Wired for electronics wizardry

KENOZA LAKE, NY — From age five, Stephen Gaebel began to manifest a strong fascination for electronics. From the time his aunt Brenda first showed him how to connect wires to a light and a battery, the young “Edison” began experimenting with circuits. Using trial and error, he soon devised an alarm system for the house.

“He told me he had invented a burglar alarm system with foil and a battery,” said his mother Beatrice Kubenik. “I couldn’t believe it. It really worked,” she said.

That was just the beginning. Amassing a box full of wires, capacitors, motors, computer chips and anything else electronic, Stephen began turning out toys and gadgets. On one occasion his father Stephen took him to the dump and the young Gaebel came home with a bunch of old Dirt Devils. What some people would view as junk, he saw as raw material for his ongoing experimentation and future inventions.

“Everything I would have thrown out over the years, including old toasters, radios and vacuums, I saved for him. He would take them apart and use the components to create new gadgets,” his mother said.

One of Stephen’s prized gadgets is a land rover. The remote control vehicle has a scoop, a hand, claw and camera. It broadcasts back to a television inside of the house.

Gaebel began reading books on electronics to learn the names of many of the components he had already been using. “I knew what they did but was curious to find out how they worked,” he said.

Recognizing her son’s unique interest and talent, Kubenik began researching programs that could nurture his curiosity and augment his knowledge base. With the help of Sullivan West Junior High School guidance counselor Dan Welton, Kubenik was able to get Gaebel into the Vassar College Summer Institute for the Gifted. To gain admission into the prestigious program, Gaebel had to take the SATs. His score of 750 was pretty remarkable for a seventh grader who has yet to take any high school courses in mathematics.

Gaebel is one of 202 students who will be attending the program. His three-week stay at the college will afford him an opportunity to take electives like “Engineering in Action,” which the course guide says will “give insights into how chemical, mechanical, electrical, aeronautical and civil engineers solve real world problems.

“The course will delve into engineering principles surrounding stability of structures, buoyancy, heat phenomena and electricity.”

In addition, Gaebel will take “Electronic Experimentation,” which focuses on the application of electromechanical mechanisms. The construction of an experimental robot containing a logic circuit sounds perfect for the young Kenoza Lake wizard.

“I’ve never been away from my parents before but I think it will be pretty cool,” Gaebel said.

Gaebel said he does pretty well in math and science. As to the source of his unique abilities, his parents seem somewhat mystified. They’re sure he didn’t inherit his talent from them. Gaebel has four sisters at home, including Nicole, Grace, Cheyenne and Hope. None of them share his inclination for electronics either.

“I want to be an engineer when I grow up. I might work for NASA or maybe I’ll be in automotive engineering,” he said. When Gaebel is not dabbling with circuits, he is out riding his four-wheeler or dirt bike. He also loves sports and is a fan of the New York Yankees and the football Giants.

Years from now, this week’s youth in focus is apt to make a remarkable impact in the field of engineering.