Latest Science News
Jul 3, 2016
From West Hawaii Today “So, what are you doing this summer?” is one of the most commonly asked questions students are asked when walking out of their final exams. But instead of replying with a casual shrug of the shoulders, Hawaii residents Nicole Tabac, Kyle Mauri and Daryl Albano had the unique opportunity to proudly say, “I’m a Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope Akamai intern.” While these students are akamai by every stretch of the word, they are among 30 college students interning in STEM related organizations throughout the Big Island and Maui as a part of the Akamai Internship Program. The program’s mission is to provide college students the opportunity to gain work experience at an observatory, company or technical facility in Hawaii for seven weeks. It has had tremendous success, with an 81 percent retention rate of students staying on the STEM pathway in college and beyond. The program includes housing, travel fees and a stipend to interns. Such is possible through generous funding from sponsors such as Thirty Meter Telescope International Observatory and The Air Force Office of Scientific Research based in Arlington, VA. Yet, unlike other similar internships, the program has a variety of sites and jobs available for each student based on their aptitudes and interests. The list includes more than 50 different fields of STEM ranging from biology to computer programming. Students are placed with a project and mentor that best suits their interests, according to Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope’s outreach program manager, Mary Beth Laychak. “You want to make sure the intern, mentor and project are all very well aligned,” she said. “And that’s something that Lisa... read more
Jul 3, 2016
Astronomers at The University of Nottingham have released spectacular new infrared images of the distant Universe, providing the deepest view ever obtained over a large area of sky. The team, led by Omar Almaini, Professor of Astrophysics in the School of Physics and Astronomy, is presenting their results at the National Astronomy Meeting taking place this week at the University’s Jubilee Campus. The final data release from the Ultra-Deep Survey (UDS) maps an area four times the size of the full Moon to unprecedented depth. Over 250,000 galaxies have been detected, including several hundred observed within the first billion years after the Big Bang. Astronomers around the world will use the new images to study the early stages of galaxy formation and evolution. The release of the final UDS images represents the culmination of a project that began taking data in 2005. The scientists used the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) on Hawaii to observe the same patch of sky repeatedly, building up more than 1000 hours of exposure time. Observing in the infrared is vital for studying the distant Universe, as ordinary starlight is “redshifted” to longer wavelengths due to the cosmological expansion of the Universe. Because of the finite speed of light, the most distant galaxies are also observed very far back in time. Professor Almaini said: “With the UDS we can study distant galaxies in large numbers, and observe how they evolved at different stages in the history of the Universe. We see most of the galaxies in our image as they were billions of years before the Earth was formed.” The UDS is the deepest... read more
Local Events
Aug 17, 2016
By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER The Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Building a giant telescope atop Mauna Kea will come with educational opportunities that Hawaii shouldn’t close the door to, the president of a Native Hawaiian group that supports the project said. Perpetuating Unique Educational Opportunities President Keahi Warfield told a Waikiki hotel banquet room filled with members of the Rotary Club of Honolulu Tuesday that he believes there’s a “silent majority” of the public who support the Thirty Meter Telescope. The $1.4 billion telescope has divided the Native Hawaiian community, with many opponents saying it will desecrate sacred land. The state Supreme Court invalidated the project’s permit last year and ordered a new contested case hearing. Warfield’s group, whose acronym PUEO means Hawaiian owl, is allowed to participate in the upcoming hearing. The nonprofit organization’s board consists of Native Hawaiian elders, Warfield said. “Many people have come forward to thank us for exposing a view that they were afraid to voice,” said a bullet point in a presentation Warfield showed the Rotary Club. Many don’t feel safe expressing support for the telescope, he said. Intense protests on the Big Island mountain prompted a halt in construction. Telescope officials have said they want a permit in place by the end of the year or early next year in order to resume construction in 2018. Meanwhile, telescope officials are looking for possible alternate sites in case it can’t be built in Hawaii. A young girl told Warfield she no longer wants to grow up to be a scientist because of the debate, which has pitted family members against each other, Warfield... read more
Aug 5, 2016
There was a crowd of over 50 people who showed their support for building the TMT yesterday in Hilo. Each person had their own reasons from creating jobs to enthusiasm over scientific discoveries. Richard Ha was there talking to people and there was a lot of friendly motorists who waved and honked in support. Other PUEO leaders were busy with their educational programs and getting ready for today’s hearing that is getting underway at 10:00 am. But they were there in spirit and more PEUO shirts were passed out. Hearing Underway Today It’s great to see the community come out and support efforts to get the TMT built, but we also have a lot of work to do to make sure the educational opportunities stay here in Hawaii and that we can insure that Hawaiian cultural is a key part of that education. Today Judge Amano is going to start going through the motions filed from the 20 parties involved in the case hearing from 10am to 1 pm in the Hilo YMCA. There are several motions filed against allowing PUEO to participate in the process and over 170 documents and filings in process. For a full list of the filings visit the DLNR website and select the “Document Library”. Between the recent polling results of and responses to our sign waving event we are confident we are on the right track and doing what is best for our childrens’ and grand childrens’... read more
