February 28 - March 3

Forensics in February: The Proof in the DNA

10:30-2:30

Learn about genetics, and make a necklace using your own DNA. Take a final look at the investigation board, and see if you can figure out whodunit!

March 6 - March 10

Archimedes' Principle: Floating and Sinking

10:30-2:30

Learn about Archimedes' principle in Lab this week, and find out why it's so important to plankton. Build a slowly sinking object out of cork and metal, then have a "slow race" to the bottom of our giant graduated cylinder! 

March 13 - March 17

Brain Awareness Week

10:30-2:30

Hey, brainiacs! Put on your thinking caps, because we're exploring a mental masterpiece: the human brain. Scientists from the UNC Bowle Center are here to help us discover what makes up the human mind. What part of your brain fires up to figure out riddles and puzzles? Which part lets you take a stroll down memory lane? Compare rat brains to people brains, and feel a real human brain with your own fingertips!

March 20 - March 24

NanoScience

10:30-2:30 

Join us for an up close look at nanoscale science, engineering and technology! We'll explore different science and technology-related activities designed to excite, engage and educate people of all ages about the science of the very small.

March 27 - March 31

Exercise Science

10:30–2:30

What is your favorite way to exercise? Try a fun experiment with our thermal camera to see how sweat keeps us cool! Then measure the strength of your grip and find out what happens to muscles when they get tired.

April 3

Sunny Days

10:30 - 2:30

How do you protect yourself from the sun? In this lab, you will use UV-sensitive plastic to test the UV-protection of sunscreens, sunglasses and clothing to find out how well they block harmful rays. Then make a UV-detecting bracelet to take home!

April 4

PM: Meet a Scientist 

1:30 - 4:30

This week we have a great team of local scientists coming to The Lab to meet you! Work through some fun science activities to learn about their work and what it's like to be a scientist. Scientists will be in The Lab from 1:30 - 4:30 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday, learn about the ocean and climate change with Lexi!

April 4 - April 6

AM: Sunny Days

10:30 - 1:30

How do you protect yourself from the sun? In this lab, you will use UV-sensitive plastic to test the UV-protection of sunscreens, sunglasses, and clothing to find out how well they block harmful rays. Then make a UV-detecting bracelet to take home! 

April 5

PM: Meet a Scientist

1:30 - 4:30

This week we have a great team of local scientists coming to The Lab to meet you! Work through some fun science activities to learn about their work and what it's like to be a scientist. Scientists will be in The Lab from 1:30 - 4:30 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Thursday, meet Kathryn and explore symbiosis!

April 6

PM: Meet a Scientist

1:30 - 4:30

This week we have a great team of local scientists coming to The Lab to meet you! Work through some fun science activities to learn about their work and what it's like to be a scientist. Scientists will be in The Lab from 1:30 - 4:30 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Friday, experiment using isotope science with Adrian!

April 7

Sunny Days

10:30 - 2:30

How do you protect yourself from the sun? In this lab, you will use UV-sensitive plastic to test the UV-protection of sunscreens, sunglasses and clothing to find out how well they block harmful rays. Then make a UV-detecting bracelet to take home!

April 10

Candy Science

10:30-4:30

What's more fun than eating candy? Experimenting with it! What happens when we put a marshmallow inside a vacuum? Use chromatography find the hidden colors in an ordinary piece of candy.

April 11

PM: Meet a Scientist

1:30 - 4:30

This week we have a great team of local scientists coming to The Lab to meet you! Work through some fun science activities to learn about their work and what it's like to be a scientist. Scientists will be in The Lab from 1:30 - 4:30 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Wednesday, look at how mountaintop removal pollutes our streams with Raven and Chris!

April 11 - April 12

AM: Candy Science

10:30 - 1:30

What's more fun than eating candy? Experimenting with it! What happens when we put a marshmallow inside a vacuum? Use chromatography find the hidden colors in an ordinary piece of candy. 

April 12

PM: Meet a Scientist

1:30 - 4:30

This week we have a great team of local scientists coming to The Lab to meet you! Work through some fun science activities to learn about their work and what it's like to be a scientist. Scientists will be in The Lab from 1:30 - 4:30 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. On Thursday, learn about lemurs with Sheena and Erin!

April 13

AM: Meet a Scientist

10:30 - 1:30

This week we have a great team of local scientists coming to The Lab to meet you! Work through some fun science activities to learn about their work and what it's like to be a scientist. Scientists will be in The Lab from 1:30 - 4:30 on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 10:30 - 4:30 on Friday. On Friday morning, explore fiberoptics with Robyn!

April 13

PM: Meet a Scientist

1:30 - 4:30

This week we have a great team of local scientists coming to The Lab to meet you! Work through some fun science activities to learn about their work and what it's like to be a scientist. Scientists will be in The Lab from 1:30 - 4:30 on Wednesday and Thursday, and from 10:30 - 4:30 on Friday. On Friday afternoon, test out helmets and crash safety with Jay and Allison!

April 14

Building Robots with IBM

10:00-4:30 

Join IBM in the Lab and build a rockin' robot using Lego WeDo robotics kits! See the Robot Rumble webpage for more info: http://www.ncmls.org/visit/events/robot-rumble-2012

April 17 - April 21

Healthy Lungs

10:30 - 2:30 

How strong are your lungs? Let's listen to our breathing with a stethoscope and learn about what can help (or what can hurt!) the health of your lungs. We'll measure the volume of our lungs, and find out how our lungs help us to breathe free. 

On Friday, we'll prototype some new activities about air pollution, and how it affects our lungs!

April 24 - April 28

Testing for Vitamin C

10:30–2:30

Why is it important to get the daily recommended dose of vitamin C? Conduct a series of microtitrations to determine if your favorite drink contains vitamin C. Then compare the vitamin levels in old and fresh juice and find out what happens to juice leave it out for several days.

May 1 - May 5

Don't Bug Me!

10:30-2:30 

Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito or stung by a bee? Do these insects provide us any benefits? Investigate biting and stinging insects under a microscope and get a close-up view of your own bug bites. You will also meet some live bugs and find out what you can do to prevent bites and stings.

May 8 - May 12

Plants and Pigments

10:30-2:30

Ever wonder why flowers come in so many shapes and colors? Visit The Lab to conduct chemistry experiments on flowers and investigate the science behind their diversity.  

May 15 - May 19

Nanoscience: Common Scents

10:30-2:30 

May 22 - May 26

Testing Antacids

10:30-2:30 

What do scientist need to think about when they are designing medicines?  In this lab, we will test different antacids to find out which ones are the strongest and fastest.

May 28 - June 2

Sunny Days

10:30 - 2:30

How do you protect yourself from the sun? In this lab, you will use UV-sensitive plastic to test the UV-protection of sunscreens, sunglasses and clothing to find out how well they block harmful rays. Then make a UV-detecting bracelet to take home!

June 5 - June 9

Pollen Counts!

10:30-2:30 

Bad news for those with allergies: pollen reached record levels in the Triangle this season! In this lab, we will make a pollen collector and conduct a simulated pollen count. Examine different types of pollen and dust under a microscope, while learning some tips for controlling allergies.