Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Carolina Science Cafe | The Dark Side of the Universe
2023-08-01 18:00 - 19:00 (America/New_York) | Gizmo Brew Works, 157 E Franklin St #100, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Join us on the first Tuesday of every month for Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For this month, we will be joined by Adrienne Erickcek to learn about dark energy and what that means for how our universe operates.

Designed for adults, this program explores the science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines.

Observations of the oldest light in the Universe and other astronomical measurements indicate that only 5% of the current energy content of the Universe is made of elements found on the periodic table. The other 95% is composed of dark matter and dark energy: dark matter is responsible for the growth of galaxies, while dark energy shoves galaxies apart at an accelerating rate. I will discuss how we infer the existence of dark matter and dark energy and how we hope to learn more about these key drivers of cosmic evolution.

A simulated image of the first dark matter structures to form in the universe.

About the Speaker:

Adrienne Erickcek joined the UNC physics and astronomy department in 2013 after completing a joint postdoctoral fellowship at the Canadian Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics and the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. She developed an interest in cosmology while an undergraduate student at Princeton University, and she went on to receive her Ph.D. in cosmology from Caltech. For the past several years, her research has focused on the first dark matter structures, and in 2018 she was awarded an NSF CAREER grant to investigate how to use dark matter to probe the evolution of the Universe during its first second.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Gizmo Brew Works on Tuesday, August 1st, starting at 6:00 p.m.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Malaria in Africa: Ecology, Mitigation, and Challenges
2023-09-05 18:00 - 19:00 | Gizmo Brew Works, 157 E Franklin St #100, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Join us on the first Tuesday of every month for Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For this month, we will be joined by Dr. Michael Emch to explore spatial and timing patterns of malaria in the developing world.

Designed for adults, this program explores the science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines.

You might have noticed the recent news that there have been several locally acquired cases of malaria in the United States in both Texas and Florida for the first time in 20 years. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 2,000 cases of mostly travel-related malaria were diagnosed in the United States each year. What does that mean for us here in North Carolina and the rest of the country more broadly? What is malaria and how is it transmitted? Learn more at our September Carolina Science Cafe to find out!

Half of the world’s population is at risk of malaria and there are almost 250 million cases globally and more than half a million deaths annually. More than 90% of the cases and deaths are in Africa, mostly in children. Malaria elimination is a goal with most countries attempting to become malaria-free within the next two decades. While there has been great progress in this fight, there have been recent setbacks. This discussion will describe malaria ecology, mitigation tools, and some of the challenges such as climate change.

Michael E. Emch, PhD, a health geographer, is a W.R. Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Geography and Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also a Fellow of the Carolina Population Center. He has published widely in the subfield of disease ecology, mostly of infectious diseases of the developing world. He directs the Spatial Health Research Group. He is also a member of the UNC Infectious Diseases, Epidemiology, and Ecology Lab. Many of the courses he teaches are about spatial components of health and disease.

His present research includes an NIH-funded study to evaluate the effectiveness a malaria vaccine in Malawi, Ghana, and Gabon, an NSF-funded study on the landscape genetics of swine influenza, and an NSF-funded study on the relationships between household energy use for cooking and heating and respiratory infections in Southern Africa.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Gizmo Brew Works on Tuesday, September 5th, starting at 6:00 p.m.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Preparing for Tomorrow’s Pandemics Today | Carolina Science Cafe
2023-10-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
About the Program:

Join us on the first Tuesday of every month for Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For this month, we will be joined by Dr. Timothy Sheahan to explore preparing for tomorrow’s pandemics today with broad-spectrum antivirals.

Designed for adults, this program explores the science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. Please note the Carolina Science Cafe will be moving to a new location at Haw River Tap & Table in Carrboro for the foreseeable future.

Being a virologist is a lot like being a detective. Constantly problem solving and trying to stay one step ahead of the next villain. Viruses are found all over the world and they affect everyone everywhere they go. We never know when or what virus will emerge next, but Dr. Tim and his team will be ready for the challenge.

During this cafe we will discuss questions like:

What is a virus and how do we get sick?

How and why antiviral drugs are made?

How long is the drug development process?

How do we learn about viruses that we have not even found yet?

What can we do to prepare for tomorrow’s pandemics today? Broad-spectrum medical countermeasures that are effective against all the Coronaviruses known today will likely work against future emerging Coronaviruses. Thus, the development of broadly acting medical counter measures is key to our future pandemic preparedness.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Sheahan is an NIH funded virologist working at the host pathogen interface to develop new methods of viral control. After receiving his bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of New Hampshire in 1999, he moved to Boston to try to make a career in punk rock music but soon realized that he enjoyed pipetting more than playing guitar. In 2003, he began his graduate training at UNC Chapel Hill with Dr. Ralph Baric focusing coronavirus (CoV) spillover and the design broadly acting vaccines and therapies. After postdoctoral studies on hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the laboratory of 2020 Nobel Laureate Dr. Charles M. Rice at the Rockefeller University, he became an Investigator at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) working to develop host targeting antivirals to treat acute respiratory infections. Tim became an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in 2015.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sheahan and colleagues generated preclinical proof-of-principle data that remdesivir and molnupiravir were broadly active against the CoV family suggesting these antivirals could be employed to treat future emerging CoV. This work helped accelerate the clinical testing of these antivirals in early 2020. Sheahan is currently working to develop broad-spectrum inhibitors of emerging CoV and is also developing mouse models of chronic hepacivirus infection within which to study the effect of antiviral therapy on the development of liver disease and cancer.

Sheahan has been active in communicating the importance of antivirals during the pandemic on television and print media including a feature in GQ Magazine. Three new human CoV have emerged in the past 20 years. Thus, the development of broadly acting therapies for CoV will remain of focus of Dr. Sheahan’s research to be better prepared for tomorrow’s pandemics, today.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, October 3rd, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Why do men die 10 years before women?
2023-11-07 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Join us on the first Tuesday of every month for Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For this month, we will be joined by Dr. Marc Rogers to explore the stigma of men’s health during Movember to raise awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.

Designed for adults, this program explores the science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. Please note the Carolina Science Cafe has moved to a new location at Haw River Tap & Table in Carrboro.

Men on average die around 10 years younger compared to their female counterparts. In an effort to close this gap, we will discuss maintaining a man’s health as they age starting from their early 20s into late into their retirement years. Routine screenings for prostate cancer, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, elevated blood pressure, colon cancer and testicular cancer will be discussed along with more in depth information about erectile function, low testosterone, penile curvature (Peyronie’s disease), and male fertility concerns to help maintain quality of life.

About the Speaker:

Marc J. Rogers, M.D. is an associate professor in the Department of Urology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) Healthcare in Chapel Hill, NC. He graduated with his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his urology residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received his fellowship training in male infertility and sexual medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Rogers is a member of the American Urological Association, Sexual Medicine Society of North America, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction.

Dr Rogers’ clinical interests include male infertility, vasectomy reversals, treatment of erectile dysfunction, Peyronie’s disease, including complex reconstruction techniques, hypogonadism, and male urinary incontinence. He is the author of multiple peer-reviewed articles and review articles and has presented research at national and international meetings. He is interested in promoting resident education and promoting an improved awareness of men’s health in the community.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, November 7th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Teen Science Cafe | Does warmer mean hungrier?
2023-11-17 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Science Stage, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Join us for our November Teen Science Cafe!

Please join us at Morehead Planetarium on Friday, November 17th for a very exciting Teen Science Cafe! We will be joined by Esteban Agudo, a marine ecologist interested in how environmental characteristics (i.e. temperature, structural complexity) affect marine communities in a time of global change. Our guiding question will be “How is climate change affecting predation in marine communities?”

The western doors up the big stairs will open at 5:30 for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:00 and wrap up around 7:00.

Temperature affects every aspect of the biology of ectotherms (cold blooded animals). Through my research I study the effects of temperature changes on predation rates (e.g., how much an organism eats) of marine organisms including whelks, starfish, and reef fishes in the Galapagos Archipelago. As climate change is causing the ocean to get warmer, we need to know how temperature affects the interactions between species to better predict the future of marine communities.

About Esteban:

I was born in Caracas, Venezuela. While I was an undergrad majoring in Biology, I learned to scuba dive and found I could combine my passion for science and my passion for the ocean into a career. After finishing my undergrad, I went into graduate school and did my master also in my home country, studying the importance of corals as provider of shelter for reef fishes. Afterward I worked as lab manager in the same lab for a couple of years, where I spend most of my time traveling across the Venezuelan coast and islands studying the health status of coral reefs and helping students to develop their own projects. In 2019 I moved to North Carolina to start my PhD at UNC in the Bruno Lab where I had been studying the effect of temperature on interactions between species on reefs in the Galapagos.

Program Schedule

5:30 pm – Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Pizza social. Pizza social will take place in our classrooms, located on the 2nd floor.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Discussion & activities. Presentations will take place at the Full Dome Theater.

*Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Carolina Science Cafe | New Frontiers in Hydrology
2023-12-05 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
NASA’s Surface Water and Ocean Topography Mission: A New Eye in the Sky for Earth’s Water

Join us on the first Tuesday of every month for Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For this month, we will be joined by Dr. Tamlin Pavelsky to discuss how his team is verifying data from a new NASA’s SWOT mission that is recording the first global survey of Earth’s water cycle with unprecedented accuracy.

Please note the Carolina Science Cafe will be moving to a new location at Haw River Tap & Table in Carrboro for the foreseeable future.

In December 2022, NASA and its international partners launched the Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission, a new satellite that uses radar to measure Earth’s rivers, lakes, and oceans. SWOT’s groundbreaking technology allows us to measure ocean currents, observe floods, and monitor water resources in ways that were previously impossible. In this talk, we will explore some of the first results from SWOT and what they might mean for our understanding of water on our planet.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, December 5th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

About Tamlin:

Tamlin Pavelsky is a professor of global hydrology in the Earth, Marine and Environmental Sciences Department at the University of North Carolina. He is also NASA’s Hydrology Science Lead for the recently launched SWOT satellite mission. Tamlin earned his BA in Geography from Middlebury College and a master’s and PhD, also in Geography, from UCLA. He uses satellite imagery, field measurements, and other tools to study the world’s rivers and lakes. Tamlin grew up outside of Fairbanks, Alaska in wood-heated cabins with no electricity or running water.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Noche de Estrellas | Stargazing Night at Peach Road
2023-12-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Peach Road Cultural Center, 911 Ileagnes Rd, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27603, United States
El viernes 8 de diciembre te invitamos a explorar el cielo nocturno con Noche de Estrellas, en colaboración con el Consulado de México en Raleigh, Morehead Planetarium Science Center, Red Global MX, Sigma XI, el Ayuntamiento de Raleigh, el Club de Astronomía de Raleigh y el Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Carolina del Norte.

Esta noche contará con recorridos estelares con expertos bilingües en astronomía, además de chocolate caliente y actividades científicas en el interior para niños. Tenga en cuenta que este evento gratuito depende del clima y podría estar sujeto a cancelación.

Friday, December 8, we invite you to explore the night sky with Noche de Estrellas, in collaboration with the Mexican Consulate in Raleigh, Morehead Planetarium Science Center, Red Global MX, Sigma XI, Raleigh City Hall, Raleigh Astronomy Club, and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

This night will feature Star Tours with bilingual astronomy experts, as well as hot cocoa and indoor science activities for kids. Please note that this free event is weather-dependent and could be subject to cancellation.

Quantum Computing in Your Future | Carolina Science Cafe
2024-01-16 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Join us for our next instalment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For this month, we will be joined by Dr. Dan Stancil from NC State to discuss the future of quantum computing. This event has been rescheduled due to previous inclement weather and will now take place on Tuesday, January 16th.

Please note the Carolina Science Cafe has moved to Haw River Tap & Table in Carrboro next to Cat’s Cradle.

Refrigeration coils keep the quantum computer at sub zero temperatures. IBM Q Dilution Refrigerator (Credit: Graham Carlow)

Quantum Computing is an approach that uses the unusual quantum mechanical properties of the microscopic world to potentially solve computational problems that have never before been feasible, and to significantly accelerate others.

The talk will include an introduction to quantum computing, global trends and an anticipated technology timeline, and an overview of some promising application areas. An overview will also be given of the IBM Quantum Innovation Center at NC State and its activities.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, January 16th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

About Dan:

Daniel D. Stancil is the Alcoa Distinguished Professor and Executive Director of the IBM Quantum Innovation Center at NC State. His early interest in radios and electronics launched an engineering career that has been–and continues to be–fun and rewarding. Along the way he picked up engineering degrees from Tennessee Tech (B.S.E.E.) and MIT (M.S., E.E. and Ph.D.). He has spent many years as a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at both Carnegie Mellon University and NC State. He was Head of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at North Carolina State University from 2009-2023.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

PFAS in North Carolina Drinking Water | Carolina Science Cafe
2024-02-06 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Community impacts and interventions to reduce human exposure.

Join us for our next instalment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For February, we will be joined by Dr. Detlef Knappe from NC State to discuss Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in North Carolina drinking water.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of synthetic organic chemicals that are widely used in industry and in consumer products. Many PFAS are persistent, bioaccumulative, mobile, and toxic, and PFAS occur widely in drinking water. The talk will include an overview of (1) PFAS occurrence in NC drinking water, (2) efforts to eliminate sources of PFAS pollution, and (3) interventions to reduce human exposure to PFAS.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, February 6th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

About Detlef

Detlef Knappe is the S. James Ellen Distinguished Professor of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering at NC State University. In 1985, he moved from a small Black Forest town in Germany to a small prairie town in Illinois, where he began his undergraduate studies. In 1996, he received his PhD degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and joined the faculty at North Carolina State University. Detlef’s research interests broadly encompass drinking water quality and treatment with the goal of reducing human exposure to organic contaminants.

He is the Deputy Director of NC State’s Center for Environmental and Health Effects of PFAS, and he serves on the North Carolina Secretaries’ Science Advisory Board (jointly convened by the NC Departments of Environmental Quality and Health and Human Services). Apart from his passion for clean drinking water, Detlef enjoys kayaking, gardening, and brewing beer in his somewhat limited spare time.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Resource Links

CompTox Chemicals Dashboard (epa.gov)

Home – SixClasses.org

PFAS-Free Products – PFAS Central

Contact Email: knappe@ncsu.edu

Teen Science Cafe | State of Our Climate
2024-02-16 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Science Stage, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Please join us at Morehead Planetarium on Friday, February 16th for a very exciting Teen Science Cafe! For this month we will be joined by North Carolina’s State Climatologist, Dr. Kathie Dello to hear about climate and weather trend in North Carolina.

The western doors up the big stairs will open at 5:30 for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:00 and wrap up around 7:00.

Join State Climatologist Kathie Dello for an overview of the past year in North Carolina’s weather and climate, including major events and impacts to agriculture and other sectors. This program webinar will include historical and future perspectives about our recent climate conditions and an opportunity for Q&A with the State Climate Office.

About Dr. Dello

Kathie Dello is the state climatologist of North Carolina and the director of the North Carolina State Climate Office. She is the 5th permanent director and first woman to hold this position at the NCSCO in the office’s history. Kathie also serves as the co-director of the NOAA Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessment (RISA) for the Carolinas, the Carolinas Collaborative on Climate, Health, and Equity (C3HE).

Program Schedule

5:30 pm – Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Pizza social. Pizza social will take place in our classrooms, located on the 2nd floor.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Discussion & activities. Presentations will take place at the Science Stage located on the 1st floor.

*Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Directives from the Deep Sea | Carolina Science Cafe
2024-03-05 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Join us for our next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the March cafe, we will be joined by professional science communicator Marley Parker to learn what life is like during a deep-sea ocean expedition.

How do benthic organisms impact our daily lives? Why (and how) should we invest resources to explore the seafloor? Are submersibles safe? In this talk, Marley Parker will discuss these questions, and share photos, videos, and stories from several of her deep sea research expeditions.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café will be hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, March 5th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

Meet the Speaker

Marley Parker has spent the past decade working as a professional science communicator. At the beginning of 2018, she left her full-time position at UNC Research to start her own business as a freelance photographer, videographer, and science writer. In the past six years, Marley has specialized in documenting deep sea research. She has joined over 20 expeditions on various research vessels in the Pacific, the North Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Antarctic Peninsula.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Life under a Solar Eclipse
2024-04-02 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Extraordinary Darkness: How Animals Respond to Solar Eclipses

Join us for our next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the April cafe, we will welcome Dr. Lisa Paciulli and Dr. Adam Hartstone-Rose from NC State University to discuss wildlife under a solar eclipse. This event is a part of the North Carolina Science Festival, a statewide, month-long celebration of science.

Until the “Great American Eclipse” of 2017, the only broad study of animal behavior during a solar eclipse was conducted during an eclipse that passed through New England in 1932 – all other descriptions were fairly anecdotal, and many were contradictory. In 2017, Dr. Hartstone-Rose’s lab did a study of how 17 species of animals at a zoo on the path of totality reacted to this phenomenon, and the results were amazing! Come learn about which animals reacted to the eclipse, how they reacted, and what their plans are for the eclipse happening on April 8th – including how you can contribute to the research!

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, April 2nd, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

About The Lab

The Hartstone-Rose Lab studies functional morphology and comparative anatomy in vertebrates. They examine the relationship between anatomical form and behavioral functions through studies of animal behavior, soft-tissue muscle dissections and analysis, and morphological analysis of the craniodental anatomy of both extant and extinct species. Beyond their morphological research, they have several funded projects aimed at broadening participation in STEM.

Learn More: Dr. Hartstone-Rose Research Lab (google.com)

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

UNC Science Expo
2024-04-06 11:00 - 16:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
One of the largest celebrations of science in North Carolina returns on April 6!

As a signature event of the North Carolina Science Festival, the UNC Science Expo features over 100 booths, hands-on activities, games, science demonstrations, food trucks, and behind-the-scenes lab tours.

At this year’s Expo, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will also celebrate its 75th anniversary by bringing more excitement, including discounts from Franklin St. businesses, stage performances, prizes, and more. Come celebrate all the hard work and research of UNC scientists right here on campus!

More about the Expo

Solar Eclipse Party
2024-04-08 12:30 - 16:45 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
Join Morehead as we celebrate the solar eclipse! Outdoor activities are free and include solar observing, hands-on astronomy activities, and more. Ticketed admission in the building includes a live stream of the eclipse from totality, meteorite activities, and special eclipse-themed screenings of Carolina Skies in our Fulldome theater. Our museum store will also sell eclipse glasses on the day of the event and other merchandise as supplies last.

We are currently out of stock of eclipse glasses, but we will have a limited amount available for purchase on Monday, April 8. The limit is two per person.

Activities

Outdoors — Free

Telescopes and sunspotters for solar observing

Gift shop table with eclipse glasses and other merchandise

Hands-on solar and eclipse activities, and more!

Indoors — $10 admission

A live stream of the eclipse from totality on our Science Stage

Meteorites and other indoor activities in our Launch Lab

Carolina Skies: Solar Eclipse (SOLD OUT) – a 30-minute presentation providing information about the causes of solar eclipses and a special look at a total solar eclipse in the planetarium.

Tickets go on sale Monday, March 25. Guest passes, memberships, and walk-up discounts such as UNC students and Museums 4 All are not applicable for this event.

Teen Science Cafe | Evolution of Animal Behavior
2024-04-19 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Science Stage, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Feisty females: hyenas and lemurs and meerkats, oh my!

Please join us at Morehead Planetarium on Friday, April 19th for a very exciting Teen Science Cafe! For this month we will be joined by Duke University professor Dr. Christine Drea to explore species where females display physical and behavioral traits that are usually associated with males.

Dr. Drea will talk about a few special primate and carnivore species, in which all female members display physical and behavioral traits that are typically associated with males. Despite the species’ very different lifestyles, they share the same unusual suite of behavioral traits – including more rough-and-tumble play, scent marking, and aggression than males – that ultimately relate to increased female competition and contribute to making dominant females much more reproductively successful than lower females.

The western doors up the big stairs will open at 5:30 for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:00 and wrap up around 7:00.

About the Speaker

Dr. Christine Drea is a Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology and of Biology at Duke University. Her research interests are in the mechanisms, development, function, and evolution of animal social and reproductive behavior, with a focus on exceptional mammals, including hyenas, lemurs, and meerkats. The general premise driving this selection is that unusual species test our understanding of normal processes and function as ‘experiments of nature.’

Her team’s current work, conducted in parts of Africa and at the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina, is centered on the role of androgens in female dominance and aggression, the neuroendocrine mediators of social bonding and cooperation, the evolution of chemical communication, and the role of microbes in mediating animal behavior and wellbeing. A passion for wildlife and wild spaces fuels teaching, mentoring, and public outreach aimed at encouraging curiosity about and appreciation of the world around us, as well as activism in support of nature conservancy. Service within the academy is focused on improving diversity and achieving equity in the workplace.

Program Schedule

5:30 pm – Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Pizza social. Pizza social will take place in our classrooms, located on the 2nd floor.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Discussion & activities. Presentations will take place at the Science Stage located on the 1st floor.

*Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Carolina Science Cafe | Atmospheric Aerosols
2024-05-07 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Big Things Have Small Beginnings: How understanding atmospheric aerosols can save lives and help our climate

Join us for our next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the May cafe, we will welcome Dr. Will Vizuete from Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (ESE) in the Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, May 7th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

Exposure to atmospheric aerosols are believed to cause annually 8.3 million premature deaths worldwide. Atmospheric aerosols are also an important atmospheric radiative forcer and plays a critical role in our understanding of the impacts of climate change. Tackling problems of air pollution mortality and climate change are the global public health challenges that motivate this talk.

In this talk, find out about how his research is helping us understand how we form atmospheric aerosols, and its connection to human health and climate change. Learn how the latest computing science is being used to build computer simulations of the atmosphere to understand how these aerosols are formed, where they go, and how they impact humans and the planet.

Dr. Vizuete is a Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering (ESE) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC). The ESE Department resides within the Gillings School of Global Public Health and is primarily oriented toward graduate education. His department’s research scope spans water, air, and the sublayer environments and is focused on their interactions from an engineering and science perspective.

Within the department, Dr. Vizuete works within the two interdisciplinary programs of “Air Quality and Atmospheric Processes” and “Human Exposure and Health Effects.” his research is primarily conducted within interdisciplinary teams where this diversity of expertise, coupled with their engineering background, has allowed me to develop novel engineering solutions for public health problems. For fun, Dr. Vizuete is a WXYC DJ and plays bass in a traditional ska/reggae band The Unsustainables.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Teen Science Cafe | FIRST Carrborobotics
2024-05-17 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Science Stage, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Please join us at Morehead Planetarium on Friday, May 17th for a very exciting Teen Science Cafe! For this month we will be joined by FIRST Robotics team Carrborobotics who has just returned from the national competition. They will be showcasing this year’s robot, discussing the challenges they faced, and how to get involved.

Their team is completely student led and managed. We are nearly equal in our male-female ratio. Carrborobotics is a space open to all, regardless of appearance or orientation. We aim to provide a space within STEM where underrepresented groups are able to learn and grow their skills.

Carrborobotics pushes to bring out the best in our members and are constantly learning about ourselves through the construction of our robots and the friendships the team forms. Most of our team members have been in the local school system since elementary and take pride in visiting their past schools and getting younger students involved in STEM at early ages.

The western doors up the big stairs will open at 5:30 for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:00 and wrap up around 7:00.

Established in 2019, Carrborobotics is a FIRST® Robotics Competition team. We are based in Carrboro, North Carolina, and represent the students of Carrboro High School. Currently, our team is student-led by two captains, with the guidance of our lead mentor, Dr. Morais.

Learn More About the Team

Schedule

5:30 pm – Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Pizza social. Pizza social will take place in our classrooms, located on the 2nd floor.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Discussion & activities. Presentations will take place at the Science LIVE! Stage.

*Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Carolina Science Cafe | Environmental Justice
2024-06-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
How Environmental Justice Improves Environmental Science

Join us for our next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the June Cafe, we will welcome Dr. Ryan Emanuel, a tenured faculty member at Duke University’s Nicolas School for the Environment.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Café is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, June 4th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

Environmental justice is the idea that everyone deserves to be protected from environmental harm (e.g., pollution, natural disasters), allowed access to environmental benefits (e.g., green space), and included equitably in environmental decision-making processes. While many who are familiar with these ideas typically think about science and technology as tools to promote justice, we do not often consider how environmental justice can improve the work of environmental scientists and professionals.

This science café will tackle this issue head on as Ryan Emanuel shares his perspective as a water scientist whose work has been deeply influenced (and improved) by the principles of environmental justice. Using examples from his new book on Indigenous environmental justice in North Carolina, On the Swamp, and from his other work, Emanuel highlights the importance of understanding and acknowledging the two-way relationship between environmental justice and environmental science.

About the Speaker

Ryan Emanuel is a hydrologist and community-engaged scholar from North Carolina. He is currently an associate professor of hydrology at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and formerly worked as a professor in the College of Natural Resources at NC State University. At Duke, Emanuel’s research group studies the impacts of climate change and unsustainable development on water and watery places. His group also partners with Native American Tribes in North Carolina to understand environmental change from their perspectives as First Peoples. Emanuel is the author of On the Swamp: Fighting for Indigenous Environmental Justice. He belongs to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina.

Learn more about his work: Ryan E. Emanuel, Ph.D. (ryanemanuel.com)

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Psychology of Sports Injuries
2024-07-02 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Psychologically-Informed Practice to Enhance Health Outcomes after Sport-Related Injury

Join us for our next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the July cafe, we will welcome Shelby Baez, Ph.D., ATC, Director of the Psychology of Sport Injury Laboratory in UNC’s Department of Exercise and Sport Science.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Cafe is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, July 2nd, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

When people have negative mental reactions to getting injured, like feeling more scared of getting hurt again and losing confidence, they often struggle to get back into their sport and have a higher risk of getting injured again. Psychologically-informed practice is a way of taking care of patients that considers their physical, mental, and social needs, and it helps improve how well they recover from injuries.

This approach has been proven to make athletes perform better and stay healthier. This talk will cover the latest research on how people mentally respond to injuries and the best ways to help them get back into their sport and feel good again.

About the Speaker

Dr. Baez’s research examines the impact of psychosocial factors on health outcomes after sport-related injury. Her lab seeks to identify clinically feasible psychosocial interventions to improve health outcomes. Dr. Baez has been funded by the National Institutes of Health to support her work. She was the recipient of the American College of Sports Medicine New Investigator Award in 2023 and the National Athletic Trainers’ Association New Investigator Award in 2024.

Learn More About Dr. Baez Research

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Wet, Wild, and Wonderful: North Carolina's Wetlands
2024-09-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Join us for our next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the September cafe, we will welcome Kristie Gianopulos, a Wetland Scientist with the North Carolina Department of Environment Quality Division of Water Resources. We are excited to explore the wonders of wetlands in North Carolina and what we can do to protect them.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Cafe is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, September 3rd, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

Learn about North Carolina’s wetlands – what they are, where they can be found, why they are important, who lives in them, and how they form. Learn about the wetland types we have in North Carolina as well as some resources to find and explore a wetland near you.

About the Speaker

Kristie Gianopulos was raised in western New York where she completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biology, then moved to sunny Florida for her Master’s degree in Zoology, where she then worked in environmental consulting for a dozen years.

Her north and south experience prepared her well for the next dozen years in North Carolina, where she has been part of a small wetland research team in the NC Division of Water Resources, funded on a project basis through competitive EPA grants. In her time outside of work, she enjoys photography, kayaking, and reading travel books.

NC Wetlands Homepage

Guide to Common Wetlands Plants of NC

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Data on Contemporary Authoritarianism
2024-10-01 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Data on Contemporary Authoritarianism in Context: Russia since the Invasion of Ukraine

Join us for a special installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the October cafe, we will welcome Sasha de Vogel, a Post-Doctoral Fellow and Associate Director with the Authoritarian Politics Lab in the UNC Department of Political Science. This cafe is done in partnership with the University of North Carolina Postdoctoral Association.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Cafe is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, October 1st, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees.

A man being arrested for protesting with an unreadable sign. Credit: Associated Press

Before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Vladimir Putin’s government had already been designated as authoritarian. Since then, Russia has seen changes in its laws, more repression, and a growing acceptance of these harsh measures. As a result, Russians now find it nearly impossible to publicly oppose their government. This talk will examine the political shifts that have occurred in Russia since the war in Ukraine started.

About the Speaker

Sasha de Vogel is a post-doctoral fellow and associate director of the Authoritarian Politics Lab at UNC Chapel Hill. Her research addresses how authoritarian regimes manage their publics, in particular how they prevent or respond to protest, with a regional focus on Russia. Her scholarship has appeared in Conflict Management and Peace Studies, Democratization and Post-Soviet Affairs. She has a PhD in political science from the University of Michigan and previously held post-doctoral fellowships at New York University and Harvard University.

Learn More

Dr. Vogel’s Website

UNC Authoritarian Politics Lab

Teen Science Cafe | Spooky Space Stories
2024-10-25 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium Fulldome Theater, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27514, United States
Please join us at Morehead Planetarium on Friday, October 25th for a very exciting Teen Science Cafe! With Halloween right around the corner, we want to have some fun and share some spooky space stories. Join Morehead staff as we explore the universe, draw your own constellations, and celebrate the season. The right doors up the big stairs will open at 5:30 for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:00 and wrap up around 7:00ish.

All attendees are encouraged to dress up in a fun, school-appropriate costume or outfit. The best one will get a prize!

Program Schedule

5:30 pm – Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Pizza social. Pizza social will take place in our classrooms, located on the 2nd floor.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Discussion & activities. Trivia will also take place in the Full Dome Theather.

*Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Teen Science Cafe | Climate Change
2024-11-08 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
Please join us at Morehead Planetarium on Friday, November 8th for a very exciting Teen Science Cafe! This is a special cafe done as a part of our climate action plan that was written during the North Carolina Youth Climate Summit earlier this year. Members of our Teen Advisory Board will be returning to the Summit later this year to give an update and plan for the future.

We will be joined by an engaging STEM professional to discuss climate change and helping young people understand what they can do. Part of the presentation will include a PG-13 climate documentary due to bleeped language. For our activity this month, the Teen Advisory Board will lead a community recycled art project!If you bring in any of the following items to help with the art project, you get a sticker!

Bottle caps (Plastic or metal)

Soda can tabs

Scrap paper

Newspaper

Straws

Plastic lids

The right doors up the big stairs will open at 5:30 for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:00 and wrap up around 7:00ish.

Watch the trailer for the film that will be screened at Friday’s cafe!

Program Schedule

5:30 pm – Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Pizza social. Pizza social will take place in our classrooms, located on the 2nd floor.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Discussion & activities. Trivia will also take place in the Science Stage.

*Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.

Carolina Science Cafe | Three Minute Thesis Finalists
2024-11-12 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
UNC-Chapel Hill’s 2024 3MT Competition

Join us for a special installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the November cafe, we will welcome 5 outstanding graduate students from UNC to share their research in a series of lightning talks. This cafe is done in partnership with the University of North Carolina Three Minute Thesis Competition.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Cafe is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, November 12th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees. Note the change in date, this will be the 2nd Tuesday in November.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is an academic competition that assists current graduate students with fostering effective presentation and communication skills. Participants have just three minutes to explain the breadth and significance of their research project to a non-specialist audience.

3MT was developed by The University of Queensland in 2008, and is now held in more than 900 universities in 85 countries around the world.

Master’s degree and doctoral students enrolled at UNC-Chapel Hill from any discipline administered by The Graduate School are welcome to register and participate in the competition.

Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Skywatching at Prairie Ridge Ecostation
2024-11-23 19:00 - 22:00 | Prairie Ridge Ecostation, 1671 Gold Star Dr., Raleigh, North Carolina, 27607, United States
Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will be at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences’ winter astronomy night with the Raleigh Astronomy Club! Weather permitting, we’ll have telescopes for skywatching, guided by astronomy educators. Morehead will be onsite from 7 to 9 p.m. for this event.

We recommend dressing for the weather and leaving pets at home. The gate to the road will be open at 6:50 p.m. – please do not arrive earlier as there is nowhere to park safely outside the gate.

Learn more about this event

Carolina Science Cafe | Spatial Intelligence & AI
2024-12-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Spatial Intelligence and Embodied AI: Understanding and Interacting with the Real World

Join us for the next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the December cafe, we will welcome Richard Marks from the UNC School of Data Science and Society to discuss his work on generative AI and mixed reality (XR) technology.

The recent advancements in generative AI have enabled many exciting new digital applications such as ChatGPT, Copilot, and Midjourney. So what’s next? Spatial intelligence enables computers to perceive and interpret the real world and share the same physical context that we as people just take for granted. Embodied AI takes this one step further by using this perception to plan and execute actions and then learn from this interaction with the surroundings. These capabilities enable many new applications, from self-driving cars to graphical chatbots to personal robots.

Dr. Marks will describe these new directions and explain how they connect to his previous work in computer vision, virtual reality, and physical simulation. The talk will highlight many prototypes and past research from the internal labs of Sony and Google.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Cafe is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, December 3rd, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees. Parking is available in the parking deck behind the building if the lot out front if full.

About the Speaker

Dr. Richard Marks is a new professor at UNC in the School of Data Science and Society. Previous to UNC, he was a director and technical project lead at Google, overseeing an applied research team. Before that, Richard was at PlayStation R&D where he founded the Magic Lab and helped create the EyeToy, PlayStation Move, and PlayStation VR. He is an inventor on over 100 patents. He studied avionics at MIT then got his PhD from Stanford in underwater robotics. Currently, Richard is teaching an introductory data science class; last year, he taught Virtual Reality and 3D graphics. His research focuses on the combination of AI and XR.

The Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Nutrition Science & Flashy Headlines
2025-01-07 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Red dye, seed oils, and corn syrup, oh my! What nutrition science really says about what’s healthy to eat.

Join us for the next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the January Cafe, we will be joined by Dr. Lindsey Smith Taillie from the UNC Department of Nutrition in the Gillings School of Public Health to discuss recent nutrition headlines, the science behind them, and why it’s all so confusing.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Cafe is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, January 7th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees. Parking is available in the parking deck behind the building if the lot out front if full.

Is bacon more harmful than our health than cigarettes? Is chocolate good for our hearts or not? And what’s the deal with eggs, anyway? Nutrition is often in the headlines after new studies are released, often with confusing results and recommendations that flip flop.

In this presentation, we’ll talk about recent nutrition headlines, the science behind them, and why it’s all so confusing. We’ll also cover how the food industry has interfered with nutrition science and policy and generated a lot of the noise. Lastly, we’ll explore what the data actually tell us about what’s healthy (and not) as well as some potential policy options to make the healthier choice the easier choice.

About the Speaker

Lindsey Smith Taillie is an associate professor and associate chair of nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on examining how the food environment affects unhealthy diets, obesity, and diabetes as well as evaluating food policies to promote healthier diets in the US and globally.

Dr. Taillie is co-director of the Global Food Research Program and currently co-leads a large multi-country project to inform and evaluate an array of healthy food policies around the world including in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. In the US, her work has focused on policies including marketing restrictions, nutrition labels, taxes on sugary drinks, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program and WIC, and school foods. Dr. Taillie’s food policy work has been featured in many major news outlets, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and The Guardian.

Click Here to Learn More About Dr. Taillie’s Work

The Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Solar Fuels
2025-02-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
From Sunlight to Sweet Fuels: How Plants Do It

Join us for the next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the February Cafe, we will be joined by Dr. Seun Oyetade from the Cahoon Group in the UNC Department of Chemistry to discuss his research on solar fuels. You can read more in a recent article published by Dave DeFusco titled “Innovative Fuzzy Graphene Technique Paving the Way for Carbon-Neutral Economy.”

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Cafe is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, February 4th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees. Parking is available in the parking deck behind the building if the lot out front if full.

In this exciting talk, we will discuss the groundbreaking world of solar fuels – a sustainable technology that aims to use sunlight to convert greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide, into useful, renewable fuels. Learn how scientists are working to capture earth’s abundant energy source, convert it into chemical fuels, and pave the way for a cleaner, sustainable future. Discover how solar fuels could be the key to a carbon-free world and solving the global energy crisis.

About the Speaker

Dr. Seun Oyetade obtained his PhD degree in Environmental Physical Chemistry from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and currently serves as a postdoctoral research associate at the Cahoon Laboratory at UNC. His research focuses on understanding the physical properties of nanomaterials through chemical synthesis, and their application in wastewater remediation and solar energy.

The Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Carolina Science Cafe | Brain-Machine Interfaces
2025-03-04 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Connecting Minds with Machines

Join us for the next installment of the Carolina Science Cafe, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center’s free, current science awareness program. For the March Cafe, we will be joined by Dr. Amol P. Yadav from the UNC-NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill to discuss his research on brain-spine interfaces, multi-animal brain-nets and closed-loop stimulation.

Designed for adults, this program explores science topics making national and international headlines and offers the chance to meet the experts behind the headlines. The Carolina Science Cafe is hosted at Haw River Tab & Table in Carrboro on Tuesday, March 4th, starting at 6:00 p.m. with light appetizers available for all attendees. Parking is available in the parking deck behind the building if the lot out front if full.

About the Speaker

Dr. Amol Yadav is an Assistant Professor in the UNC-NCSU Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at UNC-Chapel Hill. He earned his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2015 from Duke University in the laboratory of Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, where he developed tools to advance brain-machine interfaces using spinal cord neuromodulation, and pioneered technologies such as brain-spine interfaces, multi-animal brain-nets and closed-loop stimulation

His research lies at the intersection of Neuroscience and Engineering, and his lab specializes in spinal cord stimulation, high-density neural recording, computational modeling, behavioral experimentation in rodents and human clinical trials with invasive technologies. To advance translational ideas and to bridge the gap between pre-clinical and clinical research, the lab collaborates with surgeons, clinicians, basic scientists, and other engineers.

The Carolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi.

You do not need to register…just show up!

Teen Science Cafe | Psychology
2025-03-21 17:30 - 19:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
The Science of Individuality: A Psychological Exploration of What Makes You, You

Please join us at Morehead Planetarium on Friday, March 21st for a very exciting Teen Science Cafe! After unfortunately cancelling last month’s cafe due to inclement weather, we will welcome Dylan Wood, AP Psychology teacher from Chapel Hill High School, for an in-depth look at the concept of nature versus nurture.Exploring the timeless debate of nature vs. nurture, this seminar delves into what makes individuals unique. We will examine the factors that shape personal preferences, behaviors, and inclinations, uncovering the psychological and environmental influences that drive what we like and how we see the world.

Our monthly cafes include exciting activities, engaging talks from expert speakers, and even free food! Plus, we cover a variety of different topics, ranging from cell biology to deep space galaxies, making it a one-of-a-kind spot for high school students to explore new ideas, interact with each other, and have fun!

The Morehead Teen Science Cafe is where learning meets fun in a space-themed setting. Located on the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center has a history of training astronauts for moon missions, has a giant dome theater, schedules frequent shows, and so much more.The right doors up the big stairs will open at 5:30 for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:00 and wrap up around 7:00ish.

About the Speaker

Dylan Wood is an award-winning AP Psychology teacher at Chapel Hill High School. He studied History and Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and later earned a Masters in the Art of Teaching from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In his free time, he likes to read, coach track and field, and spend time with friends and family.

Program Schedule

5:30 pm – Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Pizza social. Pizza social will take place in our classrooms, located on the 2nd floor.

6:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Discussion & activities. The presentation and discussion will take place in our educational space.

*Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
