Jobs in Hawaii Take on New Scope
A giant telescope will ultimately create jobs in Hawaii.
The University of Hawaii Board of Regents recently approved plans for the Thirty Meter Telescope project on Mauna Kea. Once approved by the Department of Land and Natural Resources, the project will make Hawaii home to the world's most advanced and capable astronomical observatory.
Although there was previously some concern as to whether the TMT would damage Mauna Kea's summit, the project has already been approved by the Mauna Kea Management Board, UH Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng, and UH President M.R.C. Greenwood, and Gov. Linda Lingle accepted the Final Environmental Impact Statement.
"The Thirty Meter Telescope will take us on an exciting journey of astronomical discovery, and the benefits that will flow from the project will go far beyond scientific results," Greenwood said. "University of Hawaii scientists will be full participants in all aspects of this TMT journey, while the capital investment and jobs created by the project will boost the state's economy and provide for local educational and workforce development programs.
"I know that the university's important responsibility of ensuring good stewardship of this special site for future generations has been of utmost priority throughout the process, and it will continue to be our focus as we work closely with the community and all stakeholders involved with the management of Mauna Kea."
The TMT is an international partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is a collaborating institutions, while the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and India are observers of the project.
Representatives from these institutions have already visited Hawaii to meet with many people about the project, including local schools, labor unions, Native Hawaiian groups, and local officials. This helped to gain a sense of the community's concerns and interests.
"We believe this partnership will benefit the Big Island and Hawaii in so many ways, with jobs, the economy, workforce development, education, the environment, culture, and of course, science," Dr. Henry Yang, chancellor of UC Santa Barbara and chair of the TMT Board of Directors, said. "The world-class stature of astronomical education and research of the University of Hawaii on all its campuses statewide will benefit, and discoveries made by this telescope will benefit not only the international science community, but all of humankind."