What Makes Us Human: Anthropology Public Outreach at COSI

As anthropologists, we strive to answer questions related to being human. These questions bridge the gap between science and the humanities. They challenge us to think about our origins and our biases, and they ask us to place ourselves in the shoes of people from all around the world. Even though anthropology touches so many aspects of our lives, it is rarely discussed outside the college classroom. One of the goals of the Anthropology Public Outreach Program (APOP), a part of Ohio State's anthropology department, is to rectify this issue by bringing anthropology into communities around Columbus, Ohio, so everyone can explore what it means to be human. APOP offers a collection of anthropology-themed educational experiences on portable carts, which our volunteers facilitate at our community partner, the Center of Science and Industry (COSI). The cart activities cover aspects of comparative morphology, human evolution, archaeology, and cultural anthropology. We aim to engage people from all ages and backgrounds, be they children, students, parents, or teachers. Our activities offer interactive opportunities for participants to engage with different aspects of human diversity, from our remote past to the present in such a way that knowledge can be constructed from individual points of view and life experiences. All activities use self-driven discovery, participation, and hands-on learning as their primary teaching tools with the goal of building understanding of the cultural and biological diversity of our species. APOP's mission is to help broaden people's perspectives of what it means to be human by challenging participants to consider different perspectives on subjects related to human biological and cultural diversity, both in the past and present. Our goals closely intersect with COSI's mission "for those of all ages to discover more about our environment, our accomplishments, our heritage, and ourselves." By working with COSI, we mutually benefit by sharing resources for a collective impact. In addition, our student volunteers gain experience teaching their passion, engaging with the public, and performing a community service. The perceptions individuals have of human diversity and cultural variation play an important role in shaping events on local, regional, national, and international scales in the face of changing social conditions.