Today (April 5) marks the kick off the NC Science Festival, a statewide (as in 500-mile wide!) celebration of all things science in North Carolina.

Our state’s science festival is special because it lasts 16 DAYS, with over 300 science-themed events taking place at museums, community colleges, universities, parks, libraries and businesses across the state.

Your Wild Life is thrilled to be participating in a number of NC Science Festival events online and in the Raleigh-Durham area – We hope you can join us!

We’re kicking things off tomorrow (April 6, 10a-4p) at the Triangle BEST Fest at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. And by BEST we mean Biotechnology, Engineering, Science and Technology! Visit our team at our exhibit table outside the Micro World iLab on the third floor of the Nature Research Center where we’ll be talking from about all things ANT.  We’re partnering with the NCSU Department of Materials Science and Engineering to take close up pictures (called scanning electron microscope images) of the common ants you might find in your backyard or neighborhood. Dr. Eleanor will be live and in-person sharing tales from her new iBook of Common Ants. And we’ll be recruiting YOU to get involved with the School of Ants, our citizen science project mapping ant biodiversity in the places where people live.

As we sneakily mentioned above, we’ll soon be releasing Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Ants in downloadable iBook format (thanks to the generous support of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund). Stay tuned for news of the BIG RELEASE next week!

Next Friday, April 12, at 9a EDT, join us online and tweet your favorite science fact as part of the Science Festival’s worldwide #EXPERIMINUTE. You’ve now been sufficiently warned – We can’t wait to hear all of your weird and wonderful science facts, particularly those about the biodiversity in your daily lives!

On Thursday, April 18, at 7p, Dr. Eleanor will be the featured guest at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences Science Café. Stop by the Daily Planet Café to learn more about the ants living in our backyards, school yards and neighborhoods.

On Saturday, April 20, join us for the Planet Earth Celebration at the Nature Research Center – Our team will be on the third floor of the NRC from 11a-1p sampling the faces of volunteers for Demodex mites, the focus of our latest public science project. Come let us scrape your face for science and meet your mites!

Not in Raleigh-Durham? No problem! Check out the AWESOME NC Science Festival Calendar of Events to find an activity near you!