Letters from Friends
OSU, COSI forge ahead to envision bold new venture
Alumna Millie Adams recently wrote to Cheryl Achterberg, dean of the College of Education and Human Ecology, and David A. Chesebrough, president and CEO of COSI, to tell them about her experience at Labs in Life @ COSI, a new collaboration between the science museum and Ohio State. It's the first time in the U.S. that real research is being conducted in full sight at a science museum, and EHE faculty are leading the initiative.
Dr. Achterberg and Dr. Chesebrough,
Congratulations on the Labs in Life @ COSI joint venture with The Ohio State University. It is an incredible feat. Since COSI opened in the 1960s, I have admired its creative, top-notch exhibits. However, the depth of Labs in Life pushes the professionalism at COSI to new levels.
On August 20, 2009, I brought two Upper Arlington High School senior varsity soccer players and their head coach, Curt Bixel, to visit the exhibit. One of the players hopes to win a soccer scholarship to college and the other wants to be an engineer. Coach Bixel, who also teaches science, is a leader in including nutrition training with his sports program.
The staff at Labs in Life generously spent nearly two hours with us. Dr. Jackie Buell was particularly generous with her time. She easily bridged the gap among the educational backgrounds of the visitors, impressing us with the thoughtful science of the lab in vocabulary that gripped the imagination of the high school seniors. She also shared OSU's interactive Web site about metabolism and her research on football players with Coach Bixel for use in UAHS science classes and athletic weight room.
My interest in nutrition focuses on helping high school sports teams make a connection between good nutrition and improved sports performance. Labs in Life excites me because it provides a more sophisticated level of understanding that resonates with high school students.
High school sports programs can benefit
High school athletic programs could benefit from coordinating their training regimens with the objective measurements provided by the various factions of Labs in Life. It also improves access for public school programs to the extraordinary resources of the OSU Sports Nutrition program, which Dr. Buell directs. The players and coach were particularly interested in the use of the BOD POD [to measure body fat] and DXA [dual energy X-ray absorptiometry to determine bone density].
The information provided by this lab could help many students to hone their training, refine their dietary intake, and improve their sports performance. For some students, it might provide critical help to improve performance enough to attract college scholarships.
The vision, creativity, and commitment demonstrated by both COSI and OSU to develop this lab are remarkable. In difficult economic times, it would be easy to maintain the status quo. It is amazing to see two major organizations forge ahead to envision bold new ventures. Labs in Life @ COSI demonstrates the high academic profile of The Ohio State University and proves the standing of COSI as "#1 Science Museum in America." Way to make Columbus look good!
Millie Maykuth Adams, '80 MS, Human Nutrition, RD LD
"Eat to Win" Nutrition Program for Athletes
View other letters from our alumni.
Send us a letter! We welcome news from our alumni. Feel free to update us on your latest work, both professional and personal. Send letters to Sean Thompson, Director of Alumni Relations, College of Education and Human Ecology, 185 Arps Hall, 1945 N. High St., Columbus, OH 43210.
© 2009 The Ohio State University - College of Education and Human Ecology. All Rights Reserved.
If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format, contact the webmaster.