Cities in surrounding counties will join Columbus in hosting hundreds of science activities next May at locations across the region. COSI will host a science-themed carnival on the fourth day of the festival.

Consider COSI Columbus' big science experiment a success.

After its inaugural year drew more than 40,000 participants to educational events across Franklin County, COSI announced Tuesday that the COSI Science Festival will return May 6-9, 2020 and will expand to six cities in contiguous counties.

Circleville, Delaware, Heath, London, Marysville and Pickerington will join Columbus and surrounding cities in hosting hundreds of science activities at schools, bars, businesses, libraries and other community centers.

Once again, three days of demonstrations around the region will culminate on the fourth day with a science-themed festival along the Scioto Peninsula near COSI.

The brainchild of COSI President and CEO Frederic Bertley, the festival debuted in May as a way to make science concepts accessible to all. About 15,000 people attended the three days of community events, with 25,000 guests at the Big Science Celebration outside COSI.

Visitors to the multitude of events had a chance to tag migratory birds, drive an electric vehicle, view the cosmos through telescopes and construct video game controllers from unusual items like bananas and Play-Doh.

With a three-year $850,000 investment from Battelle, the plan was always for the festival to be an annual event, said Stephen White, a vice president at COSI. Organizers hope the festival inspires the next generation of scientists to seek a career in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.

“We want people to know that science is for everyone," White said. "Anyone can achieve a career in STEM regardless of who they are or what their background is.”

elagatta@dispatch.com

@EricLagatta