The Center of Science and Industry (COSI) today announced the launch of The HIVE (Human Innovation Experience), a national workforce development initiative designed to connect students with real-world career pathways through immersive, hands-on experiences.
Enabled by a $550,000 investment from Boeing, The HIVE will travel to 20 cities nationally over the next two years, beginning with its inaugural activation for 250 eighth-grade students at Liberty Middle School in Newark, Ohio.
Developed by COSI, The HIVE brings together education, industry, and community partners to help students explore in-demand careers across aerospace, advanced manufacturing, engineering, and emerging technologies. Each stop is designed to reflect the industries and employers shaping the local economy — creating a direct and tangible connection between student curiosity and future opportunity.
A National Workforce Experience Designed for Exploration and Continuity
At its core, The HIVE Workforce Initiative is a multi-stage, immersive career exploration experience paired with ongoing learning opportunities that extend beyond a single day.
Each HIVE roadshow activation is structured as a one-day event featuring interactive career exploration stations. Every station represents a specific job category — such as aerospace manufacturing, robotics, skilled trades, engineering, or AI-enabled technologies — and is designed to translate real-world roles into hands-on activities that highlight the skills, tools, and pathways required for each field.
Students rotate through all six stations, gaining exposure to a range of careers while engaging directly with the types of challenges and environments professionals encounter in the field. A dedicated virtual reality experience further enhances this exposure, placing students inside real aerospace and manufacturing settings.
Following the initial experience, students are enrolled in The HIVE network, where they gain access to a series of follow-up workshops and extended learning opportunities. These sessions are designed to deepen engagement, build on initial areas of interest, and provide continued exposure to career pathways — helping students translate early curiosity into sustained exploration over time.
Students also receive a State of Ohio certificate of participation, recognizing their engagement and introducing them to structured pathways for continued involvement.
Connecting Students to Regional Opportunity
The HIVE is designed to strengthen alignment between early STEM engagement and workforce opportunity by bringing career exploration directly into schools and communities.
Each activation is intentionally located in regions where Boeing and its supplier network actively operate and hire, ensuring that the career paths students experience are relevant to their local economies. By connecting hands-on learning with real employment landscapes, The HIVE helps students better understand how their interests can translate into future roles within their own communities.
“The HIVE was built on a simple belief: that every student deserves to see what is possible before they are asked to choose a path,” said Dr. Frederic Bertley, President and CEO of COSI. “Boeing’s investment in this initiative, and in the students we will reach together, is exactly the kind of partnership that turns that belief into something real and lasting.”
“Boeing is proud to partner with COSI to launch The HIVE and help bring immersive, hands‑on career experiences directly to students across the country,” said Michele Hengey, Senior Community Investor at Boeing.
“Our investment reflects more than financial support. It’s an investment in early exposure to aerospace, advanced manufacturing and emerging technologies that will build local talent pipelines, strengthen regional economies and create real pathways to jobs. By connecting students with the people, tools and opportunities that define today’s industries, we can inspire the next generation of innovators and ensure our communities have the skilled workforce they need to thrive.”
Roadshow Expansion and National Reach
The HIVE will officially launch on April 28 in Newark, Ohio, bringing together leaders from COSI and Boeing, alongside more than 250 eighth-grade students from Liberty Middle School.
Boeing representatives across manufacturing, aerospace, and robotics will participate directly in the activation, connecting students to the people and roles shaping these industries today.
The launch event will feature six interactive career exploration stations aligned to real-world Boeing job categories, including aerospace manufacturing, engineering, robotics, skilled trades, and AI-enabled technologies, with students rotating through hands-on activities that reflect real workplace environments.
A Boeing-specific virtual reality experience will place students inside aerospace and manufacturing settings, offering a first-hand look at roles that are typically inaccessible in a classroom setting.
Boeing employees from the company’s Heath facility will engage directly with students throughout the event, sharing insight into their roles and career paths, with the experience culminating in a certificate presentation alongside COSI and Boeing leadership and community stakeholders.
Following its Newark debut, The HIVE roadshow will head to San Francisco in May as part of an America 250 innovation showcase, followed by Washington, D.C. in June during the National STEM Festival. Additional cities and partners will be announced as the initiative continues to scale over the next two years.
Building the Future Workforce Through Early Engagement
Through its national footprint, The HIVE reflects COSI’s broader vision for the future of science engagement — one that extends beyond traditional museum settings and into the communities it serves.
As industries evolve and workforce needs accelerate, COSI continues to expand its role as both a physical destination and a community-embedded platform for learning. The HIVE brings this model to life by combining immersive, in-person experiences with programs delivered directly in schools and local communities — creating new opportunities for students to explore STEM in context.
With partnership from Boeing, this approach is now scaling nationally, strengthening connections between education, industry, and community while helping prepare the next generation for a rapidly evolving workforce.
“What begins in Newark, Ohio on April 28 is just the start. With Boeing as our partner, The HIVE will reach students in 20 cities over the next two years, each one in a community where the jobs are real, the employers are present, and the opportunity to change a young person’s trajectory is right in front of us. That’s what COSI is here for,” concluded Dr. Bertley.
For more information and a full list of events, visit www.cosiscifest.org.
About COSI
COSI, ranked “#1 Science Museum in the Country” for six years as voted by USA TODAY’s 10Best, is an esteemed science center that has delighted Central Ohio with all things science for 60 years, inspiring interest in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) topics and delivering our experiential, “hands-on fun” brand of learning. COSI has been awarded 13 Emmy® Awards for its effective science communication television and video productions impacting science literacy for people of all ages. As a trusted educational resource for families, schools, and community partners, COSI is an essential element of our regional, national and international communities, engaging millions of people annually through onsite, offsite, and online experiences.
About BOEING
A leading global aerospace company and top U.S. exporter, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. Our U.S. and global workforce and supplier base drive innovation, economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing is committed to fostering a culture based on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.
All images credited to Griffin360, COSI and Boeing
