The Sarvers: COSI's Dynamic Duo

Meet josh and Melissa sarver

Picture two college-aged Camp COSI Counselors who secretly like each other and (as part of their camp counseling experience) happen to find themselves in a hot air balloon together, tethered but rising, outside COSI’s riverfront doors. The young woman quickly discovers she has a fear of heights. The young man finds this utterly adorable.

Fifteen years later, Josh and Melissa Sarver still work at COSI together. Married in 2005, and now the parents of a twelve-year-old science enthusiast named Nicolas, the Sarvers are COSI’s power couple. Josh is our Senior Director of Experience Design and Production, and Melissa is our Call Center Manager.

From their earliest days with COSI, working Camp-In overnights, they retain their love of being present as the building “wakes up” and comes to life with lights, exhibits turning on, and visitors filing in. They proudly note that through their time staffing Camp-Ins, they have spent about 100 overnights in the COSI building. This is part of why it feels like “home” to them.

"COSI feels like a second home and we care about it that way." - Melissa Sarver

While Melissa is the more outgoing one, Josh has never been shy with his longtime advocacy for COSI’s bringing a science festival to Columbus. It’s been a dream of his for years. And now, not only is a science festival coming, but preparing for its arrival is part of his job every day.

Whether carpooling to work or playing on the COSI Rockets softball team together, Josh notes, “We just want to be together all the time.” And with that mentality, why not add another Sarver into the COSI mix? Last month, the Sarvers came home to find Nicolas proudly donning his COSI T-shirt and volunteer badge after his first day as an official COSI Volunteer.

Nicolas has long been involved at COSI (attending camps, speaking at events, and even carrying a giant mock titanosaur femur bone to help celebrate the opening of our AMNH Dinosaur Gallery last fall), but in his new role as Youth Volunteer he will get the chance to display the Sarver’s hallmark sense of pride in providing outstanding guest service.

And that’s why we love the Sarvers. They are dedicated. They are fun. They are COSI. It’s truly a family affair.

Ten local Mayors join hands-on science at COSI

It's not Surprising That Science Can get messy...

What might surprise you is who was making the mess. Imagine ten Mayors trading their blazers for lab coats as they took to the stage alongside Dr. B and Battelle CEO Lou Von Thaer to help "stir up" excitement for the COSI Science Festival at our May festival announcement.

In addition to Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, the following Mayors joined the fun: Bexley Mayor Ben Kessler, Dublin Mayor Greg Peterson, Gahanna Mayor Tom Kneeland, Grove City Mayor Ike Stage, New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding, Reynoldsburg Mayor Brad McCloud, Upper Arlington Mayor Kip Greenhill, Westerville Mayor Craig Treneff, and Whitehall Mayor Kim Maggard.

Aided by COSI educators, each Mayor turned chemist as they combined dyed water, detergent, and hydrogen peroxide to create "Elephant Toothpaste" and a resulting ribbon of colorful foam spouting high into the air. It was not the Mayors' typical work day, but it was perfect proof that science is for everyone!

It was important to COSI to garner broad participation from public officials across the Columbus region, as the festival aims to capture Columbus' spirit of collaboration and bring communities together in a common celebration of all things science.

After the announcement, the Mayors met with COSI leadership for a roundtable discussion to share ideas for collaboration and for connecting the people of their distinct communities with science. As we increasingly aim to share the COSI experience beyond our walls and into diverse neighborhoods, the festival will be a key part of this outreach, and we hope this roundtable event was merely a springboard for more lasting and impactful partnerships with area suburbs in the future.

"The COSI Science Festival will be a tremendous contribution to our ‘smart’ city, bringing science to all corners of our community, engaging residents on our Scioto Peninsula, and fostering our science literacy." - Mayor Andrew J. Ginther

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