfully gaining the treasure of knowledge a second level of adventure becomes achievable . this adventure level two challenge requires the decoding of three dissimilar languages to re awaken the spirits and locate a lost vault somewhere on the island . level two takes between fifteen and twenty hours of work to complete making it the only interactive immersive exhibit of its kind in the world . as part of a partnership with the city of columbus and the american museum of natural history amnh in new york city cosi will construct a dinosaur exhibition gallery to open fall 2017 and a dedicated amnh traveling exhibition gallery to open spring 2018 occupying 22 000 square feet of the facility replacing adventure . 8 to make space for the galleries the adventure exhibition will close permanently on january 2 2017 . 9 other features edit the building also contains an interactive little kidspace area designed for children up through first grade the national geographic giant screen theater the largest digital screen in ohio an outdoor big science park and exhibit spaces maintained by wosu cosi and the columbus historical society . on november 22 2014 cosi opened its 60 foot diameter 220 seat planetarium ohio s largest with all new digital projection . the building also includes three large galleries for traveling exhibits and special event hosting a dive theater in ocean the galaxy theater in gallery 3 its name a remnant of when gallery 3 was once the space exhibit the gadgets stage the atomic cafe the science2go retail store and five meeting rooms utilizing refurbished areas within the former central high school which the new cosi location was built around . history edit cosi s holiday science of the season celebration annually from the day before thanksgiving to new year s eve . cosi opened on march 29 1964 as a venture of the franklin county historical society . cosi is a founding member of the science museum exhibit collaborative smec and a long standing member of the association of science technology centers astc . from its 1964