uncnews.unc.edu

Rappers and race cars will offer a fresh look at science on Sept. 25 during the first celebration of its kind on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The free UNC Science Expo runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is presented by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center as part of the North Carolina Science Festival.

A small sampling of the day’s activities includes:

• A talk with Nobel Prize winner Dr. Oliver Smithies, facilitated by UNC President Emeritus William Friday;
• Demonstrations including catapults and trebuchets, virtual reality, wave simulation machine and Segways;
• Stage shows including Baba Brinkman performing "The Rap Guide to Evolution";
• Science talks including sports and technology, science and music, North Carolina’s changing coastline, advances in cancer treatment and neuroscience;
• "Science on wheels" exhibits featuring Ryan Newman's NASCAR race car, a Town of Chapel Hill fire truck and a UNC Health Care ambulance;
• Tours of UNC departments including physics and astronomy, mathematics, archaeology and anthropology, biology and the North Carolina Botanical Garden;
• The North Carolina Science Challenge – a series of hands-on activities that test the abilities of students in third to 10th grade to solve science problems creatively; and
• "Small Science" activity zone for preschoolers.

Most of the hands-on activities will take place outdoors on McCorkle Place, between Franklin Street and the Old Well, and around Kenan Music Building and Hill Hall. The Science Stage shows will take place at the west entrance of the planetarium, while the tours and talks by faculty experts are centered in the buildings of the Science Complex.

Free parking is available on campus, and paid parking is available at the Rams Head lot or in the Town of Chapel Hill deck on Rosemary Street. The expo will take place rain or shine. In the event of rain, check www.moreheadplanetarium.org that morning for a revised map.

UNC Science Expo schedule and map: http://www.moreheadplanetarium.org/files/2010_ncscifest_expo_schedule&map.pdf.

N.C. Science Festival schedule: http://www.ncsciencefestival.org/

 Morehead Planetarium and Science Center media contact: Karen Kornegay, (919) 843-7952, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
News Services contact: Susan Houston, (919) 962-8415, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it