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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260106T180000
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DTSTAMP:20260403T180240
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UID:37990-1767722400-1767726000@moreheadplanetarium.org
SUMMARY:Carolina Science Cafe: Are We Alone?
DESCRIPTION:Are We Alone? Thoughts on the Fermi Paradox\n\n\n\nDoes the Cosmos teem with intelligence\, or are we alone? This existential issue eats at our souls. In this talk\, Dr. Brand Fortner will share how we use the Fermi Paradox\, the Drake equation\, the Rare Earth hypothesis\, the Weak Anthropic principle\, the Doomsday calculation\, and the Great Filter to answer this most important of all questions. \n\n\n\nDesigned 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. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Speaker\n\n\n\nBrand Fortner is a teaching professor at North Carolina State University\, where he teaches astronomy\, astrophysics\, and physics\, and is an adjunct professor of physics at UNC-Chapel Hill. Previously holding positions at NASA and Johns Hopkins University\, Brand earned a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois in high-energy astrophysics and founded two scientific software companies. Additionally\, he has written books on color vision and technical data and is in high demand for his public lectures on all things astronomical. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi. \n\n\n\nYou do not need to register…just show up!
URL:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/calendar/carolina-science-cafe-are-we-alone/
LOCATION:Haw River Tap & Table\, 300 E Main St C\, Carrboro\, NC\, 27510\, United States
CATEGORIES:Teen And Adult Programs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Carolina-Science-Cafe-1920x842-1.jpeg
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260130T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260130T193000
DTSTAMP:20260403T180241
CREATED:20250825T184110Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260116T201225Z
UID:36745-1769796000-1769801400@moreheadplanetarium.org
SUMMARY:Teen Science Cafe: Food & Microbiomes
DESCRIPTION:Food & Microbiomes with Dr. Erin McKenney\n\n\n\nPlease join us at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center for January’s Teen Science Cafe! This month\, we welcome Dr. Erin McKenney\, who will be sharing her work on food and gut microbiomes in both animals and humans.  \n\n\n\n\n\nOpen 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. \n\n\n\n\nLearn more about Teen Science Cafe\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout Dr. McKenney\n\n\n\nDr. Erin McKenney is an assistant professor and Director of Undergraduate Programs at North Carolina State University. She studies how microbial communities form over time and how they adapt to their environments. Her research incorporates microbial ecology\, nutrition\, and comparative gut morphology to learn how gut microbes affect health – and how humans can leverage or upset that balance. For over a decade\, Dr. McKenney has investigated evolutionary adaptation across different scales and species\, between non-human primates and carnivores and their gut microbes. More recently\, she has expanded her research to sourdough and other fermented foods that can be studied without laboratory equipment\, using citizen science research to empower students of all ages and all over the world. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nProgram Schedule\n\n\n\n6:00 pm: Arrive and check in. We will gather inside the west\, main entrance of Morehead. \n\n\n\n6:00 – 6:30 pm: Pizza social. The pizza social will take place in our classrooms\, located on the 2nd floor. \n\n\n\n6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Discussion & activities. Trivia will take place in the Science Stage. \n\n\n\nPlease Note: Depending on scheduled activities\, the program may end between 7:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.
URL:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/calendar/teen-science-cafe-food-microbiome/
LOCATION:Morehead Planetarium and Science Center\, 250 E Franklin St\, Chapel Hill\, North Carolina\, 27516\, United States
CATEGORIES:Teen And Adult Programs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/FB_TSC.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260203T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260203T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T180241
CREATED:20260106T203049Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T204835Z
UID:38187-1770141600-1770145200@moreheadplanetarium.org
SUMMARY:Carolina Science Cafe: The Big Bang
DESCRIPTION:Reaching back to the Big Bang from one of the highest places on Earth\n\n\n\nScientists are pushing to the most extreme observing sites in the world to study the universe’s most ancient light. New telescopes and cameras harness cryogenic cooling power to deploy pixels chilled to near absolute zero to study the remnants of the Big Bang. During February’s Carolina Science Cafe\, Dr. Eve Vavagiakis will introduce the cosmic microwave background and shine some light on how we use the universe as a laboratory for fundamental physics. In addition\, she will discuss exciting new telescopes and what it’s like to deploy cutting-edge technologies on ancient stratovolcanoes in the Chilean Atacama Desert. \n\n\n\nDesigned 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. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Speaker\n\n\n\nDr. Eve Vavagiakis (she/her) is an Assistant Professor at Duke University and a previous postdoctoral fellow at Cornell University. In her spare time\, she enjoys anything active and outdoors\, especially climbing mountains\, even when there aren’t telescopes on top. \n\n\n\n\nSee the speaker’s work\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi. \n\n\n\nYou do not need to register…just show up!
URL:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/calendar/carolina-science-cafe-the-big-bang/
LOCATION:Haw River Tap & Table\, 300 E Main St C\, Carrboro\, NC\, 27510\, United States
CATEGORIES:Teen And Adult Programs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Carolina-Science-Cafe-1920x842-1.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260303T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260303T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T180241
CREATED:20260127T171748Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260227T161849Z
UID:38436-1772560800-1772564400@moreheadplanetarium.org
SUMMARY:Carolina Science Cafe: Songbirds
DESCRIPTION:Access to mates biased by parental favoritism in songbirds \n\n\n\nIn 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 their 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. \n\n\n\nDesigned 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. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Speaker\n\n\n\nDr. 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. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSee Dr. Sockman’s work\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi. \n\n\n\nYou do not need to register…just show up!
URL:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/calendar/carolina-science-cafe-march26/
LOCATION:Haw River Tap & Table\, 300 E Main St C\, Carrboro\, NC\, 27510\, United States
CATEGORIES:Teen And Adult Programs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Carolina-Science-Cafe-1920x842-1.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260407T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260407T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T180241
CREATED:20260309T145008Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T183124Z
UID:38827-1775584800-1775588400@moreheadplanetarium.org
SUMMARY:Carolina Science Cafe: Science Under Pressure
DESCRIPTION:(Megan Mendenhall / Office of Research Communications)\n\n\n\n\nScience Under Pressure: What’s at Stake for Research at Carolina\n\n\n\nUNC-Chapel Hill generates over $1 billion in research annually with discoveries that shape medicine\, technology\, and public health across North Carolina and beyond. However\, the federal landscape that funds this work is shifting fast. Join UNC’s Vice Chancellor for Research\, Dr. Penny Gordon-Larsen\, for an inside look at what Carolina scientists are building\, what’s at stake in Washington\, and why it matters to all of us. \n\n\n\nDesigned 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. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Speaker\n\n\n\nPenny Gordon-Larsen\, PhD\, Vice Chancellor for Research and William R. Kenan\, Jr. Distinguished Professor in Nutrition \n\n\n\n\n\n(Megan Mendenhall / Office of Research Communications)\n\n\n\n\nAs vice chancellor for research\, Gordon-Larsen develops\, sets strategic direction\, and provides support for UNC’s $1.5 billion research enterprise. She is responsible for research infrastructure\, operations\, and regulatory compliance\, research development\, translation\, and communications\, as well as strategic research partnerships. In addition\, she oversees 13 pan-campus\, interdisciplinary research centers and institutes. She works across campus with the University’s research deans\, center/ institute directors\, and key institutional leaders to strategically advance Carolina’s research enterprise. She is an obesity researcher and has served as principal investigator on research projects totaling over $23.6 million and has served as a co-investigator on an additional $49.1M interdisciplinary research team projects with collaborators. Her NIH-funded research portfolio ranges from molecular and genetic to environmental and societal-level factors that influence health and obesity and its cardiometabolic consequences.  \n\n\n\nGordon-Larsen served as president of The Obesity Society in 2015 and a member of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Advisory Council from 2020 to 2023. She also served on the 2020–2030 Strategic Plan for NIH Nutrition Research Thought Leaders Panel\, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Strategic Plan Working Group\, and the NIH Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Integration Working Group. She is on the Executive Committees for Research of the Association of American Universities and the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and is currently serving on the Joint Associations Group (JAG) on Indirect Costs\, a coalition of national organizations representing academic\, medical\, and independent research institutions. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nMore about UNC Research\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi. \n\n\n\nYou do not need to register…just show up!
URL:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/calendar/carolina-science-cafe-science-under-pressure/
LOCATION:Haw River Tap & Table\, 300 E Main St C\, Carrboro\, NC\, 27510\, United States
CATEGORIES:Teen And Adult Programs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Carolina-Science-Cafe-1920x842-1.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260505T190000
DTSTAMP:20260403T180241
CREATED:20260316T182906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T185003Z
UID:38870-1778004000-1778007600@moreheadplanetarium.org
SUMMARY:Carolina Science Cafe: US Vaccination Programs
DESCRIPTION:US Vaccination Programs: Reasons for Optimism and Action\n\n\n\nWhat unites Americans? Being vaccinated! More of us get vaccines than use smartphones\, own cars\, or watch reality TV. In May’s installation\, Professor of Health Behavior Dr. Melissa B. Gilkey will share research on the parent advocates and clinical champions who make US vaccination programs possible. In addition\, we will discuss ways to support these programs to ensure that we all have the opportunity to protect our families from measles\, human papillomavirus (HPV) cancers\, and other vaccine-preventable diseases.  \n\n\n\nDesigned 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. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Speaker\n\n\n\nMelissa B. Gilkey\, PhD\, (she/her) is a Professor of Health Behavior in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. With research interests in cancer prevention and adolescent health\, she studies ways to help healthcare providers communicate about vaccines\, often with a focus on the HPV vaccine. \n\n\n\n\nLearn more about Dr. Gilkey\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCarolina Science Cafe is produced by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and sponsored by the UNC Chapter of Sigma Xi. \n\n\n\nYou do not need to register…just show up!
URL:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/calendar/carolina-science-cafe-us-vaccination-programs/
LOCATION:Haw River Tap & Table\, 300 E Main St C\, Carrboro\, NC\, 27510\, United States
CATEGORIES:Teen And Adult Programs
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://moreheadplanetarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Carolina-Science-Cafe-1920x842-1.jpeg
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