One of the plasticized human bodies in the Carnegie Science Center's controversial "Bodies'' exhibit was displayed for the first time in Pittsburgh yesterday, posed as a soccer player making a kick.

"Bodies: The Exhibition,'' which includes 15 polymer-preserved human corpses from China and more than 200 additional organs and specimens, is set to open Oct. 8 in a specially built section of the Carnegie Science Center's SportsWorks. Timed tickets went on sale yesterday.

There will be a separate entrance inside the SportsWorks for the exhibit so that people cannot accidentally wander into it, said science center Director Joanna Haas.

The male body displayed yesterday was leaned backwards with a metal pole running through the left leg and the right leg stretched into the air with a soccer ball attached to the foot as if the person were in the middle of a scissor kick. Visible are the body's muscles, tendons, bones, some internal organs and genitalia.

There also was a table with human organs that reporters on hand for a media preview could pick up, including a heart, brain, healthy lung, cancerous lung and knee joint. The exhibition comprises nine galleries, including one displaying unaborted fetuses in various stages of development. Visitors can bypass that gallery if they wish.

The "Bodies" exhibit, which has been on tour around the world, is currently in 10 U.S. cities, including Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and New York. On Wednesday, it concluded a run in Durham, N.C., following a protest Sunday by a half-dozen Duke University professors concerned about the ethics of displaying the bodies of people who did not give their consent.

In June, Elaine Catz, a Carnegie Science Center employee, resigned over the exhibit, stating she wasn't sure the Carnegie Institute had sufficiently investigated how the bodies were acquired.

Representatives from Premiere Exhibitions, the company behind the exhibit, have said the unidentified and unclaimed corpses were donated to medical schools for research and educational purposes, a standard practice in the United States and China. The company said the bodies were obtained from the Dalian Medical University plastination labs in China.

"We're proud to bring this exciting exhibition to Pittsburgh," Ms. Haas said. "We're certainly aware of the controversy, hyperbole and speculation that surround it. We respect that people have different opinions about the exhibit and we know that some people have emotional and exaggerated responses to its content."

She said an advisory committee addressed moral, legal and ethical issues prior to the decision to bring "Bodies" to Pittsburgh.

Dr. Roy Glover, chief medical adviser and spokesman for "Bodies," said every possible step has been taken to ensure that the bodies are "displayed in a dignified and respectful way."

Ms. Haas and Dr. Glover emphasized the educational and possible career opportunity benefits of such an exhibition.

Ms. Haas said she hoped the exhibit would engage people of all ages about the intricacies of the human body, and the concepts of life and death and health and wellness.

She added that more than 300,000 children from school districts across the country have visited the exhibit and that 2,000 Pittsburgh area students are already signed up for fall field trips. There also are curriculum materials developed for pre- and post-visit discussions and two health career fairs are planned for middle school and high school students.

Dr. Glover said "Bodies" is a "look at yourself in a way that you never thought possible or imagined before. You'll be amazed at how well you look underneath your skin."