To commemorate last Veteran's Day (Nov. 11), Kevin Byrne slept inside a U-505 German submarine. He was in a bunk and heard noises that, he said, were spooky.
"But it really was a neat experience, so crazy, definitely one of the coolest things I did," he said.
Byrne, 33—who is openly gay and partnered, and who lives in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood—was, that night on the sub, instead sleeping at the Museum of Science and Industry, his home from Oct. 19 through Nov. 17.
Byrne was the winner of the second annual "Month At The Museum" contest, making the fabled lakefront building his home, office and more. So, in addition to the sub, he also slept at times in the museum's coal mine, in the center aisle of a 727 airplane, in a hamster-like running wheel and elsewhere.
"It was amazing, more than I anticipated, although with such a unique opportunity, it was hard to truly know what you'd be doing on a day-to-day basis" before the month started, he said.
Byrne first learned about the contest through his supervisor at work. He admitted that he doesn't think she really thought he'd apply, but rather, that he would appreciate the novelty of the idea.
"As I read about [the contest,] it just sounded like an amazing adventure, one that would allow me to do science on a daily basis," said Byrne, who was a biology major as an undergraduate student.
He has never worked in science, but he's always enjoyed it.
"The combination of adventure and science seemed like a natural fit," he said.
Byrne learned of the contest two days before the application deadline. The application included a lengthy questionnaire, an essay, video and picture.
"It was a race to get it all in, but I'm happy that I did," he said.
About 1,000 applied for the gig, and that total was narrowed down to six finalists. The videos of the six were posted online for the public to vote.
The announcement of the winner was made about a week before the move-in date.
"It was difficult to make the preparations needed in case I won, but not let my mind go so far down that path, in case I didn't win," he said.
Byrne and the five other finalists were at the museum in mid-October for the announcement of the winner.
"I thought each [finalist] would have been a great roommate [for the museum] so, yes, my confidence did start to waiver a bit," Byrne said.
The finalists were brought on stage and each had a hollowed-out pumpkin in front of him or her. Five of the pumpkins were filled with oxygen; one, for the ultimate winner, was filled with hydrogen. They put a flame into the back of the pumpkin, and Byrne's was the lone pumpkin to explode, signaling he was the winner.
He was immediately whisked away for media interviews.
"My heart was pounding for the next couple of hours," he said.
Byrne arrived at the museum with two standard suitcases—and people cheering for his arrival. Logistics were interesting: The private bedroom was nowhere near the shower, so he needed to cross the building just to shower.
It was a good thing he had a bathroom.
Byrne also arrived with a head lamp that he owned from past camping expeditions.
The museum provided him with a yellow T-shirt he wore daily.
They also gave him keys to the museum and more.
"That first day was pretty jam-packed, but I didn't get to do too much science that day, though I did get to freeze something in liquid nitrogen and blow something up," he said matter-of-factly.
"That night, when everyone cleared out, when I was alone writing my first blog [update] and editing my first video, I did start to get a little nervous that, essentially, their entire social-media campaign was now resting on my shoulders. So, yes, there was a certain amount of pressure, but it was real exciting, nonetheless. It took me a while to wind down and I had a hard time sleeping for the first 10 days or so because my mind was racing and excited about all of the things I was doing and getting ready to do."
Each day had a theme that was arranged by the museum staff, including Health Day, or Food, or Spooky Science or Submarine Day. Staffers planned most of his schedule for the first two weeks.
On Health Day, for instance, he got to sit in on a program called "Live From The Heart." In conjunction with a local hospital, Byrne was able to watch a live open-heart surgery and also talk with the surgeons as they performed the operation. "That was intense, amazing to see the surgery from start to finish. That definitely was a high point," he said.
Byrne spent an hour or two daily inside a 16-foot-by-16-foot Plexiglas enclosed office. Museum visitors asked him questions and took pictures with him as he leaned out a window.
"I would talk to so many people during the day, but then so few at night. It was a lot more solitude than I was used to at night," said Byrne, who called the Science Storms his favorite exhibit.
Byrne ate breakfast and lunch inside the museum's food court; Whole Foods catered his dinner and snacks. His laundry was sent out once a week by the museum.
"They made it as comfortable as possible," Byrne said.
Byrne, a marathon runner, ran inside the museum, including stairs that spanned three miles.
So what about conjugal visits from Dop Troutman, his partner of six years?
Unfortunately, those were not allowed.
However, Troutman visited on the weekends, during museum hours with all other visitors. Byrne's parents also drove to Chicago from Virginia to visit.
"I had never put this many hours toward anything in my life, including college," he said. "I'm not complaining because I was given this amazing experience, but I don't think people necessarily realized how much work goes into writing the blog content, editing the video and everything else."
Still, he added, he'd do it again, anytime: "It's so rare as an adult to get to devote yourself entirely to an experience."
