Psychology students take part in paid research fellowship at COSI

June 25, 2026 - 20:55

Two psychology majors from Ohio State University's Marion campus have secured $6,000 National Science Foundation fellowships to study language comprehension at the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus this summer. The paid research positions place the students inside COSI's Language Pod, a dedicated space where they will conduct real-world experiments on how people process spoken and written language.

The fellowship program aims to bridge the gap between academic psychology and public engagement with science. Instead of working in a traditional lab, the students will interact directly with museum visitors, collecting data from a diverse audience that includes children, families, and adults of all ages. This setup allows researchers to observe language processing in a natural, uncontrolled environment rather than a sterile university setting.

The $6,000 award covers a full summer of work, giving the students hands-on experience in experimental design, data collection, and analysis. Faculty advisors from Ohio State Marion will oversee the projects, but the students are expected to take the lead on their own research questions. Topics may include how people interpret ambiguous sentences, how context affects word recognition, or how background noise influences comprehension.

For the two recipients, the fellowship offers a rare opportunity to build a professional resume before graduation. It also strengthens the partnership between Ohio State Marion and COSI, a major science museum that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The Language Pod itself has become a popular exhibit, turning everyday language puzzles into interactive science demonstrations.

The program is part of a broader NSF initiative to fund undergraduate research in cognitive science. Organizers hope the experience will encourage more students to pursue graduate studies in psychology or related fields. Applications for next year's fellowships are expected to open in the fall.