CHICAGO | Cadavers have been given new life at the Museum of Science and Industry.

Fourty-seven NIU community members hopped on a bus to Chicago on Saturday to experience Dr. Gunter von Hagens’ anatomical exhibit, Body Worlds 2.

Beth Kostelnik, a senior family and consumer sciences major, helped set up the trips.

“We chose the museum because of the exhibit,” Kostelnik said. “We saw advertisements for it and thought a lot of college students would be interested in it.”

Kostelnik has also been involved in planning other trips to Chicago and was surprised at how much interest was involved with Saturday’s trip.

“We’ve gone to the King Tut exhibit,” Kostelnik said. “This sold out really quick. Much faster than King Tut.”

Michael Kelly, a freshman biology and medical major, and Valvne Kirmsy, a junior special education major, both participated in the Body Worlds 2 trip.

Kelly’s most memorable exhibits of the museum were Body Worlds, the toy factory and the whisper gallery, while Kirmsy enjoyed just having something to do on a Saturday.

“I’d like to see trips to the aquarium and the museums,” Kelly said, who comes to Chicago on average once a year. Kelly said that he would like to have more trips to Chicago offered through the school.

While an agenda was given to the participants at the beginning of the day, there were allotted times for the participant to explore the museum on their own.

“We got to do pretty much what we wanted to do,” Kelly said. “As long as you got on the bus on time, then you’re fine.”

The price of the trip was just right for Kirmsy, who paid $15 along with the other 46 travellers.

“We got a bus ride to and from the museum, water, donuts, admission to Body Worlds and OMNIMAX and full access to the museum,” Kirmsy said. “It was pretty awesome.”

Tony Petraitis, a junior history and secondary education major, also had a part in planning the trip. He said he would be interested in planning more trips to the Windy City.

“Chicago has a great amount of resources where people can learn and have fun at the same time,” Petraitis said.

The Body Worlds 2 exhibit is available at a discount rate of $19 for students with a valid college ID. The exhibit runs until April 19.