Read your dreams and make them true

Geoffrey Landis loved science fiction as a kid—Asimov, Clarke, Bradbury, all the big names. He loved science fiction so much that he started to love the science behind it.

Now, he's a scientist for NASA. And an award-winning science-fiction author.

Reading can help you become whatever you want. It helped Landis build Mars rovers for NASA. It can help you (or your kid) become an archaeologist or paleontologist or artist.

Reading can be (and often is) the first step for making a dream come true.

Then again, reading isn't where a dream ends. (Unless, of course, your dream is to read a lot. And that's a perfectly wonderful dream.)

Landis himself said, "The heart of science is doing things... Any place you can go and interact with the world, that's science."

So we don't want you to just read about science this summer, though we want you to do that too. We want everyone to get involved in science.

That's why we're bringing COSI our summer reading kickoff party this Saturday. That's why we're hosting Weird Science Wednesdays all this month. That's why storm chasers are coming to the library next month.

We want you to get out there, learn something new and have fun while doing it.

Landis did that and it took him all the way to Mars. Who knows where it can take you?

NASA Scientist, Award-Winning Author Coming to Mentor Library

Geoffrey Landis

This year's summer reading program is dedicated to science and, of course, reading. So who better to kickoff the summer than a NASA scientist and award-winning author?

Geoffrey Landis works at the John Glenn Research Center in Brook Park. He's a member of the Mars Exploration Rovers team that landed rovers Opportunity and Spirit on Mars. After a decade of exploration and discovery, Opportunity continues to travel the surface of our nearest planetary neighbor and provide information to us.

Dr. Landis—he received his doctorate from Brown University—also researches and develops technology for future space missions for NASA. He's even written about the possibilities and mechanics of setting up bases on the moon, Mars and Venus.

Landis is giving a free talk at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, June 2, at Mentor Public Library's Main Branch. (You can register for it here.) Astrological enthusiasts and dilettantes alike are welcome.

The scientist will share his knowledge of the Mars rover, Curiosity, and his role in its explorations. He will also discuss the new discoveries Curiosity has made in the last few years. By the way, Curiosity was built and designed to assess if Mars' environment could ever have supported microscopic life.

Landis is not just a scientist (as if there is such a thing as just a scientist.) He also writes science fiction and has won Nebula, Hugo and Locus awards for his stories.

He received the Robert A. Heinlen Award last week during Balticon. The award is "bestowed for outstanding published works in science fiction and technical writings that inspire the human exploration of space."

His fiction includes the novel Mars Crossing, the short story collection Impact Parameter, poetry collection Iron Angels and several other short stories and novellas. (You can learn more about his fiction writing and order it here.)

So come here Dr. Landis speak at the library, learn something about the solar system and, while you're at the library, sign up for our summer reading program.