Museum of Science and Industry

Day 8 was dedicated to health and wellness. Alright, alright - before you sound the <wah wuh> alarm signaling a super-lame day at MSI, give me a chance to tell you how awesome this day way.

The first half of the day was dedicated to the "Live from the Heart" experience. It you're not familiar or didn't see my 3,249 tweets about it, let me explain. It's a program where guests at the museum are connected via video-conference to an operating room to watch (and hear) a real-life open-heart surgery. And it's interactive, not in a scrub-in-and-grab-a-scalpel sort of way but you can ask the doctors and nurses questions throughout the procedure. We were joined today by Bill, a veteran of the program having had his bypass surgery shown to MSI guests five years ago. It was great to get his perspective as he watched the surgery that he previously slept his way through.

I also had a chance to spend some quality time with iStan. I'll explain in a second, but first: iStan, wave "hello" to the camera:

iStan is a patient simulator and is just like the ones used in some medical schools. He can cry, blink, convulse, and, well... let's be honest... be totally creepy. But ultimately he's a tool that allows students to get great hands-on experience. After taking iStan's pulse, I immediately pulled his ears and stuck my finger in his mouth. I know, I know... not the most mature, but hey, I was just checking for authenticity. And I can assure you, this guy is realistic.

I also toured "You: The Experience" with Patty Ward, MSI's director of science and technology. While the exhibit itself is visually engaging and full of interesting content, I found it fascinating to hear about its origins and development. The exhibit takes a holistic approach to health and wellness (not a strict biological/physiological perspective) and somehow manages to tie together the circulatory system, laughter, Twinkies, macular degeneration and wheelchair rugby (remember the movie "Murderball"?). It sounds like a hodgepodge but it works; it's engaging and makes you think.

Of course, with all of that learning, I had to make sure to have some non-educational fun time too.