BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — More than thirty science-loving students were given an out-of-this-world gift on Monday — a high-tech telescope.
The Science Haven, an organization created by Dr. Raven Baxter, otherwise known as "Dr. Raven the Science Maven," gave out these telescopes as part of their "Stellar Dreams" initiative. The initiative is working to distribute 100 telescopes between Buffalo, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles.
Buffalo State University was the first stop for Dr. Baxter, an alumna of the institution, and she was joined by her team and the Buffalo Astronomical Association.
Josiah Collins was one of the students who received a telescope. He is just 10-years-old but wants to be an aerospace engineer when he grows up.
"Space is just cool to me," Collins said. "This makes me feel so great because with the telescope I can study more and learn more and be better — so I can achieve my dream."
Later in the evening, the kids were taken outside to use their new telescopes for the first time.
"We have some kids who have never left Buffalo coming tonight, and for them to have the telescope to look at the moon and imagine they're off the planet is really cool," Dr. Baxter said.
She hopes this tool can help future careers in the STEM field take off.
"I had a telescope when I was a kid," she said. "I ended up by becoming a biologist, but it all started with a telescope."
Dr. Baxter was also joined by Dr. Ron Gamble, a theoroteical physicist at NASA and the Director of Programs at The Science Haven. He told 7 News reporter Hannah Ferrera he sees himself in the kids.
"Most of us have similar experiences like these young minds that are coming up. So we know what it's like," Dr. Gamble said. "I know what it's like not seeing other scientists like myself and wondering, 'can I do that too?' Yeah, I did do that."
The Science Haven is hoping to amplify this message and make science accessible for those with a passion for STEM.
"Science is for everyone," Dr. Baxter said. "All we do as scientists is ask questions. As long as you know how to be curious and explore, you can be a scientist."
