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January 15, 2005
The Institute for Astronomy of the University
of Hawaii broke ground on January 14, 2005, for a new 15,000 square
foot, two story facility near Kula, Maui. The Advanced Technology
Research Center (ATRC), promises to be the gathering place in Upcountry
Maui for academic, government and industry partners engaged in technology
development. The first phase of this long term program was designed
by Kober/Hanssen/Mitchell Architects of Honolulu, to be one of the
flagship institutions on the Kulamalu Inc. property. The ATRC building,
which is being built by Summit Construction Company, should be available
for occupancy in the fall of 2005.
The state-of-the-art ATRC will serve as the main
facility for the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy
on Maui and will include laboratory workspace for microfabrication,
advanced metrology and optical/infrared sensor development. Strategically
located approximately halfway between the Maui Research and Technology
Park and the summit of Haleakala, the 1.98 – acre site for
the facility is a part of Dowling Company’s Kulamalu Town
Center project.
The ATRC’s provisions for optical testing
with day or nighttime astronomical sources make this an ideal facility
for remote sensing instrument development. With its high-bandwidth
digital link to the summit and the Maui Research and Technology
Park, the ATRC will be a significant addition to the technology
infrastructure of Maui and the state of Hawai`i.
“We are proud to be a part of this effort
to bring the vision of the new Advanced Technology Research Center
to reality, as the facility will elevate our island and state’s
image as a home for the most serious technological and scientific
investment,” noted Maui-based developer Everett Dowling.
Dr. Jeff Kuhn, IfA associate director for Haleakala
said, “The ATRC is a much needed facility that helps to build
the momentum in Hawaii and on Maui for technology development.”
IfA Director, Dr. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki said, “With
the Maui ATRC, we will bring to the state a shared technology facility
with capabilities that are not available anywhere else in Hawaii.”
Mike Maberry, IfA assistant director for external
affairs and Principal Investigator for the project said, “At
present, the Institute for Astronomy on Maui operates out of an
80-year-old farm nouse in Waiakoa to support its Haleakala activities.
This bucolic structure was once owned by the Tom family who used
it to house goats before the University purchased it in the early
1960s.”
The Institute for Astronomy at the University
of Hawaii conducts research into galaxies, cosmology, stars, planets,
and the Sun. Its faculty and staff are also involved in astronomy
education, and in the development and management of the observatories
on Haleakala and Mauna Kea.
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