Universe Week = family fun + science
A new week of educational fun called UNC Universe Week heralds the return of the UNC Science Expo, the biggest local event of the N.C. Science Festival.
So we hear there’s some basketball game happening this weekend. But we know where the cool kids will be hanging out. March Madness? That’s so 10 minutes ago. Time to adventure into April forUNC Universe Week, hosted by the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.
UNC Universe Week is seven days of free, in-person and virtual celebrations of science at Carolina, leading up to theUNC Science Expo on April 9. The expo will be the first full-scale, in-person event since 2019. Both are part of the statewideNorth Carolina Science Festival, which features more than 300 events throughout April.
UNC Universe Week is full of family-friendly fun focused on young learners from toddlers to teens. Thecomplete schedule of eventsis online, but here are some highlights of the adventures in store:
Stare into the sun!
Safely view the sun with NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors and Raleigh Astronomy Club members Mike Keefe and Doug Lively, along with Morehead Planetarium staff.
Solar Viewing at the Morehead Sundial, 2-4 p.m. April 3.
Children will have a chance to participate in hands-on science activities during the UNC Science Expo.
(Don’t) crash cars!
You are a transportation worker who has been asked to find ways to improve a stretch of local road in a residential area. What can you do to make the road safer? What will make it easier to travel by foot or bike? Seth LaJeunesse from the UNC Highway Safety Research Center will guide students through this virtual exercise to design a safe roadway.
Street Smarts, 9:30 a.m. April 6, streaming online.Register for the linkto be able to interact with presenters.
Experiment with physics!
Carolina physics faculty will present phenomenal demonstrations that will surprise and excite curious minds. Come prepared to make predictions and ask questions about physics experiments that are seriously phun.
Fun with Physics, 10:30 a.m. April 7, streaming online.Register for the linkto be able to interact with presenters.
Meet women leaders in STEM!
Join women leaders in STEM as they discuss their career journeys. Kicking off the event is special keynote from Katie Mack (@AstroKatie), a theoretical astrophysicist who studies a range of questions in cosmology, the study of the universe from beginning to end. Following will be a panel discussion with Joan D. Barber, a groundbreaking renal researcher and the first Black postdoctoral fellow in the UNC School of Medicine; Christy L. Shaffer, a leader in clinical research with 30+ years in industry and nonprofit; and NASA astronaut Christina Hammock Koch. The panel will be moderated by Crystal Harden, director of program and inclusion initiatives at Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.
Career Stories: Celebrating Women Leaders in STEM, 5-7 p.m. April 7, Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.Registration required.
Teens and tweens see science in action at the 2016 UNC Science Expo.
Celebrate science!
Morehead’s signature event returns, where hundreds of Carolina scientists and researchers share their work with the public. With hands-on activities, food trucks, demonstrations, lab tours, games and performances, this is one of the biggest celebrations of science in the state. Come celebrate all the hard work and research Carolina scientists do right here on campus.
UNC Science Expo, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 9, Morehead Planetarium and booths along Cameron Avenue.
