Ever since I saw the NEOWISE comet on a stargazing trip with my parents, I got drawn to astronomy. I am fascinated by the vast expanse of our cosmos and the fact that we are still learning about the large unknown objects in space. My interest grew with the launch of the James Web Space Telescope (JWST) and the rich images being sent by it. The images sent by JWST gives us a glimpse of the early universe. Astronomy has been an active field recently with the discovery of many young galaxies and nebulae. 

As the VP of my high school’s Astrophysics club, I realized how difficult it was for students like me, to have access to the latest developments in space. This includes access to role models, telescopes and even literature which can create the next generation of young scientists in Astrophysics. During my astrophysics club meetings, it was becoming apparent to me that it was hard to observe what we are discussing with simple stargazing events without access to telescopes. Besides this, I was the first girl elected into the leadership team in the history of the club’s existence, which was symbolic of the field represented mostly by men. Now, how great would it be to change this?

In order to reduce the barriers of entry to this exciting field for youth, I decided that we need to provide access to resources, telescopes and role models in this field. I formed this organization to provide this access to middle and high school students and also provide avenues for exposure to scientists via podcasts, and interviews.

Join me in Bringing the Universe Closer to Our Youth!
– Sanika Iyer