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Virtual Author Talk

Matthew Shindell - "For the Love of Mars"

2024-06-03 14:00:00 2024-06-03 15:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk Join us online. Streamed live. Westlake Porter Public Library -

Monday, June 03
2:00pm - 3:00pm

Add to Calendar 2024-06-03 14:00:00 2024-06-03 15:00:00 America/New_York Virtual Author Talk Join us online. Streamed live. Westlake Porter Public Library -

Join us online. Streamed live.

Mars and its secrets have fascinated and mystified humans since ancient times. Due to its vivid color and visibility, geologic kinship with Earth, and potential as our best hope for settlement, Mars embodies everything that inspires us about space and exploration. For the Love of Mars surveys the red planet's place in the human imagination, beginning with ancient astrologers and skywatchers and ending in our present moment of exploration and virtual engagement.

You’re invited to come learn alongside Matt Shindell, National Air and Space Museum curator, as he introduces viewers to historical figures across eras and around the world who have made sense of this mysterious planet. Shindell will highlight historical figures such as: 

  • Mayan astrologer priests who incorporated Mars into seasonal calendars and religious ceremonies; 
  • Babylonian astrologers who discerned bad omens; 
  • Figures of the Scientific Revolution who struggled to comprehend it as a world; 
  • Victorian astronomers who sought signs of intelligent life; and
  • 20th- and 21st-century scientists who have established a technological presence on its surface.

Along the way, we will encounter writers and artists from each period who take readers and viewers on imagined journeys to Mars.  By focusing on the diverse human stories behind the telescopes and behind the robots we know and love, Shindell will show how Mars exploration has evolved in ways that have also expanded knowledge about other facets of the universe. Register now for this captivating voyage through time!

About the Author: Matthew Shindell, Ph.D., is a historian of science with a background in science studies. He is Curator of Earth and Planetary Science at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. He is responsible for the Museum’s collection of spacecraft, instruments, and other artifacts related to the exploration and study of our Earth and solar system. He co-hosts the Museum’s podcast, AirSpace. He curated the Museum’s permanent exhibition, Exploring the Planets, and is leading a curatorial team developing the exhibition Futures in Space. Shindell is the author of For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet (2023) and The Life and Science of Harold C. Urey (2019), coauthor of Spaceships (2023), Our Future in Space (2023), and Discerning Experts (2019), and co-editor of Smithsonian American Women (2019).  




Brought to you in partnership with the Library Speakers Consortium. Visit our site to see all events, register and explore recordings of past events.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Books and Authors |

TAGS: | LSC |

Westlake Porter Public Library

Phone: (440) 871-2600
Fax: (440) 871-6969

Hours
Mon, Jul 22 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Jul 23 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Jul 24 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Jul 25 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Jul 26 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Jul 27 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jul 28 1:00PM to 5:00PM
Mon, Jul 22 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Tue, Jul 23 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Wed, Jul 24 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Thu, Jul 25 9:00AM to 9:00PM
Fri, Jul 26 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, Jul 27 9:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jul 28 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Westlake Porter Public Library is an independent public library serving the residents of the city of Westlake, western Cuyahoga County and eastern Lorain County. The library is located at 27333 Center Ridge Road in Westlake, Ohio. Anyone who lives, works, owns property, or goes to school in Ohio can register for a free library card.

Upcoming events

Sat, Jul 27, 10:30am - 11:00am
Storytime Room

Sat, Jul 27, 2:00pm - 3:30pm
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Sun, Jul 28, 2:00pm - 4:00pm
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Thu, Aug 01, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Storytime Room

Thu, Aug 01, 1:00pm - 7:00pm
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Thu, Aug 01, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
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Tue, Aug 06, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
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Wed, Aug 07, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Dover Room

Wed, Aug 07, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Makerspace
Registration opens Wednesday, July 31 2024 at 9:00am

Thu, Aug 08, 10:00am - 11:30am
Technology Training Lab
Registration opens Thursday, August 1 2024 at 9:00am

Thu, Aug 08, 11:00am - 12:00pm
Storytime Room
Registration opens Thursday, August 1 2024 at 9:00am

Thu, Aug 08, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
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Technology Training Lab

Fri, Aug 09, 10:30am - 11:00am
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Fri, Aug 09, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
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Sat, Aug 10, 10:30am - 11:00am
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Sun, Aug 11, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Storytime Room

Sun, Aug 11, 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Friends Pavilion

Tue, Aug 13, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
Porter Room,Zoom Programming 2

Tue, Aug 13, 7:00pm - 8:30pm
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Wed, Aug 14, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Storytime Room
Registration opens Wednesday, August 7 2024 at 9:00am

Thu, Aug 15, 10:00am - 10:30am
Friends Pavilion
Registration opens Thursday, August 8 2024 at 9:00am

Thu, Aug 15, 4:00pm - 5:00pm
Zoom Programming 1
Registration opens Thursday, August 8 2024 at 9:00am

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Fri, Aug 16, 10:30am - 11:30am
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Sat, Aug 17, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
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Registration opens Saturday, August 10 2024 at 9:00am

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Mon, Aug 19, 9:00am - 9:00pm
Registration opens Monday, August 12 2024 at 9:00am

Mon, Aug 19, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Dover Room

Tue, Aug 20, 10:00am - 11:30am
Dover Room

Wed, Aug 21, 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Makerspace
Registration opens Wednesday, August 14 2024 at 9:00am

Thu, Aug 22, 1:00pm - 2:30pm
Makerspace
Registration opens Thursday, August 15 2024 at 9:00am

Sat, Aug 24, 10:30am - 11:00am
Storytime Room

Sun, Aug 25, 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Porter Room

Mon, Aug 26, 9:00am - 9:00pm
Registration opens Monday, August 19 2024 at 9:00am