2012 North Carolina Science Festival Underway in Greater Charlotte

The 2012 North Carolina Science Festival kicked off this past weekend with numerous events across the region and continues for two weeks across the state. The Festival, April 13-29, 2012, highlights the educational, cultural and financial impact of science in our state. More than 500 events will take place across N.C. to celebrate science in new, exciting ways.

The greater Charlotte area is participating in the Festival with more than 130 events in the region. Events are being held in Charlotte, Concord, Huntersville, Kannapolis, Salisbury and more. Among the events:

• On Saturday, April 21, the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte will host “Beyond the Pumps: Behind the Scenes Tour.” This will give participants an exclusive tour and discussion to learn more about the engineering of the U.S. National Whitewater Center Pumphouse and channel system.

• UNC Charlotte will host a Science and Technology Expo at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 29. The expo will include hands-on educational presentations and displays developed by UNC Charlotte science faculty, engineering demonstrations, lab tours in the College of Computing and Informatics, and tours of the UNC Charlotte gardens.

•  “An Afternoon with Adam and Jamie” will begin at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 in UNC Charlotte’s Halton Arena. During the 90-minute program, Adam and Jamie will share stories from behind the scenes of their popular show. They’ll also feature special video presentations of spectacular explosions and other “for fans only” outtakes, along with a moderated question and answer session. Tickets available at <www.ncsciencefestival.org>.

Numerous communities throughout the greater Charlotte area will be hosting official North Carolina Science Festival events over the next two weeks. For more information about these and other events in your area, and events in your area, visit the Festival’s website <www.ncsciencefestival.org>. Follow the Festival through a Facebook page <www.facebook.com/ncsciencefestival> and through Twitter <www.twitter.com/ncscifest>.

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The North Carolina Science Festival is a two-week statewide series of events showcasing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The Festival highlights the educational, cultural and financial impact of the STEM disciplines on North Carolina. It includes hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits, performances and other events, and engages a wide range of audiences while inspiring the next generation. It serves as a vehicle for encouraging students to pursue STEM careers and for businesses to invest in North Carolina. The 2012 Festival Champion is Time Warner Cable. 2012 Platinum sponsors include Burroughs Wellcome Fund, NC GlaxoSmithKline Foundation and SAS. 2012 Gold Sponsors include Biogen Idec Foundation, Duke Energy and News 14 Carolina. The Festival is proudly produced by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center. Charlotte’s Discovery Place is a key strategic partner.