HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) - HCC students were taken on a journey to the stars Wednesday with the sole trustee of the oldest private astronomical research institution in the United States. The Lowell Observatory has a long and storied history, which includes finding the first proof of the expanding universe, obtaining the first images of Pluto, mapping lunar landing areas for the Apollo missions, and documenting the rings of Uranus. During his presentation, Putnam shared videos and images of past discoveries and current research, as work continues to understand the nature, formation, habitability, and evolution of planetary bodies in our solar system. Putnam's goal today was to inspire students with a crash course in astronomical education. "I generally get lots of questions, as you know, anything from, 'Is Pluto really a planet?' to 'Is there life around other stars?' Those kinds of conversations are great, it just gets people's creative juices flowing, and I'm certainly hoping it will help inspire these guys in terms of looking at careers and realizing what opportunities are out there," said Lowell Putnam, Sole Trustee of the Lowell Observatory. Putnam says he hopes this discussion will inspire students to pursue more careers in STEM because these jobs pave the way to creating the technology and tools that very well could answer some of life's greatest mysteries. Local News Headlines Chicopee police seek public’s help in locating missing teen City of Holyoke looks to update its natural hazards mitigation plan Local varsity girls soccer team hosted a fundraiser to support Breast Cancer Research National Grid sends crews to aid Florida after Milton WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.