Adult Events

Who Really Elects the President: The Workings of the Electoral College

Have you ever wondered about how the Electoral College actually works? How many votes does each state receive? How someone comes to be an elector? In the early days of the Republic, the Founding Fathers designed this political process as a way to manage an unruly public and, if needed, overturn the election results. So has it worked in the way that it was intended? In this program, participants will learn about this history of the Electoral College and how it works through a first-hand account.
Frank Argote-Freyre, a former Congressional press secretary, is an Associate Professor at Kean University. He earned his Ph.D. from Rutgers University in Latin American History and is an expert on U.S. -Cuba relations. Frank received a NJCH Honor Book designation in 2007. Also, he was an elector for President Obama in 2012.

This program will be held via Zoom.  You will receive Zoom instructions and online meeting information in your registration confirmation email and again as a reminder about a week prior to the date of the program.  Sponsored by Friends of Madison Public Library.

A presentation of the ten most common invasive plants found in Morris County and various methods of their removal, as well as suggestions and descriptions of native plants that can be substituted for them. Learn how to protect your landscape from these invasive plants and what you can do to help protect the environment and native habitat for wildlife. Presented by the Speakers Bureau, Master Gardeners of Morris County of Rutgers University.

This program will be held via Zoom.  You will receive Zoom instructions and online meeting information in your registration confirmation email and again as a reminder about a week prior to the date of the program.  Sponsored by Friends of Madison Public Library.

Would you confess to a crime you did not commit?  Most people doubt they could ever do so. But there are many who have and it is a significant problem for the American justice system.  In this talk on false confessions we will review notable instances of false confessions and try to understand the psychological science behind why anyone would confess to a crime they had not committed. This talk will be given by Dr. Ian Drake, a former lawyer and professor of jurisprudence at Montclair State University.

This program will be held via Zoom.  You will receive Zoom instructions and online meeting information in your registration confirmation email and again as a reminder about a week prior to the date of the program. 

We live our lives by the numbers: phone numbers, PIN numbers, stock market numbers. But do you know the numbers that could literally save your life? Join us for a virtual lecture as Dr. Lauren Im-Imamura explains the numbers that really matter; the numbers that indicate your heart health. You will be amazed at how knowing your numbers can give you a lifesaving preview of your cardiac risk. Healthy numbers mean a healthy heart! 

Dr. Lauren Im-Imamura, DO is a member of Summit Medical Group's Family Medicine team and treats a wide range of conditions in patients of all ages from infants through the geriatric population. Dr. Im-Imamura was drawn to medicine at a young age after participating on medical mission teams. Through those eye-opening experiences, she realized how profoundly rewarding it is to serve humanity and knew it was a path she would want to continue down. Those experiences would also be a driving force in her future care philosophy. As a family physician, Dr. Im-Imamura advocates for her patients and maintains a strong focus on preventive care, knowing how much of an impact prevention can have on someone’s life. She states, “I treat each patient as a person - not just as an illness or diagnosis to fix.”

Michael Aaron Rockland is professor of American Studies at Rutgers University and the author of many books. He will be speaking on his new book, "The George Washington Bridge: Poetry in Steel" and the Bridgegate Scandal of 2013 involving then Governor Chris Christie.

The George Washington Bridge is the busiest in the world, carrying 106 million vehicles per year. It is also considered by leading architects as an aesthetic wonder. Michael will share other opinions though, namely from Othmar Amman, a Swiss immigrant who built the George. He considered it "unfinished." Plans had been drawn up by Cass Gilbert, builder of the Woolworth Building in New York City and the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, to encase its towers in concrete and then face that concrete in granite. He will also share how the Brooklyn Bridge steals the limelight!

Michael  will also discuss just how a suspension bridge such as the George works and why it has been a boon to navigation and commerce.

This program will be held via Zoom.  You will receive Zoom instructions and online meeting information in your registration confirmation email and again as a reminder about a week prior to the date of the program.  Sponsored by Friends of Madison Public Library.

The remarkable career of Henri Matisse, one of the most influential artists of the Twentieth Century, fundamentally altered the course of modern art. Spanning six and a half decades, his vast creative output encompassed painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic arts, and paper cutouts. This talk will examine his extraordinary life and many of his important works. His friend and sometime rival Pablo Picasso once said,” All things considered, there is only Matisse.”
This lecture will be given by Janet Cohen Mandel. Janet Mandel taught in New Jersey’s public schools for 32 years, the last eighteen of which were at Columbia High School in Maplewood, where she taught English, art history, and World Languages and Cultures. In October of 2003 she was named runner-up for the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) Teacher of the Year award and was formally recognized by the New Jersey State Legislature and Governor Codey for this achievement. In May of 2004 she was the recipient of the “Innovations in Special Education Award” from the New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and the Association of Schools and Agencies for the Handicapped (ASAH). 

This program will be held via Zoom.  You will receive Zoom instructions and online meeting information in your registration confirmation email in addition to a reminder email prior to the date of the program.