Talk of the County Podcast | Exploring COSI with Dr. Frederic Bertley

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:00:14

We are here for Talk Of The County. I'm Kenneth Wilson, County Administrator. We are, very excited, to be able to, have a conversation, with, Dr. Frederic Berley, who's better known as Dr. B. This guy here, I've had the opportunity to know him, during his tenure here at COSI. He's truly a a gem in this community. We are very, fortunate to have, attracted him to the best county in America, Franklin County. But let's talk about, This, museum, you've been here since 2017, and and my time flies. This is one of the, best known science museums in America.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:01:12

We're sitting right now in the American Museum of Natural History. Mhmm. Feels like, you know, I'm in the remnants of, post Jurassic Park. But let's, let's talk about the The, museum itself and how, you've been able to, Amplify, the impact of the museum on, children, families, And even globally.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:01:46

You got it. Well, well, first of all, county administrator Wilson, thank you so much for having me on your podcast. It's an honor to serve for your county, and it's an honor that you picked me with the other esteemed guests you've had in the podcast. So thank you for having me. Secondly, I wanna talk real quick about, You mentioned the best county in the country, Franklin County. I actually came here from Philadelphia working at the Franklin Institute, And I moved now to Franklin County, so I think I'm getting it right from going from great Benjamin Franklin to now Franklin County. But, yeah, you we're at COSI, the center of science and industry. I've been here since 17.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:02:21

And as you mentioned, we're in the American Museum of Natural History Gallery, which we have a partnership with that Great institution. They're the number one natural history museum in the world. We are the number one natural we are the number one science museum in this country, so it's great that we have this partnership where we can have this incredible exhibition, 2 exhibitions. One's the dinosaur galley where we're sitting, And it's just as I get older, it always feels good to be next to really old fossils, so I don't feel that old. But then we also have a separate gallery where we bring travel and content from that great institution. But to your question, you know, one of the important things for myself on the board and the team when I came here was We know that science is everywhere. I mean, if you think about it, if you close your eyes or if you wake up tomorrow morning, see if you can get throughout the entire day Without specifically being impacted by science and technology, it's almost impossible. You know, the food we eat is genetically modified.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:03:16

I'm not judging it. The clothes you wear, that beautiful suit you're wearing, Material scientists and engineers have spent 1,000,000 trying to figure out how to make it stain resistant, how we communicate through cell phones and computers, the medicines that heal all loved ones. I mean, it's all around us all the time. And so one of the important things for COSI and me was to make sure Everybody had an opportunity to access this thing called science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. And so moving to a new county, Franklin County, the best county in the country. We wanted to make sure that all the citizens of Franklin County had a chance to participate in COSI, whether they're coming here or experiencing programs that we're taking out to the community. So that's really our strategy to make science Accessible to everyone. We like to say where they live, learn, and lounge.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:04:05

That's that's that's a a excellent, point. Inclusion is, a hallmark, principal of the Frank County Board of Commissioners, and and we work Every day, to try to provide opportunities for every resident to, as we say, not just Survive but thrive.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:04:28

Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:04:28

And, being in a, a position to influence, Public policy, decisions, we're fortunate to have partnerships, because policy alone without partners, is not, effective way to Be able to be truly impactful. Mhmm. And speaking of partnerships, we've, Partnered with you all on a very, exciting, program That, started out very small

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:05:10

Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:05:11

And it's really grown. Let's talk a little bit about STEM Lunchbox Program, the Learning Lunchbox.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:05:19

Sure. Absolutely. And and I'm gonna get to that. But but before we even talk about that, because that was funded While you all graciously at when the pandemic was on, I wanna make sure your listeners understand that you all, Franklin County, have been supporting COSI Forever, including moving from our old, location on Broad Street, which was across across the street from the very first Wendy's of this nation. Then we moved here on the peninsula, what we call the people's peninsula right here in Frankleton. You all were instrumental in that, and you've been funding us consistently for different programs. But the the piece you're mentioning, which really you know, it does warm my heart because the pandemic was a challenge for all of us. And as an institution that's based on that are the lion's share of our budget is based on ticket sales.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:06:04

The minute we're closed, We can't sell tickets. We can't sell tickets. We can't bring in revenue. And so we had all these ideas of what to do, and so I challenged the team to say, look. We're closed. People can't come to COSI, but we know, especially during the pandemic, which didn't cause the education gap, started to exacerbate the education gap, Especially for the underserved ZIP codes. And then when you look at the science and engineering spaces, even broader. We said, you know what? People can't come to COSI because we're closed.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:06:31

We're gonna put cosign a box and get it to people, to kiddos, especially, and then especially those in underserved ZIP codes that are even more challenged. And, we were excited about that. And so we created a team. We had this whole concept, but these are boxes. These are physical entities with 5 hands on activities. You can imagine, like, there's a cost to it. Right? There's a beautiful student guide that's really well curated by our design team. There's QR codes.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:06:56

There's video, But there's a physical cost to producing that, and you all at the Franklin County, and the 3 commissioners under your leadership We're the 1st to fund us in this program during the pandemic. And as you said, it started off small, but we have now delivered over 300,000 of these kits Locally, reasonably, nationally, and internationally, and specifically, just shy of a100000 under you all, about about, 3 quarters of a100000, almost 75,000 Specifically funded by you all to kiddos and families right here in Franklin County.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:07:30

Yeah. I'm a big fan of Looking at, opportunities to, be innovative, to, try something that, Hasn't been attempted before.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:07:44

Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:07:44

And this is a perfect example of a pilot project Mhmm. That, quote, unquote, Took off, and and it's been soaring. And they have partners, such as NASA, I couldn't have imagined, I've When you all presented this ideal, to me.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:08:02

Yeah. And and it's funny why

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:08:04

you've been to every I mean, it's just a it's amazing how Well

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:08:07

and and it's funny you say partners like NASA. So we have NASA. We have Honda. We have, Virgin Hyperloop. We have the the, you know, the EPA, and we have all these partners that are supporting different kinds of kits. And I know I think we're gonna talk about the zoo later. That's great, but They all came after you all. You know, they saw the the risk or chance you all took to say, hey.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:08:30

Let's fund this place called COSI. We love COSI, but let's fund them during the pandemic To take these kits, and what's really important about the kits along with it being almost like a Christmas gift for the kiddos, when you see the kids' faces, when they get the box in their hand and they open it, It is like Christmas Day for them. They're so excited. But the other really important thing and the genius of you all supporting it is When people come to COSI, they have a great time. That's fantastic. You see the kiddos running around. You see the adults running around. You see the families.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:08:56

They're having a great time here. But sometimes they think, oh, well, I had a great time because I was at cosign. I was able to do some science because I was at cosign, but then I go back to my home or my neighborhood And, okay, maybe science is not ready for me. By having that box in their house, by having that box in their front porch, in the park, In their community center where they are actually spending the lion's share of their time, they're starting to really believe that science is actually for them. It was not a one off Field trip to this place called Kosa, but then you go back to the rest of your life. So, again, the the you know, you all having that vision to see why it's important To get that science stuff in the box and get it to people in Franklin County, just can appreciate that more. Yeah.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:09:41

I mean, it's It's been it's been amazing. You know, I opened it as to state that you you're best known as Doctor b. It's almost like, you've you've created a a another personality, and what I and, like, animated personality, which, you know, the real doctor b is cool in person, but the animated doctor To be, kids can relate, because you put things in in terms that kids could understand. During a period of time when People knew so little and didn't understand, this virus called COVID nineteen. Some of those, Explanations you were able to put together using animation, and we're at a time where everything was So serious, and people were really afraid.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:10:37

Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:10:37

It was a way for them to understand how a virus, creates variance.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:10:44

Mhmm. Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:10:45

And and so they didn't understand that, oh, this is something. The world's gonna end. We're never gonna defeat it. And you broke it down that We've had colds and flus. This is just something different. Yeah. And and you you've been you know, we we at Franklin County, as you say, During my entire tenure, as a part of our administration, we wanted to work with COSI, Work with the zoo. Work with Franklin Park Conservatory.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:11:13

Mhmm. Work with all of our arts and cultural, in educational, institutions to be able to invest, to ensure that there is inclusion and opportunity for all of our youth, to be exposed to things that they may not otherwise even dream of.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:11:38

Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:11:40

In many communities, The library provides that. But here in Franklin County, we've been luckily, able to make investments That we made that much broader Mhmm. What we've been able to expose our youth and families to, even those that are, that are would be traditionally Viewed as underserved. Mhmm.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:12:02

Well, I mean, I appreciate that point. And and what's really nice about how you all think about it by your actions is Not only do you fund us and and, you know, the the the botanical gardens, you know, the conservatory and the art museum and the zoo, which is great, But you also support us partnering with them. So you talked about the zoo. You know, you talked about the learning lunchbox and our kits. The most recent one we made is on zoos and zoology so kiddos can understand the whole arc of zoos and zoology, animal husbandry, conservation for the planet. And you all funded us and the zoo to actually work together. And so not only do you fund these wonderful Programs across Franklin County, across a whole sec series of sectors, but you also promote support us collaborating, which is really important because You talked about that cultural sector. We win as a community if every kiddo, every adult, every citizen has access to the Spread and continuum of stuff.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:13:06

It's not just good that they access the art museum or it's not just good that they access the zoo or that they just access COSI, But as you said, that the whole kind of cultural ecosystem that that's part of their experience is critical to helping them be the best humans that they can be. So, Again, kudos to you all.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:13:23

Yeah. Public private partnerships are, one thing that, makes this community, run. And we're able to, punch above our weight class and and be able to do things that People say, wow. Columbus, Ohio is doing that. Columbus, Ohio is the only, place that's Host in both a men's and women's NCAA tournament game at the same time. You know, we we're not necessarily, you know, known for professional sports, but, you can have a day where you can have the Columbus crew. Shout out to the crew, MLS champions. Twice.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:14:06

Three times.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:14:06

Three times. That's right. Three times.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:14:08

Three times. Three times. They got 3 stars Now on the on the logo, in our beloved, Columbus Clippers, which this is a community gym, and the Blue Jackets are all there in a area that, you never would have imagined that you would have. That'd be a hub for entertainment, sports, and action. Mhmm.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:14:35

You got well, I have a funny Blue Jacket story. Can I share my blue dash for a few Hey? Just We all So so I'm from, you know this, but for your listeners, I'm from Montreal, Canada. So if you're born and raised in Montreal, Canada, just like if you're from the state of Ohio, you support the Ohio State Buckeyes. If you're from Montreal, Canada, you support the Montreal Canadiens, The winningest hockey team in the history of the NHL. And I accepted the position here at COSI in in August of 2016, And then but I was embargoed, and then I came in November for the announcement here in Columbus. And the day I came for the announcement in Columbus Was the day after your blue jackets, which are now my blue jackets, beat my Montreal Canadians 10 to 0, The worst whooping Wow. They've had in the history of the organization. Wow.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:15:25

So that converted me. I'm I'm not a Blue Jackets fan. Although every now and then, I'll I'll print my Montreal Canadiens jersey underneath the the CBJ jersey Yes.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:15:33

Hey. Hey.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:15:34

Hey. To my DNA clean.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:15:35

You got yeah. Hey. I I'm, I'm a, You know, we we serve on many boards together. I I served a tenure on the sports commission. That's right. And it was always, A a well known fact that, Ken Wilson is a is a a Michigan State University Spartan, and I can't I can't run I can't run.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:15:58

I see the green kerchief in your pocket.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:16:00

Yes. I I bleed green, literally.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:16:03

Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:16:04

I'm a Ferdinand and Ohio University bobcat, so that that kinda gives you most places. Yeah. And then none of us like That that school that, wears maize and blue. Although they are they are national champion on it. We gotta we gotta we gotta live with that until We do something about it on the football field till the Buckeyes get another crack at them. Yep. Fair enough. Until they come to the horseshoe.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:16:28

It's a long wait, though.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:16:30

Fair enough. Be a

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:16:31

long wait. But let's get back to talk of the county. This is and, but the promo suggested when I rolled this out, we were gonna talk about everything. So Digressing is something that's gonna become with the territory. Yeah. Yeah. Let's talk about, you know, your Emmy your Emmys. Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:16:52

Your Golden Globes of of, and and such. You know, being a dynamic president, CEO of a of an art museum, but you seem to work you've been able to work in, being doctor b. Yeah. Well, I'm gonna get

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:17:07

to that, but it's funny you talked about digressing. One of the hallmarks of COSI, as I mentioned earlier, is we know, not believe, we know That science is everywhere and for everyone. And so we think creatively of how can we access people who might not be interested in science. So we're talking about sports, But I wanna make sure your listeners know because, again, you know this. We have a robust partnership with both Columbus Blue Jackets and the crew. And the next time you go to see a Columbus Blue Jackets game at Nationwide Arena, there's a massive space about as big as this room That's called the COSI CBJ fan zone, and it's all about the science of sports. Why is that important? Because a lot you know, people love 2 things across the planet, sports and food. You may not be you may not even be an athlete, but you probably watch some kind of sport.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:17:57

Yeah. And we all like to eat regardless of what our our interests are. Right? So you can connect to people Through sports that might not stick through to science, but when you make the science come alive. So we have a partnership there. And similarly with the crew, we're building a robust partnership with everything from videos to Science of soccer or science of hockey to hands on activities that show the science. So so we digress, but there was a little bit of intent there. So so thanks for that. Now in terms of the Emmys, That's really interesting.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:18:23

So we have 2, what we call, creative media products. A TV show called QED with doctor b, that's a partnership with PBS WOC affiliate, that's a 30 minute prime time television show. They have me go around the country interviewing scientists on a bunch of different topics. And the premise of that is, you know, there's a lot of science shows out there, but one of the thing that COSI and our team does really well is it takes science, sometimes difficult concepts, And sometimes the scientists or engineers who are using a vocabulary that's really complicated, big fancy words, and we at COSI and our education science team, We're really good at breaking it down, not making you feel little or small, but getting you to understand it. So that's a TV show. The other piece is an animated series that you alluded to earlier. It's called doctor b in 3. And that was really about, And I love how you framed up the the piece we did on variants and COVID.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:19:17

And we've done stuff on genetically modified organisms, why we travel to space, climate science, Artificial intelligence, you know, diversity included. We've done a whole series in the in these these 3 minute animated, videos. But the reason why we did animation and the reason why we did 3 minutes is people are busy. People gotta get Today on, they gotta go to work. Kids gotta go to school. In a in a you don't always have the luxury of watching an hour and a half documentary on something. We know people like Soundbytes. TikTok has proved that.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:19:47

So while we're not as short as 5 or 7 seconds, these are 3 minute videos. But in 3 minutes, we literally can unpack what seemingly could be a complicated science or engineering concept and get you to understand it, get you to feel good, and keep it moving. And the reason why we animate it is, 1, the animated doctor b is way cooler, as you said, than the real doctor So instead of filming me, my team, because they're so creative, they came out it's called a puppet. The animated character, they call it a puppet. My team came up with a puppet, And that's what we do. And and so kids like it, but it's important to understand, doctor being 3, adults like it as well. Now to your point about the Emmys, We won 3 Emmy's for these products, 3 for the TV show and 3 for the animated series. And the reason why I'm most proud about that And because the Emmys, which is the highest award in television, round the world, period, they have decided That science communication is important, and whoever's doing it well, we're gonna recognize it.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:20:49

So, yeah, it's fun that we have some trophies up on the wall there, in another part of the building. But more than that, I'm just proud that the Emmys are recognizing. You know, we're coming out of this pandemic People are scrambling for science information. They didn't know where to go. You Google. You get a massive information. How do you know what's right and not so what's right? And finally, you know, we love basketball. We love Football, we love television.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:21:10

We love acting. We love sports. We love entertainment, but it's nice that the Emmy said, you know what? We wanna shine a light on on this science stuff because that's important too. So we're really proud about that.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:21:19

Science science is, you know, just a a cool thing, and, many people don't really realize that Scientists could end up on red carpets. That is

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:21:32

you know, that it's it's it's so hard you say that.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:21:35

Or or or Scientists could have personality and have swagger and and and be cool.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:21:42

Well, I don't know if he's talking about me, ladies and gentlemen, but if but if I'm part of that science group, the scientist group you're talking about, I'll take it. But but it's funny you say that. Right? If you ask anybody, if you leave this building and the next 100 people you ask, you know, name name me your favorite your favorite singer songwriter, Dancer or athlete. Boom. Boom. Boom. You get answers instantly. And, again, I'm a huge sports fan.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:22:04

I like Beyonce. I like Jay z and Beyonce All the way to Ceylan Dion. So I like singers and dancers too. I'm not poo pooing on entertainment. But everybody can name an actor, actress, an athlete. But if you ask the majority of people out there, name me a scientist, they struggle. They scratch their head. Then you almost always get Albert Einstein.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:22:27

And then if you say, okay. Name me a female scientist, then they scratch your head again, and then you get Marie Curie. And, you know, and then if it's Black History Month, which is coming up, and you say name inside, bingo.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:22:38

There you go. Say it to me. George Washington Carver.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:22:40

There you go. Right? George Washington Carver. Now Einstein, brilliant. Marie Curie, brilliant. George Washington Carver, brilliant. Amazing people. But they have 1 thing in common, they're all dead. And if you're Trying to to motivate and excite that next generation of scientists, engineers, you wanna have them relate to people who are living with them.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:22:57

Right? I mean, People who are into basketball are talking about LeBron James, maybe a little bit more Jordan, but they're they're barely talking about those folks who who passed right before us. And so when you push the crowd to ask for a living scientist, then they really scratch their head, they're stuck, and you might get Neil deGrasse Tyson or Bill Nye the science guy. And that's it. Like, 5 people Yes, sir. Around the world. That's all we know. So to your point, the fact that now on the red carpet, got Neil deGrasse Tyson rolling through there for different events, Bill Nye the Science Guy. And now that this entertainment field is starting to see the value in celebrating the men and women who dedicate their lives to fighting diseases, to helping our communications, to, you know, healing the planet, all these good things.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:23:41

It's nice that we're finally getting That red carpet attention. There's science and everything. And you're right. It it this would

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:23:47

be an, another talk of the county episode just to talk about, African American History Month coming up. And when you do think about scientists, Everyone knows a little bit about George Washington Carver, and my he had so many patents. Absolutely. So many things.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:24:09

Just call them

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:24:09

Beyond peanut butter.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:24:11

Thank you very much.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:24:11

Peanut butter. He does so much beyond peanut

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:24:14

butter. But that's Jiffy. Yeah. It's gonna be.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:24:17

Yeah. I mean, it is Just it's just wild. Yeah. Keeping and and and lead me to my next question. Keeping, COSI relevant. Keeping COSI, a place where, kids who run a lot of households say, hey. I wanna go downtown to go to case cosign. Mhmm.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:24:38

So I can see the barbie museum. Hey. I wanna see the marble, comics museum. Hey. I'm Black Panther. I'm going down here. Check this out. How does how do you come up with all of these ideas to to, make COSI Relevant to make close eye fresh.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:24:55

Join you know, coming in, I saw the Barbie banners, you know, for the Barbie, exhibit that just, That just left. And please, no Ken jokes.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:25:05

Please, no Ken jokes. Hey. You gotta ride away when it's there.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:25:09

I'm so glad.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:25:10

So, no, that's Ken Wilson.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:25:12

So glad that barbie

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:25:13

You know you liked the music when you got a few shots of you in the barbie exhibit. Right? I know you did.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:25:18

I did not, man.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:25:20

But no. That that's a great question. So couple of things. One, we're a big building. We're about 320,000 square feet, about a 190 A square feet open to the public of all kind of exhibits and experiences. We know that if you come into COSI, whatever your age, we talk about from the womb To the tomb, we got something for you. A lot of people think we're a kid's museum. We're a human being museum because science is for all of us of all ages.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:25:45

So we have a lot of stuff here. But when you wanna attract people and to come back over and over, you gotta bring some fresh creative content to your point. We have a series of exhibitions that are called traveling exhibits. And so Marvel, you mentioned 1. King Tut was another one. Barbie is another one, etcetera. And the next one we're opening in early March, Titanic is another one. When you bring these big known topics They get people excited.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:26:10

They're like, you know what? I went to. I saw dinosaurs about a year or 2 years ago, but I have not seen a Barbie exhibit. Let me check that out. Or like you said, I'm at the Black Panther Or all the Marvel characters, Captain America, well, I'm I'm gonna come to that. So it's a great way of refreshing the content in our institution so that we can keep bringing back The people who've seen it and then attract new people who probably thought, that's not for me. So for instance, you might be into comics. You probably never really thought you were into science. Maybe you did, maybe you didn't.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:26:38

If you got the marble exhibition at, you're gonna come and see that. But what do you do after you finish that last gallery in the marble exhibit? You walk around the rest of the museum, and so you start seeing other stuff. Same thing like Barbie. You know, you got all these kids, adults, and and then and then girls in general We're coming through outside it, but then they would leave the exhibition, and they would be in the dinosaur gallery. They'd be somewhere else, and they'd continue to enrich their their experience. So that's why we try to be and we have a great team here. It's called our exhibit team that goes around and shops these exhibits all around the world. So if you think king Tut, That was actually created by a German group even though it's an Egyptian exhibition.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:27:13

Marvel was created by 3 different companies, from around the world. 3 different countries got together. Barbie exhibit that was created here in the US, but there's different companies that produce these products, and we shop and see what what's the best, coolest, most fun content we can get.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:27:28

Yep. You and I can, just got a team doing that. Let's talk a little bit about COSI after dark. That's another, way that people can see science Differently after hours of doubt only.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:27:48

Yeah. I mean, that's so so the premise there is, you know, how do we get That 21 to 30 35 hip crew hip crowd into a place like Cosine. Right? And they were like, okay. We're gonna come up with this after dark program. We're gonna have alcohol. Beer, wine, full bar always helps to get the young adults in there.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:28:10

Right? Yeah. Yeah.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:28:11

But It was a way of getting them to get their fun on, get their science on, run around the museum, enjoy stuff without bumping into kids or Or or or trying to displace kids from the south. Right? Mhmm. And so it started off, how does a museum like ours get that crowd? Because normally, we're good with kids, we're good with families, and we're good with the much older Audience, how do we get that? And so we had a huge success. And then we realized that, wait a minute, 21 to 35, we had people who were Almost 40 who wanted to come, so we went 21 to 40. They were like, we have people in their forties who want to come. No. We had people fifties. So now it's just 21 plus.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:28:45

Because people of all ages and the last one we had 2 thirds days ago, we had over 2,000 people here. Over 2,000 people here from 7 to 10 PM Learning about science, learning about a topic. We have different themes each month. Learning about those themes. We have music, a DJ, as I said, so some some great food and and even better beverages. And they it's really funny because You can tell they really like being in a science museum, but now it's cool because you're with other adults. Right. And it's not like, you know, you your little niece and nephew Pretending like the exhibit's not for you, but it's really for you.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:29:20

So it's been a huge success to increase cosign to a wider audience.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:29:24

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You got you know, every you You have a spouse that, is, kind of a closet geek, and they really love science, but How to how when is the appropriate time to have them come and not bump into, the little kiddos? Because we don't bump into the kiddos. We need the kiddos to have a space. Mhmm. And you you have such cool concepts. This talk of the county Should be a promo for.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:29:53

They're cool things you can do so. You know, you all just I think you all just recently or is coming up, The science behind body art. But that's the

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:30:04

one that's the one that that's the one that was 2 Thursdays ago. Yeah.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:30:07

Tatted up. You could leave here With a with a with a with a tattoo on your face like Mike, but Tyson, but you might can wipe it off after it's over. Because I think I read the fine print.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:30:17

That's right.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:30:17

Get any permanent ink When you yeah. But

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:30:19

That's right. But you made a lot of connections, and a lot of tattoo artists were here. So if you did wanna get a tattoo, you got their card and their information, and you're able to follow-up with them. But, yeah, that was called, we call that 1 body modification. So everything from tattoos to designs tattoos. To piercings, etcetera.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:30:36

The whole gamut. Yeah. Scared of piercings. Yeah. I got the phone.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:30:40

We we didn't have piercing guns

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:30:42

giving you a I got a phone. A Couple

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:30:44

of earrings or or belly button. Yeah. We didn't we didn't have that for Pierce. Pierce. We're just really talking actually, what was interesting is it wasn't just about kind of The art itself, but really showcasing the history, where did this come from, the different cultures that are into this. Because, you know, that's not just thing, across the globe, people have been, you know, putting tattoos and all kinds of important symbolic, messaging on their skin and whatnot. So it was very interesting. We had about, Think about 24 100 people at our peak.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:31:10

Wow. That's quite a turnout. Yeah. Quite a turnout. I knew it. It seemed very interesting, and then we talked about You, you broke down the science of alcoholic spirits And and and then it takes science to create Mhmm. Bourbon. Yep.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:31:30

Yep. Take science to create Yeah. You know, you all you know, you have a very, important job. You you bring in thousands of guests here Every day. It leads me to a fun question because we have a little fun on top of the county. We find out things about, our dynamic leaders here that they may not, people would know anyway. Is your beverage of choice lemonade, beer, bourbon, or Chardonnay? Which

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:32:07

Oh, man. For sure. For sure.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:32:09

So, a When you're kicking back, of course, and, you know, adult in moderation such

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:32:15

Moderation is the key. So one, I'm a very social person, so I'm a little chamelec, you know. If if I'm with people who are, you know, mini sommeliers or they really love their wine, I can pick a wine that that I really like. If I'm if I'm hanging with some folks who, I'm more on the the brown beverage side. If it's in the Caribbean, it might go rough. If it's in the US, it might go whiskey and bourbon. If it's international, I might pick single malt scotch. So but my all time favorite, adult beverage is a single malt scotch.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:32:49

But being a scientist, and and I by the way, I'll for for, full transparency, I started drinking alcohol late in life. So I never did that call. We didn't grow up in a house with alcohol, so we didn't have alcohol around. So as I became an adult, I never drank. All through college, I was forever the designated driver because I never drank The 2nd degree. I only started drinking after 30 years old. And so the good news is, there's a lot of catching up to do. Yeah.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:33:15

The good news is my my kidney and liver are are clean spots.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:33:18

Good shit.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:33:19

But when I started to to think about beverages, You know, being a scientist, I got into exactly what you said, the science of fermentation, and not just fermenting, but mixology. Like, how do you make a good cocktail? Know, why does that cosmopolitan taste good? Why does that Sazerac taste good? And so I really got into the science and chemistry of alcohol and started playing around making my own My own bitters, making my own flavors, my infusions, etcetera. So, you know, depending on the crowd, I can basically find something I really like. But if you ask me, Frederick, I'm bringing you a bottle to keep on your shelf for a few years.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:33:54

Single malt

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:33:55

scotch. Single malt scotch. I heard

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:33:56

it here. Single malt scotch. And And because you started drinking later in life after you had finished your, you know, your educational endeavors and on your way to career, You were a a more selective drinker, so you avoided to drink anything you

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:34:15

would like

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:34:16

that many, you used to go through.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:34:20

It's funny you said that. I had

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:34:22

jungle juice. You've, doctor beating that

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:34:24

in a jungle juice. It's funny you say that because, you know, I mean, I must have had a hangover maybe once or twice in my life, you know, over the last 20 years or so. But I've never had that you know, how people talk about, oh my gosh. The hanger was up. Because I started drinking older when I was a professional. I have income, so it's buying, not necessarily always top shelf stuff, but buying better stuff. And the reason why that's important is the stuff that's cheap is not cheap by accident. It's cheap because it's made faster, quicker without all the extra distillation, without all the extra filtering processes.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:34:59

So a lot of the impurities And chemicals don't get filtered out, and that's why you feel like crap the next morning. Right? And so so you're right. So I've had the, the privilege to

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:35:10

be a

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:35:10

a little bit, soft, I guess. Yeah. That was a wild ass.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:35:14

Maybe you should add that. You should do a 33 minute doctor b episode on why quality matters in when you're drinking. It it it it it it does. You might not be sick

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:35:26

if you drink

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:35:27

It's true. Better stuff and less of it.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:35:29

Yep. Yep.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:35:30

You heard that here. Drink better stuff

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:35:32

And less of it.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:35:33

Of it. Yep. That's the that's the word for 2024. Drink better stuff and less of it. Mhmm. See what you get from top of the county. You get tips on all kinds of things. Interviewees like doctor b.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:35:46

Let's get back to

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:35:47

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. I can't let you off the hook. You can't I know this is your show and you're running it, but you can't ask me my Favorite beverage without sharing what your favorite beverage is for for the county to know what its leader likes

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:35:58

to sip on? In my, free adult time, which you don't get a lot enough of probably because I haven't become a master of understanding the art of work life balance. But when I do kick back, I'm a A bourbon thing.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:36:19

Okay.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:36:19

I'd I'd be I over time. Yes. You know, when you when you, my age, you've Going through many different trends of drinks. Mhmm. You know? That trendy thing.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:36:33

Sure. Whatever.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:36:34

You know, the cool

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:36:35

Hennessy, the Coasis

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:36:36

All of that, you know, the the, you know, grapes only, no other fruit. You know, the brand The brandies or whatever you thought was a cool drink, other day. You know? The Grey Goose Vodka's,

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:36:50

you know,

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:36:50

all of that all of that stuff. We you know, it's marketing, folks. It's marketing.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:36:55

Fair enough.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:36:56

That that that leads us to our decisions. And then as you say, when you have When college students don't have any money Mhmm. They drink bottom shelf. They drink bottom shelf. They you own any college campus in America and you see bottom shelf drinks of different sorts or or those that go to places, on Spring break. Yes. A smorgasbord of lower quality liquors and The Cancuns of the world when college students are enjoying themselves. So I I would say right now, I'm I'm a I'm a bourbon guy.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:37:35

Okay. That is, my my drink of choice. Okay. And okay. Beach and mountains. Beach. I'm beach as well. And that's coming from you.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:37:49

You, get to travel quite a bit Internationally in your role here, as CEO of COSI, we got a wrap up here. I've I've got to sign, because we could talk at least an hour and still have many left because there's so many exciting things going on in in in the walls of of. And there are so many, things that you have to do to make this place cool. But, you know, Coming, to the end of our conversation. I wanna talk about a little bit about your opportunities for international travel And why? And then, let's tell the listeners, if you can, What's next for COSI? What's the next bit things for COSI? Even if you're talking high level, vision, strategic, Sure.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:38:46

Sure. So so I can lump those 2 together because the international work that we have the privilege of doing, is growing, hand and fist out of what's next for COSI. What I mean by that is we're an amazing building here. We're in Franklin County. 1st and foremost, we support Franklin County. You know, you gotta know where where your bread is buttered. Charity begins at home, so we wanna make sure we have a great product, I e, COSI experience here in Franklin County. Then we go in concentric circles throughout the rest of the eighty Seven other counties for the great state of Ohio.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:39:22

Now we're doing stuff outside of Ohio in other states, and now we're doing stuff internationally. And sometimes people ask me, well, why are you outside Ohio? Why are you outside international? Well, first of all, as we said twice already on this program, Science is everywhere and for everyone. So whether you're in Toledo, Taiwan, or Texas, if COSI can give you an experience, Good on COSI and good for the people who can get who can get those experiences. 2, we're a nonprofit. And so we raise money. Again, shout out to Franklin County for being always there first to to fund us on different programs, but we need to consistently raise money. Well, your capacity to raise money is connected to the value of your product, how good you are, how people see you, but also your brand awareness and recognition. If you're now known as working with states outside of the Ohio region where State officials and governors are funding you for your Columbus Franklin County based product.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:40:20

That gets everybody in this region. Wait a minute. COSI is doing cool stuff. If you're in Alaska, if you're in Texas, if you're in Florida, which are 3 states, for example, where we are delivering product, everything from our videos to our kits, The hands on interactions for kiddos and adults in those regions through partnerships, people locally know how are like, hey. What who's that person? Right. Then when you're doing this internationally and other countries are are looking at us, and so we were chatting before we started, and I think that's how you knew I'd like beaches, As I just got back from Barbados because I was at the US Embassy, and they're funding COSI to deliver our educational programs in Barbados. Because the Barbados US Embassy oversees the Eastern Caribbean, it's not just Barbados. They're funding us to do work in Barbados, to do work in Antigua, and do work in Dominica.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:41:09

That's brand promotion, brand awareness. And so the more you can do that and the more visibility you get, the easier it is to fundraise from individual donors, To fundraise from corporations that wanna be part of that, to fundraise from public, institutions because they're they start to to really appreciate your brand. But, again, we always make sure we have our best and biggest impact, if you will, right here where where our our foundation is, which is Central Ohio.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:41:37

Kids, science is cool. Doctor b, in his line of work, gets to spend time, in the same country as Rihanna spends time in. Grew up.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:41:49

That's right. I'm trying to work out a science

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:41:51

experiment with her. Connection between doctor To be in Rihanna on the same beaches.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:41:58

You're already here, folks. Doctor b and Riri On the great podcast right here, we're gonna start.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:42:05

Oh, Les. Okay. The wrapping up, our podcast, is looking, towards 60 years. It's a half a century plus ten. Mhmm.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:42:21

That is pretty amazing. Yeah. It's it's it's so as was mentioned, we were Opened across the street from the very first Wendy's in 1964 on Broad Street, just down the street. Now we moved here in 2000. And so you nailed it, administrator Wilson. We are celebrating our 60th birthday, March 29, 2024, and we are planning 12 months of robust programming for this great community that has supported us all these years to say, hey. Your cosign has grown up. We are I like how you put it.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:42:58

We are half a century plus 10. I love that. So yeah. So we have a lot of activities. Know, some will start a little bit before March 29th, kind of as a setup, but everything from our catalyst event, which is our celebration of the John Glenn Inspiration Award, we're doing a special one 60th to our science festival, which you know a lot about. We're doing special 60th to the color science program with a special 60th edition to all kinds of other programs we're doing to, you know, 60 for 60. You wanna give $60,000 for 6 for 60 Students that are coming out of our program as a scholarship goal to you name it. We have a lot of fun around the 60th, but really, it's been a it's been a pleasure to to have 6th great decades for this institution for this for this reason.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:43:38

We need to bring in doctor j Julius Irvin. 6 was his number.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:43:42

He's actually that. And the 76ers, so we could play on that too.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:43:47

Yeah. You got you got connections. Yeah. Connections. How long has the, this, I guess the cycle on the wire been around.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:43:58

That's a good question. So in the old COSI, we had a a bicycle on a wire. Now wasn't there first when we opened in 1964? I'd have to go back and check it. But shortly thereafter, we've had a bike there. And then when we moved here, We've had it. So, you know, I know the podcast is coming close to end. If you wanna get your ride on, we can strap you up and put you into the cycle and And just see how how closely connected and how much you believe in science is for everyone, including I've had

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:44:27

to ask

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:44:27

administrator. To ask and

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:44:30

but I I've always associated cosign with this The the bicycle on a wire. Yeah. It it there's been so many other dynamic things added over the years. So Absolutely. When I first moved to Central Ohio, I related to with the cycle on the wire. Mhmm. And then across the street, oh, I I very soon learned that it was the original Wendy's.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:44:55

That's right. Very first Wendy's in the country.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:44:57

The original Wendy's. The original original props

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:45:00

in fact, are you ready for this? You for for For 25¢ for as a kid and 50¢ as an adult, you would go to this place called, And then you'd hang out there for an hour to 3 hours, whatever it was, and then you go across the street for 10¢ for a hamburger.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:45:20

How about that? That was wild. 10¢ Wendy Burger. Wow. 10¢. Franklin County got a whole thing with dimes, I guess, But the the burger didn't stay 10¢ at Wendy's, but you can go to Huntington Park on dime a dog night and get you a ten seeing hot dogs. There we go. Franklin County still has, some protein for 10¢ on a bun Tencent. Nope.

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:45:47

Well, anything else as that you would like to provide to Podcasters. Fun fact about Doctor.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:45:58

B. Absolutely. Well, fun fact about COSI first. Listeners, please understand how amazing our county leadership is. From administrator Wilson to the 3 county commissioners. I'll tell you COSI's story. Our highlight For 2023, and we've done all kinds of stuff happened to COSI last year. We were on a cheer.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:46:27

Our highlight was being invited to the White House because we won the highest award that these United States gives to a museum. It's called the National Medal, and it's always given at the White House by the first lady. Well, we won that award for the for the arc of programmatic initiatives we do. But fundamental in that was our educational outreach through our videos, the Doctor. Meade Threes you met, But especially the learning lunchboxes, the hands on kids. And so we were invited by the White House. We were in what's called the yellow room With a few other women across country of this esteemed award, and part of the reason why we got it is because you all were the 1st to invest in that KIT STEM learning program. And we were able I know you were not available, but we were able to take Commissioner Erica Crowley to the White House with us, and so she was there when doctor Jill Biden presented me and a colleague of mine and I'll put you on stage at the award.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:47:35

So I want your listeners to understand how great this county is to support educational institutions, impactful institutions, Everything from shelter to food to education to health care, they do it in such a grand way that Institutions can win the highest award in the nation, and so I wanna really thank you for that. And then fun fact for doctor b, I have a collection of Chuck Taylors. I wear them all the time. So if you catch me out there and you have a cool Chuck Taylor idea, Feel free to tell me, tweet it to me, email me, share some photos of it, but I'm a scientist that likes to

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:48:12

wear fun sneakers. Alright. Tweet any channels of social media, doctor b with Chuck Taylor ideas. What's your

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:48:23

handle? Well, you could use COSI, you get well, w w dot COSI or you can use hashtag doctor b in 3. You can use Hashtag cosai science, any one of those will get to be. So hashtag cosai science, hashtag cosai, hashtag doctor b n three. We'll keep the light on

Kenneth Wilson [: 00:48:41

for you here. Promise. Alright. Holler at doctor b. That's what you because you can you I'm sure if you got a question about science or Oh, Chuck Taylor idea. I I know you are, truly there for the people in in And COSI is a every resident, every day institution as well just like Franklin County. Absolutely. As we wrap up, I will say in closing, be yourself because nobody else has time to.

Dr. Frederic Bertley [: 00:49:13

I love that. And if you want some after, Podcast footage, check out what we're about to do because I'm gonna put the great administrator Ken Wilson on the science map right now. I'm ready for it. I need a Nobel Peace Prize.