"You learn about how things happen and how the world really is," said Crosby, 17.

Last week, Crosby and his classmates got to be scientists for a day. The DESTINY traveling science-learning program, part of UNC's Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, visited West Johnston High on Wednesday.

Science students crammed into the charter bus-turned-lab to conduct an experiment. In a mock scenario, they measured the protein in three sports drinks whose companies all claimed to lead the pack.

Students put the liquid, which wasn't really sports drinks, into vials and used a fancy machine to measure the amount of protein.

This type of lesson brings science to life for students, said Tara Blalock, a science teacher at West Johnston. Blalock attended a training session with DESTINY over the summer, and she asked the science lab to visit her school.

The lab exposes college-bound students to science labs and equipment they might see later on, Blalock said. And it reminds every student about the role science plays in their lives.

"People are doing this in a lab somewhere, but it has a relevance to them," she said.

Two science-lab buses travel across the state to visit schools. Often, schools don't have the equipment to conduct experiments like the one West Johnston students did last week.

The machine they used to measure protein costs about $4,000, said Polly Dornette, a science-education specialist with the planetarium. "For a school to have one to do this one lab isn't very practical," she said.

Some students said they enjoyed the lesson, taught by Dornette.

"You didn't have to sit in a classroom," said Henry Anderson, a junior.

Getting students excited about science can be a challenge, Blalock said.

Hands-on activities help mix things up and keep science interesting.

That's especially true for students who struggle academically, Dornette said.

And for science enthusiasts like Crosby, activities like the science lab can be informative and fun.

"When you read it in a science textbook, it gets boring," he said. "When you do this ... you feel like you're actually contributing."