The morehead planetarium and science center at the university of north carolina at chapel hill will promote public engagement with science by engaging communities with the scientific, technological,…

The Institute of Museum and Library Services awarded the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill $1.319 million on September 1, 2026, under the Museums for America program (CFDA 45.301) to promote public engagement with NASA's Artemis missions through Artemis-related learning experiences targeting 8-13-year-old youth with autism spectrum disorder and informal science learning educators.

The recipient will conduct formative research, community focus groups, and pilot programming in collaboration with the Institute for Learning Innovation to design, test, and evaluate engagement strategies. Morehead will develop educational resources for implementation at its Chapel Hill facility and distribution to museums and science centers throughout North Carolina. The project team will engage an exhibit developer to prototype interactive moonscape exhibit experiences and a media production company to create planetarium theater programming. Project activities run through August 31, 2029, with place of performance in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The award is structured to strengthen institutional capacity to engage audiences and foster collaboration among museums and science centers across the state.

The morehead planetarium and science center at the university of north carolina at chapel hill will promote public engagement with science by engaging communities with the scientific, technological, and human dimensions of NASA's artemis missions to the moon. Morehead will work with the institute for learning innovation to design, test, and evaluate a strategy for engaging audiences with artemis-related learning experiences, with a focus on 8-13-year-old youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and informal science learning educators. Project activities will include formative research, community focus groups, and pilot programming to develop educational resources that will be implemented at morehead and shared with museums and science centers throughout north carolina. The project team will also engage an exhibit developer to prototype interactive moonscape exhibit experiences and a media production company to create programming for the planetarium theater. The project will strengthen institutional capacity to engage audiences and foster collaboration among museums and science centers.