Full STEAM Ahead: NC Science Festival spreads the joy of science across the state

This article was written for our sponsor, Morehead Planetarium

For those who want to meet snakes and owls in a drive-thru tour, watch robots face off in a sumo wrestling sumo-bot competition, or talk about astronomy over a pint, the North Carolina Science Festival has everything you’re looking for, and maybe some things you didn’t even know you were looking for!

From making a bottle-rocket in Asheville and exploring the STEAM of racecars at the Charlotte Motor Speedway to learning how to help sustain our beautiful oceans, the statewide NC Science Festival truly offers opportunities to satisfy any curiosity and to spark a love of science in a huge variety of ways.

Founded in 2010, the Science Festival was the first statewide festival of its kind in the United States. An initiative of the Morehead Planetarium at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the month-long event continues to be one of the largest celebrations of science in the world.

The goal is to show people of all ages that science is for them. That it is engaging, and, most important of all, that it is fun! Events located across the state tend to be family-friendly, with some events targeted to specific age-groups, including some fantastic opportunities for adults to enjoy a night-out with science.

While this year’s festival continues the tradition of incredibly engaging events throughout all counties, this April, the NC Science Festival has returned “Full STEAM Ahead” with a focus on adding Art to the traditional STEM acronym.

Erik MacIntosh is the program manager for the NC Science Festival and says that the statewide reach is an essential aspect. “We have a mission to serve the entire state,” he said.

To accomplish that mission, MacIntosh, and the NC SciFest team, partners with schools, colleges, libraries, museums, parks, and businesses across the state. Throughout April, they will host more than 800 events (including 400+ public events) in all 100 counties, hoping to ensure that everyone in the state has the opportunity to experience science.

“The North Carolina Science Festival and our other initiatives are designed to make science fun and engaging and accessible,” MacIntosh said.

The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center and the NC Science Festival frame their work through the lens of “Science for All,” a motto that emphasizes their belief that everyone deserves access to high-quality STEM education.

In 2023, leaders of the festival hope to further the equitable mission by partnering with HBCUs and organizations that specifically serve under-represented populations.

Other initiatives of the NC Science Festival include Duke Energy Science Nights, which provide schools with the resources to create an engaging science night for their students and families, the Statewide Star Party, which partners with 35 organizations across the state to host skywatching events on April 21 and 22, and the NC Gravity Games, a soapbox derby car race for middle and high school students.

“Even if people can't necessarily come to Morehead and Chapel Hill to visit the planetarium, we can still share some of our resources and excitement and passion, and provide opportunities to engage with partners throughout the state,” said MacIntosh.

To learn more about those initiatives or find a science event in your area, visit NCSciFest.org.

UNC Science Expo

To kick off the North Carolina Science Festival, Morehead will host the UNC Science Expo on April 1 from 11am to 4pm. The public event features over 500 scientists and community members who will share their research through activities and demonstrations.

Spread out across the grounds of Morehead Planetarium, the Expo allows visitors to get up close and personal with cutting-edge science, hands-on activities, demonstrations, games, lab tours, and performances.

“We're fortunate to be on the university campus and have access to some incredible resources,” said MacIntosh. “We have scientists and researchers at this world class institution, and so our mission is to share those resources and help spread the word and excitement for science.”

For scientists at UNC, the expo gives them the chance to share their work with an audience who typically wouldn’t get the chance to see it, while visitors can ask questions and interact with current research through demonstrations.

As one of the biggest single-day STEM celebrations in the state, the UNC Science Expo is the ultimate opening to a month of fun through the North Carolina Science Festival.

This article was written for our sponsor, Morehead Planetarium