Test drive a robot, create your own “slime,” build a boat out of duct tape, or help recreate North Carolina using LEGOs. The possibilities are endless as you check out Triangle SciTech Expo at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and immerse yourself in the excitement of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), Saturday, April 28, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free.
Featuring more than 50 hands-on exhibits, games, crafts, activities and presentations, Triangle SciTech Expo is a unique event that assembles scientists and technical professionals from universities and industry to engage visitors of all ages in the world of STEM. Visitors will learn about the Triangle area’s history and promising future as a leader in these fields, as well as why these fields are important to their daily lives.
Special to this year’s event — “Diversify STEM: Youth Connections” at 10 a.m. is an exciting opportunity for middle and high school youth from all backgrounds to hear inspirational women and minority STEM professionals talk about their careers and share their personal stories. Speakers include Chelsey Juarez, assistant professor in the N.C. State University Department of Sociology and Anthropology; Rene Daughtry, program manager with Cisco Systems and founder/CEO of Aisymmetry LLC; Stephanie Schuttler, postdoctoral research associate with the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences; and Richard Lee Watkins III, program coordinator with the UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor’s Science Scholars Program and founder of the Science Policy Action Network, Inc. (SPAN).
Additional presentations include a closer look at neuroscience (and a real brain) with N.C. State University assistant professor John Meitzen at 11:30 a.m.; a glimpse at the chocolate-making process with Escazu co-founder and chocolate maker Hallot Parsons at 1 p.m.; and a study of how robots have evolved in our culture — from movies and cartoons to our everyday lives — with Marie Hopper, president of FIRST North Carolina at 2 p.m.
Visitors can also meet Muraco Bobcat and learn about the more than 20 species that live at the Conservators Center in Burlington, hear about a new Community Lab Space coming to Durham, set up a simple plant-growing experiment to take home, discover cool research projects on sharks and electric hearts led by local scientists, or design their own rover to fit the challenges of exploring a distant planet.
Triangle SciTech Expo is an official expo of the NC Science Festival and is sponsored by Biogen Foundation. Find out more at naturalsciences.org, or follow #TriSciTech on Twitter or Instagram.