WESTFIELD — Educational and entertaining programs will continue at the Westfield Memorial Library through May and June. The library is located at 550 East Broad Street.
On Wednesday, May 29, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., educational consultant Susana MacLean will present “Jump Start your College Admissions Personal Essay: A Workshop for Rising Seniors.” Ms. MacLean will focus on the purpose of the personal essay and what it is not; how to come up with a good topic and which topics to avoid; the target audience and how to get and hold their attention; and how to begin writing a first draft. At the end of the workshop, students should have the tools to identify an essay topic and to begin working on their first draft.
Ms. MacLean is an experienced independent education consultant, marketing and communications professional and writer. She guides families through the college-admissions process and works closely with students to help them develop and communicate a profile that reflects their unique interests, character and strengths.
On Monday, June 3, viewers can watch a livestreamed interview with Smithsonian curator Matt Shindell, Ph.D., entitled “For the Love of Mars: A Human History of the Red Planet” between 2 and 3 p.m. “For the Love of Mars” surveys the red planet’s place in the human imagination, beginning with ancient astrologers and skywatchers and ending in humans’ present moment of exploration and virtual engagement.
Dr. Shindell, National Air and Space Museum curator, will introduce viewers to people across eras and around the world who have made sense of this mysterious planet. He will highlight historical figures such as Mayan astrologer priests who incorporated Mars into seasonal calendars and religious ceremonies; Babylonian astrologers who discerned bad omens; and 20th- and 21st-century scientists who have established a technological presence on its surface. Dr. Shindell 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, where he is responsible for the museum’s collection of spacecraft, instruments and other artifacts related to the exploration and study of the Earth and solar system. He co-hosts the museum’s podcast, AirSpace. Dr. Shindell curated the museum’s permanent exhibition, Exploring the Planets, and is leading a curatorial team developing the exhibition Futures in Space. He 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); co-author of “Spaceships” (2023), “Our Future in Space” (2023) and “Discerning Experts” (2019), and co-editor of “Smithsonian American Women” (2019).
Participants must register for this program to receive the link.
To register for these programs, sign up for a library card or learn more about the library’s resources, visit the library’s website at https:// wmlnj.org/.
Library hours are Monday through Thursday, 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. The library will be closed on Sunday, June 16, for Father’s Day and Wednesday, June 19, for Juneteenth.
