Piner High launching public lecture series

Piner High School on Thursday night is launching a monthly science lecture series open to the community.

The series, named after the science, technology, engineering and math disciplines, is called STEM Cafe and takes place in Piner’s new, state-of-the art planetarium and science center called SPARQ. The school tested out the lecture series last fall and found it so popular they decided to continue on a regular basis this year, said science teacher Judy Barcelon.

Students, teachers, parents and community members are all invited to attend, Barcelon said.

September’s Stem Cafe will feature Julie Mangada, an education coordinator for the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. She’ll talk about the use of stem cells for treatment of conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease.

The evening starts with a 7 p.m. lecture, is followed by a coffee and snack break, and ends with an interactive lab or activity.

The SPARQ Center is located on Piner High School’s campus, 1700 Fulton Road. More information on the program is available at http://pinerhighstemcafe.weebly.com.