{"id":155292,"date":"2022-02-09T15:45:34","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T01:45:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=155292"},"modified":"2022-02-09T15:45:34","modified_gmt":"2022-02-10T01:45:34","slug":"hawaii-astronomy-impacts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/02\/09\/hawaii-astronomy-impacts\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawai\u02bbi astronomy impacts felt from classrooms to outer Space"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 2<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap-post\"><figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe  id=\"_ytid_48053\"  width=\"620\" height=\"349\"  data-origwidth=\"620\" data-origheight=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BY78mRyU8Xk?enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu&rel=0&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&disablekb=0&\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  no-lazyload\" title=\"Institute for Astronomy director highlights Hawai\u02bbi astronomy global impact\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><\/figure><\/div>\n<p>University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ifa.hawaii.edu\/\">Institute for Astronomy<\/a> (<abbr>IfA<\/abbr>) Director <strong>Doug Simons<\/strong>  explained how <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> is the world leader in astronomy, and <abbr>UH<\/abbr>\u2019s role in that 50-year legacy, in a February 3 virtual presentation to the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Board of Regents research and innovation committee. Simons also shared his personal story\u2014how he first became fascinated by astronomy and how it brought him to <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> more than three decades ago.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_155333\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-155333\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hilo-ifa-maunakea-gnrc-2-feature-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"telescopes on Maunakea\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-155333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hilo-ifa-maunakea-gnrc-2-feature-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hilo-ifa-maunakea-gnrc-2-feature-130x130.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/hilo-ifa-maunakea-gnrc-2-feature.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-155333\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maunakea<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>World-renowned astronomy research in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> is conducted on Maunakea, <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> and Haleakal\u0101, Maui. Maunakea, on <abbr>UH<\/abbr>-managed lands, is the most prolific astronomy complex in the world in total science impact (number of peer review scientific papers multiplied by their citations), according to Simons, and even outperforms the Hubble Telescope.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/uhero.hawaii.edu\/\">University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Economic Research Organization<\/a> (<abbr>UHERO<\/abbr>) just reported that the economic impact of astronomy in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> in 2019 was $221 million.<\/p>\n<p>Simon stressed that astronomy\u02bbs impact on <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> goes far beyond scientific discoveries and the revenue that it generates.<\/p>\n<h2>Education and outreach<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_71091\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-71091\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/manoa-ifa-oumuamua-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-71091\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/manoa-ifa-oumuamua-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/manoa-ifa-oumuamua-630x353.jpg 630w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/manoa-ifa-oumuamua.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-71091\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This artist&#8217;s impression shows the first detected interstellar asteroid <span aria-label=\"Oumuamua\">&#699;Oumuamua<\/span>. (Credit: <abbr>ESO<\/abbr>\/M. Kornmesser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Simons highlighted the Hawaiian language-based program, <a href=\"https:\/\/imiloahawaii.org\/a-hua-he-inoa\">A Hua He Inoa<\/a> operated out of the <a href=\"https:\/\/imiloahawaii.org\/\"><span aria-label=\"Imiloa\">&#699;Imiloa<\/span> Astronomy Center<\/a> at <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Hilo. Hawaiian-speaking students and educators work with language experts and <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>-based astronomers to create names in <span aria-label=\"olelo\">&#699;&#333;lelo<\/span> <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> (Hawaiian language) for astronomical discoveries made in <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>. The collaborative program is behind more than a handful of celestial <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> discoveries that captured world-wide attention, including mysterious interstellar object <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2017\/11\/20\/an-interstellar-visitor-unmasked\/\"><span aria-label=\"Oumuamua\">&#699;Oumuamua<\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2019\/04\/10\/uh-hilo-professor-names-black-hole\/\">P&#333;wehi<\/a>, the world\u2019s very first image of a black hole.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I\u2019m convinced that there is a real thirst for this type of discovery and it\u2019s highly amplified by the synergy, if you will, with the A Hua He Inoa program providing these Hawaiian names,&rdquo; Simons explained. &ldquo;For me, it\u2019s kind of like Maunakea having a global voice and that voice is Hawaiian. Very much as it should be.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Also, since 2015, <abbr>IfA<\/abbr> students have helped mentor more than 500 public <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> high school students under astronomy education program, <a href=\"https:\/\/maunakeascholars.com\/\">Maunakea Scholars<\/a>, a collaborative endeavor Simons helped establish when he was the director of the Canada-France-<span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Telescope. The program enables local teens to apply for observing time across the Maunakea Observatories for their own independent research proposals.<\/p>\n<h2>Intergalactic collaboration<\/h2>\n<p>Part of the presentation also spotlighted <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> astronomy\u2019s world-class capabilities and how it has led to innovative research interconnection with billion-dollar spaced- based satellites such as <abbr title=\"National Aeronautics and Space Administration\u2019s\">NASA\u2019s<\/abbr> Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite or <abbr>TESS<\/abbr> (an all-sky survey mission equipped to discover exoplanets in orbit) and the historic James Webb Space Telescope (<abbr>JWST<\/abbr>) recently launched in December 2021.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_153533\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-153533\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/manoa-ifa-jwst-2-300x211.jpg\" alt=\"James Webb Space Telescope\" width=\"300\" height=\"211\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-153533\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/manoa-ifa-jwst-2-300x211.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/manoa-ifa-jwst-2-130x91.jpg 130w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/manoa-ifa-jwst-2.jpg 676w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-153533\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">James Webb Space Telescope (Photo credit: <abbr>NASA<\/abbr>\/Chris Gunn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>According to Simons, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2021\/12\/20\/uh-designed-sensors-aboard-historic-space-telescope\/\">near-infrared sensors (<abbr>HAWAII<\/abbr>&#8211;<abbr>2RG<\/abbr>s) developed and tested at <abbr>IfA<\/abbr> and on Maunakea<\/a> will enable the <abbr>JWST<\/abbr> to gaze deeper into space than ever before. In the next 12\u201324 months, telescopes on Maunakea will play an integral role in follow-up observations captured by <abbr>JWST<\/abbr> as it starts its search for potential signs of life on other planets.<\/p>\n<p>Simons likens astronomical observations of our generation to the early discoveries of Polynesia.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They were, of course, masters of exploring the ocean in search of islands and sort of the analogy for me is, our medium has changed from ocean to space itself and our islands have now turned into planets,&rdquo; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>This work is an example of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s goal of <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=20\">Enhancing Student Success<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr title=\"Portable Document Format\">PDF<\/abbr><\/span>) and <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf#page=25\">Excellence in Research: Advancing the Research and Creative Work Enterprise<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr>PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), two of four goals identified in the <a href=\"https:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/manoa-2025-strategic-plan.pdf\">2015&#8211;25 Â鶹´«Ã½<\/a> (<span class=\"small-text\"><abbr>PDF<\/abbr><\/span>), updated in December 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Doug Simons explained how <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> is the world leader in astronomy, and <abbr>UH<\/abbr>\u2019s role in that 50-year legacy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,12],"tags":[34,72,292,35,1466,1467,659,1421,1347,14,9,343,56],"class_list":["post-155292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-video","tag-astronomy","tag-board-of-regents","tag-imiloa-astronomy-center","tag-institute-for-astronomy","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-manoa-excellence-in-research","tag-maunakea","tag-maunakea-observatories","tag-maunakea-scholars","tag-uh-hilo","tag-uh-manoa","tag-uhero","tag-video-2","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155292"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":155299,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155292\/revisions\/155299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}