News Briefs

UNC’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center will host a skywatching session on Thursday (Aug. 11) as the Perseid meteor shower approaches its peak.

The free session will be 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. at Jordan Lake’s Ebenezer Church Recreation Area, near U.S. 64.

Blankets and lawn chairs are recommended for this family friendly event. Education team members from the Morehead Center will bring telescopes and offer guidance to those who want to see Jupiter and the quarter moon more closely.

At its peak in the early morning hours of Friday (Aug. 12), the Perseid meteor shower may provide 40 or more sightings per hour. Perseid meteors, typically fast, seem to appear from the area of the constellation Perseus in the northeastern sky. However, other meteors may appear, too, so viewing is possible in any area of the night sky.

If weather conditions don’t permit skywatching, the Morehead Center will post cancellation notices on its Web site, www.moreheadplanetarium.org, and on its recorded information line, (919) 549-6863.

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The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium, a statewide partnership based at UNC’s School of Government, is seeking grant applications from organizations working to develop effective citizenship among North Carolina’s youth.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation has provided the Civic Education Consortium with another year of funding to support the Small Grants Program. The consortium began the program to increase and support civic education and engagement projects statewide. The foundation has provided funding for the program since 1998 to support efforts to teach young people about their rights, responsibilities and opportunities as members of a democratic society.

Grants, awarded for one year, range from $1,000 to $10,000.

The consortium is especially interested in funding programs that directly involve youth in local government or service-based programs, as well as collaborations among various community or school organizations. During the past seven years, the consortium has awarded grants totaling $347,000 to 59 programs statewide, reaching more than 200,000 young people.

The application form is available at www.civics.org or by contacting Leslie Anderson at lesliea@ioa.com or (828) 252-4913. Applications are due Sept. 20 by 5 p.m.

The North Carolina Civic Education Consortium, a nonpartisan statewide partnership, was formed in 1997 with the support of the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation and with the goal of preparing North Carolina’s young people to be active, responsible citizens.

The Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation was established in 1936 as a memorial to the youngest son of the founder of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. The foundation currently gives special attention to several focus areas: community-building and economic development; the environment; governance, public policy and civic engagement; pre-collegiate education; and social justice and equity. The foundation is based in Winston-Salem.

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News Services contact: Deb Saine, (919) 962-8415 or deborah_saine@unc.edu