The Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) has partnered with Center of Science and Industry (COSI) on Wheels, COSI’s educational outreach program, to expand the program to meet the growing needs of the community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COSI on Wheels: Curbside experience brings science learning opportunities to Columbus City School locations, neighborhood parks, libraries and other community locations. To help bridge the digital divide, COSI and COTA are hosting nine COSI on Wheels events at five Columbus City School locations, which began Aug. 6, and will continue every Tuesday and Thursday through early September.
At each midday event, COSI will deliver its Wi-Fi enabled COSI Connects mobile unit and COTA will provide an amplified Wi-Fi enabled transit vehicle, to create a free hotspot location. Students and families will have the ability to download the new free COSI Connects app and download STEM content to their mobile devices for offline use later at home. To ensure social distancing, students will be able to download the content if they are standing within 100 feet of the vehicles. The goal is for students to take these STEM lessons home and prepare for the upcoming school year, which will begin for the first time in a virtual learning environment.
Each event will also feature a COSI science demonstration and coincides with the Columbus City Schools breakfast and lunch distribution program. Students will receive free meals and a science lesson in a matter of minutes.
“COSI is proud to partner with COTA, Columbus City Schools and our other partners to provide STEM education to our community by leveraging our digital platform, COSI Connects,” said Dr. Frederic Bertley, COSI president and CEO. “It is important to us to be able to offer fantastic resources to keep kids engaged in science education during this pandemic and provide it right in their neighborhoods. We are thankful to the city of Columbus for supporting this incredible community partnership.”
“This is a great example of how creativity and partnerships can grow and thrive in times of great need,” said COTA President/CEO Joanna M. Pinkerton. “As the region’s mobility solutions provider, we are challenged daily to use STEM principles to find ways to ensure everyone has the mobility they need to access basic needs and essential services. COTA is proud to work with dynamic organizations such as COSI and Columbus City Schools to find equitable opportunities for prosperity, especially at an unprecedented time that challenges how our community will support younger generations to use their imaginations. We are glad to reinforce to Columbus students that learning can still happen outside the classroom and hope we can all approach this unique, new school year with an appetite to do the unexpected.”
