IMPORTANT: You must email Gareth Wynn-Williams at wynnwill@gmail.com by Nov 15 if you plan to attend, so everyone is accommodated!
When: Nov 19, social/dinner from 6pm, talk starts at 7pm
Where: HASR Bistro: http://www.hasrbistro.com/about-us.html
What: The Future of Astronomy in Hawaii by Dr. Alan Tokunaga
I will discuss the status of the Thirty Meter Telescope(TMT) on Maunakea. The conflict over the construction of the TMT due to the protest movement is presently a stalemate. On the one hand the state does not want a violent confrontation and on the other hand it is obligated to enforce the law. What is at stake is the future of astronomy in Hawaii, since there is no doubt that if the TMT is denied access for construction then the viability of all of the observatories will be threatened. While most of the news reports have focussed on the protesters, the kia’i, there is a growing voice of native Hawaiians who favor the TMT. There are many sides to the conflict and how it will be resolved has great consequences for our state.
Maui-born Dr. Tokunaga is an Emeritus Astronomer at UH. He is the former director of the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Maunakea and is a specialist in infrared astronomy and instrumentation.