Teen Science Cafe: Food & Microbiomes

Food & Microbiomes with Dr. Erin McKenney

Please 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. 

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.

About Dr. McKenney

Dr. 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.

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.