Adler Planetarium - Week 1



Hello everyone!

This past week was filled with multiple emotions for me. I’m not going to lie, I was terrified walking into the Adler. Prior to the start of my internship I never visited the Adler, but that won’t be the case anymore because it’s amazing! Chicago is really lucky to have a place like the Adler (the first planetarium in the western hemisphere). Oh and another thing, did I mention that it sits on Lake Michigan? Yep, it’s a really nice view. This week has taught me a lot and just like the Adler says, “space is freaking awesome!”

The Adler offers programs and internships for teenagers during the summer. So on Monday I met the other teen interns. We are all in different departments at the planetarium, but we all come together on Mondays at the Doane (observatory behind the Adler). On Monday it was more of a career development/college readiness day. It reminded me of Washington Week. Four college students came to talk to us about their college experiences. We had a chance to ask questions and talk about life as young adults. Another speaker then came in to talk to us about interviews. This was to prepare us for any future interview, but also to inform us about the rights we have during an interview. It was actually super informative! We also had an introduction to a group project we’ll be developing soon.
Doane Observatory 
On Tuesdays-Fridays I will be in my department. I work in the collections department. My department might not sound super exciting to some, but it’s actually really cool! I get to see things that the public doesn’t see, and that even other employees don’t get to see. On Tuesday I helped my supervisor by looking through their archives. She was working on a project for the Adler. The Adler wants to highlight the architecture and art aspect that is unique to the planetarium. So my supervisor and I were looking through folders containing pictures, letters, and notes from the 30s and 40s! It was a surreal moment because here I was, holding something so special in my hands. I was reading letters that Max Adler wrote to the planetarium’s architect. I also got to see the planetarium’s first admission ticket. It was so interesting, and it truly felt like I was traveling back in time.

Archives!
The rest of the week consisted of me continuing research on Apollo 11. The 50th anniversary of the moon landing is almost here, and the Adler is preparing for an event that’ll celebrate it! My supervisors wanted me to develop a project, and use an item from their collection, in order to tell a story. As I continued my research, I was becoming more open-minded about careers in the STEM field. As the days passed, however, my supervisor opened up the idea of creating a project I wanted and make it my own. I decided to focus on minorities’ contributions to the Apollo missions. I wanted to make it more specific and focus on women of color who contributed to history. In addition to the research I’ve been doing, I was also given the opportunity to look at other pictures in the archives. In these pictures, I was looking for possible women who might’ve contributed to the Apollo missions, or to the Adler. The goal is to write about these women and post it on the Adler’s blog!
 
Some brochures and visitor guides
Another interesting thing I want to point out is that on Wednesday I was given a tour of the collections’ library upstairs! This was by far the coolest thing I’ve witnessed this week! I was able to see some rare books that the Adler has (some are 700 years old) and see objects NASA donated to the Adler. It was another surreal moment. I couldn’t believe that these objects had seen so much in history. In addition to this, the Adler has a tradition called the “clock winding.” Basically, the collections department brings out cool items from the Adler’s collection and gives an informal presentation on them. This is intended for other employees, who don’t work in the collections department, so that they see these cool items. This is then followed by an actual clock winding. Someone will wind the clock that they have in the staff lobby!

On Friday, my supervisors invited me out for lunch. This was a kind gesture on their part, and I was able to bond with them outside of work. The Adler Planetarium is a wonderful place and it’s for anyone! I can say that after a week, it has prompted me to do my own research on people like Jose Hernandez (Mexican-American astronaut), Ellen Ochoa (first Latina to go to space), and other Latinos who’ve worked at NASA.

This week has been really inspirational, but it has also been difficult. I came in not knowing much about some things at the Adler, but I can say that I’ve learned a lot! And anything is possible! 


Con cariño,

Brenda
Location: Chicago, IL, USA

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