UNC Charlotte Hosts Science, Technology Events

The 2015 North Carolina Science Festival, a statewide celebration of science and technology, is again offering cool things for the public to experience from April 10-26. UNC Charlotte is ramping up its participation as part of the festival’s seasonal offerings. In addition to its traditional Science and Technology Expo (now in its fourth year), the University will offer a science activity series, science and society panel series, two award-winning science documentary films and a star party.

The always-popular Science and Technology Expo will remain the University’s grand finale, closing out the festival. It will be from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, April 26, with activities including robotics, rocketry, virtual people, live animals, lab experiments, explosive chemistry, exotic plants, fire engines, race cars, boats and drones. The event is for the science-curious of all ages, featuring 100-plus hands-on activities and presentations in chemistry, physics, geology, computer science, engineering and biology developed by University personnel and a host of industry and community organizations.

REGISTRATION CLOSED: The UNC Charlotte Observatory’s night of expertly-guided star-gazing, during its second annual N.C. Science Festival Star Party at 8 p.m., Friday, April 24 is sold-out.

As the festival opens on Friday, April 10, the UNC Charlotte College of Arts + Architecture and UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute invite the public to the Projective Eye Gallery, located in UNC Charlotte Center City, to explore an environmental issue going on in their own neighborhoods and backyards as the gallery’s ongoing “Keeping Watch” initiative presents “City of Creeks.” Works by artists Lauren Rosenthal, Stacy Levy, Marek Ranis, and Nancy Pierce explore Charlotte waterways in diverse media and from a range of perspectives – geographic, scientific, aesthetic and spiritual. A host of College of Liberal Arts & Sciences students, faculty and alumni also have provided research for the effort. The exhibition runs through June 17.

On Saturday, April 11, UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School will host the University’s annual Graduate Research Symposium: explore the world of University research, as seen through the work of graduate researchers – scholars and scientists at the beginning of their professional careers in expanding human understanding. The day-long symposium (Atkins Library, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) features poster sessions where the researcher explains the work he or she has conducted, as well as a program of research presentations.

On Friday, April 17, the College of Computing and Informatics will present “Inside the Design Studio,” an interactive design studio tour from 8 to 11 a.m., in Woodward Hall, Room 308. Touring one of the University’s most innovative learning and research labs, visitors will learn about the innovative ideas generated by students designing new interactive systems for the kitchen. Each semester, the Interaction Design Studio develops and integrates novel technologies in gesture, speech and tangible interaction to design new ways of interacting with the environment. This semester, the studio is working with the design innovation manager at Electrolux to focus on a better collaboration between people and appliances for interactive food preparation, intelligent food storage and minimizing food wastage. Visitors will be invited to explore the lab and critique student efforts. Advance registration is required.

With a nod to the N.C. Science Festival’s 2015 theme of “science and music,” UNC Charlotte is capping off its list of interactive events with a free concert, “Tape, Loop, Delay: Science, Technology and Contemporary Percussion Music.” In this event, percussionist Scott Christian will explore the science of sound and the role of new technologies in contemporary concert music, with a performance-demonstration that features music for percussion and live and recorded electronics. The concert, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled for 12:30 p.m., Friday, April 24 in PORTAL Building, Room 102.

Continuing with the goal of making festival offerings engaging, event planners have modified the University’s traditional faculty lecture series into “Science and Society Panel Discussions,” featuring talks on controversial (and sometimes confusing) science and technology issues, led by noted researchers in the field. All events in the series are free and open to the public.

The first event in this series is at 7 p.m., Monday, April 13, in EPIC Building, Room G256, and is entitled “Humans and Technology: Conflict or Convergence? UNC Charlotte and the Watson Story.” Following the example of IBM’s “AI” Watson, the panel will explore data science possibilities and potential problems to help the audience understand the promises and challenges of a field of research that is literally working to mold the technological future of humanity. The panel will feature UNC Charlotte data analytics researchers Mirsad Hadzikadic, Wlodek Zadrozny (a researcher in the Watson Project) and Diane Fodell.

“Controversies and Concerns: Agricultural Biotechnology and GMOs” is a panel discussion on the publicly contentious (and often poorly understood) issue of genetically modified organisms and their use in food, medicine and in the environment. This event will be led by two prominent biotechnology researchers, UNC Charlotte biologists Kenneth Bost and Kenneth Piller. They will lead a conversation about GMOs current use in medicine and agriculture, their future potential and public fears. The panel is scheduled for 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 15, in the Bioinformatics Building, Room 105.

Concluding the series, in a discussion that is sure to be of interest to teachers, administrators, coaches and every parent of a school athlete, will be “Controversy and Concerns: Concussions in Sports.” This panel-led presentation and discussion will examine the risks of concussion injuries in sports, the science of brain trauma and the social issues involved. The expert panel features College of Health and Human Services researchers Erik Wikstrom, Tricia Turner and Bret Wood. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m., Tuesday, April 21, in the Bioinformatics Building, Room 105.

The University’s Science Film Series will focus on award-winning documentaries about science in the news.

The two-film mini-festival opens with a screening of “Shored Up” at 7 p.m., Monday, April 20, in the Student Union Movie Theater. The film is a documentary about climate change and sea level rise – an issue of some concern in North Carolina. According to the producers, “’Shored Up’ is a documentary that asks tough questions about our coastal communities and the relationship to the land. What will a rising sea do to our homes, our businesses, and the survival of our communities? Can we afford to pile enough sand on our shores to keep the ocean at bay? In Long Beach Island, New Jersey and the Outer Banks of North Carolina, surfers, politicians, scientists and residents are racing to answer these questions.” A panel discussion featuring environmental science and earth science researchers Scott Hippensteel, UNC Charlotte; Alex Glass, Duke University; and Andrew Coburn, Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, Western Carolina University, will follow.

The film series concludes with a documentary about the biggest news in physics for years: “Particle Fever” at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, in the Student Union Movie Theater. A documentary about the hunt for the Higgs Boson, “Particle Fever” is both about science at its geekiest and most romantic.

All events are sponsored by UNC Charlotte in association with the N.C. Science Festival. University sponsors include UNC Charlotte Research and Economic Development. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a community partner, and WCNC TV is the media partner. Support has been provided by the University of North Carolina General Administration through a grant administered by the N.C. Science Festival.

Words: Jim Hathaway
Images from 2014 events: Lynn Roberson
Little Sugar Creek image: Nancy Pierce