North Carolina Science Festival
Encyclopedia
The North Carolina Science Festival (NCSF) is a multi-week event encompassing hundreds of science education and outreach events throughout the state of North Carolina
. The festival is organized by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., and highlights the educational, cultural and economic impact of science in the state. NCSF events include hands-on activities, talks, lab tours, exhibits and performances for all ages.
and Observe the Moon night
Many of the festival's 413 scheduled activities were hosted by museums and universities. Some were hosted by businesses with science connections; for example, North Carolina's wine industry was showcased in events featuring the science of winemaking. The University of North Carolina hosted Jamie Hyneman
and Adam Savage
of Mythbusters
for a program at the Smith Center with nearly 5,000 in attendance.. East Carolina University and Go-Science hosted more than 2,000 participants for the Eastern Regional Science Expo with exhibitions and demonstrations. The festival concluded with the UNC Science Expo at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
.
The inaugural festival offered programs at 89 participating organizations, with 22 percent of these programs in the mountain region, 63 percent in the piedmont region and 15 percent in the coastal region. As of Oct. 7, 2010, 60 host organizations had already reported attendance for 98 events totalling 89,494 participants.
Sponsors for the 2010 North Carolina Science Festival were Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Time Warner Cable and SAS (platinum level); Biogen Idec, Lenovo, Magellan Science, The News & Observer and UNC Health Care (gold level); Inspire Pharmaceuticals, NC STEM Community Collaborative and UNC School of Education (silver level); BB&T, The Research Triangle Park, Life Technologies Foundation, Dr. Nicholas B. Duck and family and the NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation (bronze level); with WRAL-TV5 and GoAskMom on WRAL.com as media sponsors.
Although no plans are confirmed at this time, the next North Carolina Science Festival is tentatively scheduled for April 2012.
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The festival is organized by Morehead Planetarium and Science Center in Chapel Hill, N.C., and highlights the educational, cultural and economic impact of science in the state. NCSF events include hands-on activities, talks, lab tours, exhibits and performances for all ages.
Inaugural North Carolina Science Festival, 2010
The first North Carolina Science Festival was held Sept. 11-26, 2010, featuring Bugfest at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History as its kick-off event. The festival coordinated with the USA Science and Engineering FestivalUSA Science and Engineering Festival
USA Science and Engineering Festival was a science festival in Washington, D.C. that founder Larry Book deemed the country’s first national science festival. The inaugural event was held from October 10, 2010 through October 24, 2010 and was planned to be a yearly event. The two week festival...
and Observe the Moon night
Many of the festival's 413 scheduled activities were hosted by museums and universities. Some were hosted by businesses with science connections; for example, North Carolina's wine industry was showcased in events featuring the science of winemaking. The University of North Carolina hosted Jamie Hyneman
Jamie Hyneman
James Franklin "Jamie" Hyneman is an American special effects expert, best known for being the co-host of the television series MythBusters. He is also the owner of M5 Industries, the special effects workshop where MythBusters is filmed...
and Adam Savage
Adam Savage
Adam Whitney Savage is an American industrial design and special effects designer/fabricator, actor, educator, and co-host of the Discovery Channel television series MythBusters. His model work has appeared in major films, including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and The Matrix...
of Mythbusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...
for a program at the Smith Center with nearly 5,000 in attendance.. East Carolina University and Go-Science hosted more than 2,000 participants for the Eastern Regional Science Expo with exhibitions and demonstrations. The festival concluded with the UNC Science Expo at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.
The inaugural festival offered programs at 89 participating organizations, with 22 percent of these programs in the mountain region, 63 percent in the piedmont region and 15 percent in the coastal region. As of Oct. 7, 2010, 60 host organizations had already reported attendance for 98 events totalling 89,494 participants.
Sponsors for the 2010 North Carolina Science Festival were Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Time Warner Cable and SAS (platinum level); Biogen Idec, Lenovo, Magellan Science, The News & Observer and UNC Health Care (gold level); Inspire Pharmaceuticals, NC STEM Community Collaborative and UNC School of Education (silver level); BB&T, The Research Triangle Park, Life Technologies Foundation, Dr. Nicholas B. Duck and family and the NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation (bronze level); with WRAL-TV5 and GoAskMom on WRAL.com as media sponsors.
Although no plans are confirmed at this time, the next North Carolina Science Festival is tentatively scheduled for April 2012.
NCSF Board of Advisors
The NCSF Board of Advisors comprises leaders from business, government and education who are charged with developing the festival as a permanent and sustainable program for North Carolina. As of October 2010, board members are:- Chancellor Emeritus James Moeser, UNC-Chapel Hill -- chair
- Chancellor John Bardo, Western Carolina University
- President Erskine Bowles, University of North Carolina System
- John Burris, Ph.D., Burroughs Wellcome Fund
- Alfred Childers, Ph.D., Magellan Science.org
- Joseph DeSimone, Ph.D., UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University
- Lew Ebert, North Carolina Chamber
- Marilyn Foote-Hudson, NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation
- President Emeritus William Friday, University of North Carolina System
- Ann B. Goodnight, SAS
- Senator Howard Lee, NC Education Cabinet
- The Honorable Beverly Perdue, Governor of the State of North Carolina
- Roger Perry Sr., East West Partners
- President Scott Ralls, NC Community College System
- Charles Sanders, M.D., retired CEO, GlaxoSmithKline
- Christy Shaffer, Ph.D., retired president, Inspire Pharmaceuticals
- Senator Richard Stevens, NC General Assembly
- Chancellor Randolph Woodson, North Carolina State University