Lessons in awe and wonder from Kenya鈥檚 Travelling Telescope
Susan Murabana builds dreams with a big telescope and delivers equal access to the stars. Her Travelling Telescope program has reached about 200,000 Kenyan schoolchildren.聽Episode 4 of the 鈥淧eople Making a Difference鈥� podcast.聽
After watching a solar eclipse together in 2013, Susan Murabana and her partner, Chu Owen, hatched a plan to share the night skies with Kenyan schoolchildren.聽
They bought a big, 12-inch optical telescope and started an astronomy business: The Travelling Telescope. They鈥檝e reached more than 200,000 kids. They charge Kenya鈥檚 wealthier private schools and safari lodges for astronomy lessons so that they can freely share the telescope and a portable planetarium with public-school children.聽
As they peer at the objects in our solar system, they hope to awaken a deeper sense of what makes this planet so special.
鈥淵es, we want to get more astronomers. That would be good,鈥� says Ms. Murabana. 鈥淏ut more than that, we want 鈥� the next generation of leaders and scientists 鈥� who will be in charge of our planet 鈥� to be more kind and make better decisions about our home.鈥�
You might have seen the聽Monitor story about The Travelling Telescope聽on May 12, 2021. We wanted to check in with Susan Murabana, and take you a little deeper with an audio interview.
Episode transcript
[Music]
Dave Scott: That鈥檚 Susan Murabana. She鈥檚 co-founder of the Travelling Telescope program in Nairobi, Kenya.聽
Welcome to People Making a Difference, a podcast about people who are, step-by-step, making a better world.聽
I鈥檓 Dave Scott.
Ms. Murabana鈥檚 company was started seven years ago when Susan and her partner, Chu Owen, bought a telescope and started carting it around Kenya. They鈥檝e reached about 200,000 African school kids. Their mission is about giving equal access to the skies for all Kenyans 鈥� and [inspiring] the next generation of scientists. But their story is also a love story. And we鈥檒l get to that in a few minutes.
The Travelling Telescope also comes with a traveling inflatable planetarium, a domed tent with a planetary show inside, which they bring to schools.
Welcome, Susan!
Dave Scott: I鈥檓 glad you鈥檙e here. So you鈥檝e said that you鈥檙e not necessarily trying to create a new generation of African astronomers with your traveling telescope. What are you trying to do?
Dave Scott: Can you give us an example of what it鈥檚 like when you do connect with this 鈥渘ext generation of scientists鈥�?
Dave Scott: When you get those moments, these sort of aha moments when kids really connect with the science, and what you鈥檙e doing, how do you nurture that? I know you had a space camp this summer. Are there other things you can do to help nurture that?
Dave Scott: Susan later tells me that the pandemic lockdowns have in fact helped create some infrastructure for that continuing connection in space education. During the lockdowns, the Travelling Telescope team could no longer visit schools. So they got some funding from the Airbus Foundation and set up online classes in astronomy, rocketry, and robotics 鈥� such as building a Mars rover.
Dave Scott: For older kids, Susan encourages them to study astronomy or engineering at the university. And Kenya has a small space agency now and Kenya鈥檚 location on the equator gives it a cost advantage for launches.
Dave Scott: As a Kenyan woman, Susan knows she鈥檚 a role model. There aren鈥檛 very many women astronomers or scientists in her country.
Dave Scott: In many countries, including Kenya, research shows that girls in high school and college tend to pull back from the sciences, leaving fewer women working in the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering, and math). But Susan says she鈥檚 never felt that pressure because she had supportive parents.
Dave Scott: So I have an eight-year-old niece, who鈥檚 really good at math. What advice would you give to parents 鈥� or an uncle 鈥� of girls who show an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.
Dave Scott: And about that love story. In 2013, Susan was organizing a trip to northern Kenya to watch a solar eclipse. At the time she was already working with school children. And got a big donation of solar eclipse sunglasses to give out in Kenyan schools. And this guy in England, Chu Owen, contacted her and said he wanted to film children getting the sunglasses and join the trip to film the eclipse.
Dave Scott: In fact, Susan and Chu have something most couples don鈥檛 have. Chu captured on film the first moment when he met Susan after arriving in Nairobi. It鈥檚 part of the documentary he made titled 鈥溾��
Dave Scott: And on that 2013 trip as they watched the solar eclipse together at Lake Turkana. Chu kissed Susan for the first time. And just a few weeks later, the idea of the Travelling Telescope emerged serendipitously. A large telescope had been donated for Susan鈥檚 educational work and Chu wanted to team up with her and take it to visit schools all across Africa.
The more pragmatic Susan said, 鈥渦h, let鈥檚 start in Kenya.鈥� A team 鈥� and a plan to share the stars with [more] school children 鈥� was born. The couple now have three children of their own.
Dave Scott: The company they formed, , is a for-profit enterprise, but it has a business model that relies on raising enough money by charging Kenya鈥檚 wealthier, private schools and safari lodges for their astronomy services so that they can freely share their 12-inch optical telescope and the mobile planetarium with public schools.
But Susan and Chu say that whether someone comes from a wealthy family or not, peering up at the objects in our solar system produces the same awe and wonderment. It鈥檚 a recipe for universal delight.
Here鈥檚 this week鈥檚 challenge. Take a kid to a planetarium or out on a clear night to watch the moon through a telescope. And watch the child鈥檚 response. Then tell me how it went. Call me at (617) 450-2410 and leave me a voice message about what happened. That鈥檚 (617) 450-2410.聽
You鈥檝e been listening to People Making a Difference. A podcast about people, who are step-by-step, making a better world.
Copyright, 海角大神, 2021.
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