Latest Science News
Jun 22, 2016
Latest From the Canada France Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) For the last 20 years the giant planets known as hot Jupiters have presented astronomers with a puzzle. How did they settle into orbits 100 times closer to their host stars than our own Jupiter is to the Sun? An international team of astronomers has announced this week1 the discovery of a newborn hot Jupiter, orbiting an infant sun — only 2 million years old, the stellar equivalent of a week-old human baby. The discovery that hot Jupiters can already be present at such an early stage of star-planet formation represents a major step forward in our understanding of how planetary systems form and evolve. Alternative artist view of V830 Tau and the newborn giant planet like the one recently discovered. Infant stars are very active making the detection of planets around them challenging. Image was created by student artist from Hawaii. (credit Michael Ho) For this discovery, the team monitored a 2 million-year-old infant star called V830 Tau, located in the Taurus stellar nursery, some 430 light-years away. Over the 1.5 months of the campaign, a regular 4.9-day “wobble” in the velocity of the host star revealed a giant planet almost as massive as Jupiter, orbiting its host star at a distance of only one-twentieth that of the Sun to the Earth distance. “Our discovery demonstrates for the first time that such bodies can be generated at very early stages of planetary formation, and likely play a central role in shaping the overall architecture of planetary systems” explains Jean-François Donati, CNRS astronomer at IRAP / OMP2 and lead author of... read more
Jun 17, 2016
By TOM CALLIS Hawaii Tribune-Herald University of Hawaii at Hilo’s Science and Technology Building was about as quiet as could be expected Wednesday given the summer break. That’s except for two rooms on the second floor where nearly 30 students were busy at work solving problems related to renewable energy and optics. And this was just the one-week preparatory course. The students from across Hawaii next will spend seven weeks at telescopes or technology businesses in the state working with mentors and gaining some valuable real-world experience. It’s all part of the Akamai Internship Program that for 14 years has acted as a launching pad for aspiring scientists and engineers in Hawaii. Akamai director Lisa Hunter estimates 81 percent of the 328 students who have come through the program have jobs in science and technology fields or are continuing their education. But despite its track record, Hunter said the program could face significant cutbacks. Since 2009, she said the program’s largest contributor has been the TMT International Observatory, the nonprofit organization behind the Thirty Meter Telescope, a controversial $1.4 billion project proposed for Mauna Kea. If the next-generation observatory, which has faced strong opposition from some Native Hawaiians who consider the mountain sacred, moves elsewhere, the program stands to be one of the most impacted. “When TMT started contributing money, that pretty much rescued us from having almost no interns on the Big Island,” Hunter said. “That was a big relief for us.” The $150,000 a year that TMT contributes makes up a third of the program’s funding. Additional funding sources include the Hawaii Community Foundation, Air Force Office... read more
Local Events
Aug 3, 2016
Update: The polling done by Ward Research was done for n=404 respondents, maximum margin of error of +/- 4.9% at 95% confidence level. The sample chart shown below of Caucasian, Hawaiian and Japanese only total 299 because there were other ethnicities not shown the chart purely for simplicity reasons. Those excluded 105 respondents excluded: Chinese, 1%; Filipino, 9%; Mixed, 9%; Other, 4%; and refused to identify, 3%. The results of a new scientific poll show that Hawai‘i Island residents support the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. The public opinion poll conducted in July 2016 by Ward Research Inc. shows that 60% of Hawai‘i Island’s residents support moving ahead with construction of the TMT project, with 31% opposed. In a previous scientific poll taken in October 2015, 59% of Hawai‘i Island’s residents supported moving ahead with TMT construction, while 39% were opposed to it. “It was important for us to understand how Hawai‘i Island residents feel about the project, and the latest poll results demonstrate that opposition to TMT on Hawai‘i Island is decreasing,” said TMT Executive Director Ed Stone. “That’s significant and we are most grateful that the community’s support of the project remains high. The findings also show that the general public on Hawai‘i Island understands the benefits TMT will bring in terms of Hawaii’s economy and education, both of which are very important to TMT.” The poll’s key findings: 89% of Hawai‘i Island residents agree there should be a way for science and Hawaiian culture to co-exist on Maunakea 76% of Hawai‘i Island residents agree that TMT will help create good paying jobs and... read more
Jul 20, 2016
National media coverage of the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope (“TMT”) has consistently reported that Native Hawaiians are against its construction. We from Perpetuating Unique Educational Opportunities, Inc. (“PUEO”) strongly disagree with these claims. Latest polling on Oahu shows not only a majority of voters support the TMT project, but support from Native Hawaiians has grown into a majority. PUEO is buoyed by the news of poll numbers conducted by Ward Research for the Star Advertiser showing 76% support for TMT with 57% of Native Hawaiians in favor. As we have stated, PUEO hopes to bring a vision of clarity and unity to the process through the perpetuation of unique educational opportunities for our children. We believe that our voice of inclusiveness is getting heard in our communities, and that moving forward with aloha, and integrating culture and science are in the best interests for Hawai`i’s future. PUEO is a Native Hawaiian led non-profit dedicated to enhancing and creating educational opportunities for Hawaii’s youth and their communities. PUEO’s focus on bridging traditional knowledge and scientific opportunities are specific to Hawaii and Hawaiian Culture. In addition to the restoration of the voyaging canoe, Hokualakai, we also provide opportunities for kids to engage in hands-on, inter-disciplinary learning environments. Our intent is based on a unifying vision of Hawaiian language, culture, science, technology and exploration. PUEO seeks to provide and enhance the opportunities for our children to continue the Hawaiian tradition and culture of exploration and learning to all members of our communities. PUEO recognizes the importance of Hawaii’s children to seek knowledge from all sources in order to survive and... read more
