At the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, OH, the NISE Network's Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition continues to engage families in Earth and space science. The exhibition has been integrated into COSI's Space Zone, a comprehensive area dedicated to exploring the wonders of space, the innovations of NASA, and the mysteries of our universe. Recently, the museum fabricated a new space exhibit component intentionally designed to be incorporated into the Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition. "Test Your Reaction Time/Improve Your Reaction Time" invites visitors to test how quickly they can react to a visual prompt, and then attempt to improve this reaction time similar to how astronauts would practice in training. With a physical design and graphics that blend beautifully into the original artwork of Sun, Earth, Universe, this new component compliments the original exhibition by seamlessly adding in aspects of human exploration.
Brandon Clayton, Senior Director of Exhibit Experiences at COSI says he would be happy to chat with anyone interested in creating this component or something similar. If interested, please reach out to Christina Leavell, NISE Network Community Manager for an introduction.
A huge thank you to the team at COSI for their dedication to engaging communities in topics of Earth and space science, inspiring the next generation in space exploration, and for this wonderful expansion to the Sun, Earth, Universe exhibition!
Here is the language that appears on the graphics in the photos above:
Test Your Reaction Time
Astronauts work on their reaction time when training for spaceflight.
Test your own visual reaction time!
When the button lights up, your eyes will detect the light and send a message to your brain. Your brain interprets that message and sends a message to your hand to press the button. Your reaction time is the time from when the button first lights up to when you respond to it. That all usually happens in less than a second!
Try It Yourself
Press the button to start. When the button lights up again, press it as fast as you can. The numbers will show your reaction time.
The average human reaction time is between 150 and 500 milliseconds.
What’s yours?
Improve Your Reaction Time
Astronauts spend many hours working on their reaction time. With practice, they can improve. They can also practice their reaction time under different conditions. Noise, sleepiness, and stress can all impact reaction time.
Can you improve your own reaction time?
This test is a little harder. You'll have to decide whether or not to press the button based on the color. Does your reaction time change?
Try It Yourself
Press the start button to begin. When one of the buttons lights up green, press it as fast as you can. When a button lights up orange, do not press it! You have 30 seconds. Your score is your correct answers minus your wrong answers. Try to get as few wrong answers as possible.