Astronomers
Release First Image from Gigantic Infrared Camera
Astronomers from the Institute for Astronomy released the first image from a
gigantic new 16 Megapixel infrared camera recently mounted on the UH 2.2-meter
(88-inch) telescope on Mauna Kea. The new camera provides a sixteen-fold increase
in sky coverage and much higher sensitivity than the 1-Megapixel cameras in widespread
use on telescopes for the last decade. Until larger telescopes have similar cameras,
it makes the 30-year-old telescope the most powerful in the world for infrared
imaging.
The galaxy imaged, NGC 891, is in the constellation Andromeda at a distance of
about 10 million light years. It is of particular scientific interest because
it is very similar to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Read
more about it.
UH
in Final Phase to Receive Multi-Million Dollar NASA Grant
UH Manoa has been selected as one of five candidates for the 2004 Explorer Program
Missions for its ANITA (Antarctic
Impulsive Transient Antenna) project. The five-year grant is estimated to be
worth $32 to $35 million with $8 million going directly to the university in
support of programs related to the project. After completing an initial study
phase NASA is expected to give the final go ahead in June.
ANITA is the first long duration balloon project ever selected as part of the
Explorer program. ANITA is designed to view the Antarctic ice sheet from horizon
to horizon using a sophisticated array of antennas to "listen" for
sharp bursts of radio waves emitted by cosmic high energy neutrinos as they interact
deep within the ice sheet. It can simultaneously monitor more than a million
cubic kilometers of ice, turning the entire Antarctic continent into an enormous
neutrino telescope. Read
more about it.
West
O‘ahu Awarded $1.9 Million to Expand Services for Underrepresented
Students
UH West O‘ahu was awarded a $1.9 million Title III grant from the U.S.
Department of Education to expand academic and student services for underrepresented
students, specifically Native Hawaiian and Filipino students. Statistics show
that Filipinos and Native Hawaiians are chronically underrepresented in higher
education, particularly at the bachelor degree level. The West O‘ahu
Title III leadership team hopes to address this concern by focusing on two
broad activities—strengthening academic capacity and enhancing student
services.
According to official fall 2002 institutional data, UHWO had the highest percentages
of Hawaiian/Part-Hawaiian and Filipino students of the three baccalaureate
degree granting campuses within the UH system. Read
more about it.
Hilo Receives Native
Hawaiian K–3 Program Grant
UH Hilo’s Hale Kuamo‘o program was awarded a three-year grant under
the Education of Native Hawaiians Program. For the first year of the grant,
Hilo was awarded $778,291. The grant will be used for the Hua Kau Maka Hawaiian
Language Literacy Project K–3, which develops early childhood literacy
comprehension curriculum for Hawaiian medium education, helping students to
achieve a high level of literacy in both the Hawaiian and English language. Read
the press release.
|
