Morehead Planetarium and Science Center

Teen Science Cafe: AI Applications
2026-02-20 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
Please join us at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for February’s Teen Science Cafe! In this session, we’ll be discussing AI applications. Stay tuned for more information on this month’s speaker!Open to teens ages 13-18, 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!Doors will open at 6:00 pm for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:30 pm and wrap up around 7:30 pm.

Learn more about Teen Science Cafe

Program Schedule

6:00 pm: Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

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

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Discussion & activities. Trivia will take place in the Science Stage.

Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

Carolina Science Cafe: Songbirds
2026-03-03 18:00 - 19:00 | Haw River Tap & Table, 300 E Main St C, Carrboro, NC, 27510, United States
Access to mates biased by parental favoritism in songbirds

In songbirds, the morphology of the vocal tract predicts song performance, and song performance affects access to mates. This, in turn, raises the question as to what causes this vocal-tract morphological variation. In March’s Carolina Science Cafe, Dr. Keith Sockman will discuss the recent analyses from his laboratory’s 20-year dataset on wild, free-ranging Lincoln’s sparrows at our montane field site in Colorado, which have revealed developmental constraints on the vocal tract, driven in part by parental favoritism toward some nestlings over their sibling nestmates.

Designed for adults, Carolina Science Cafe is a free program that explores science topics making national and international headlines, offering the chance to meet the experts behind the work. This special program is hosted at Haw River Tap & Table in Carrboro on the first Tuesday of every month. Light appetizers are available for all attendees.

About the Speaker

Dr. Keith Sockman earned a PhD in Zoology in 2000 at Washington State University, studying reproductive flexibility in American kestrels. His postdoctoral work at The Johns Hopkins University focused on the neurobiology of mate choice and reproductive timing in songbirds. His initial appointment in the Department of Biology at UNC Chapel Hill was in 2004, at which point he started a long-term study on the behavioral ecology and reproductive decisions of wild songbirds. He enjoys cycling, camping, and spending time with his two teenagers.

See Dr. Sockman’s work

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: Visualizing Space
2026-03-20 18:00 - 19:30 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
Please join us at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for March’s Teen Science Cafe! In this session, we’ll be discussing AI applications. Stay tuned for more information on this month’s speaker!Open to teens ages 13-18, 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!Doors will open at 6:00 pm for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:30 pm and wrap up around 7:30 pm.

Learn more about Teen Science Cafe

Program Schedule

6:00 pm: Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

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

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Discussion & activities. Trivia will take place in the Science Stage.

Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

Teen Science Cafe: Hollywood Science
2026-04-24 18:00 - 19:30 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
Please join us at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for April’s Teen Science Cafe! In this session, we’ll be discussing Hollywood science. Stay tuned for more information on this month’s speaker!Open to teens ages 13-18, 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!Doors will open at 6:00 pm for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:30 pm and wrap up around 7:30 pm.

Learn more about Teen Science Cafe

Program Schedule

6:00 pm: Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

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

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Discussion & activities. Trivia will take place in the Science Stage.

Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.

Teen Science Cafe: Plants
2026-05-15 08:00 - 17:00 | Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, 250 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27516, United States
Please join us at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for May’s Teen Science Cafe! In this session, we’ll be discussing plants. Stay tuned for more information on this month’s speaker!Open to teens ages 13-18, 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!Doors will open at 6:00 pm for pizza and conversation. The cafe will start at 6:30 pm and wrap up around 7:30 pm.

Learn more about Teen Science Cafe

Program Schedule

6:00 pm: Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west, main entrance of Morehead.

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

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Discussion & activities. Trivia will take place in the Science Stage.

Please Note: Depending on scheduled activities, the program may end between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.
