How would you evaluate the Mauna Kea Working Group’s efforts to balance interests in managing the summit?
There are deep divides in our community over Maunakea. I have personally experienced them and it is not healthy.
Many people see the need to work together, yet it is rare for anyone to leave their silo and let their guard down. Maybe the fear of conflict or the hopelessness from failed efforts has kept us stuck. Yet, for all whose lives are intimately intertwined with Maunakea, our collective futures and that of the next generations are at stake, and we have to figure it out.
A key outcome from the working group process, not to be overlooked, was the respectful, trusting relationships forged among the members — relationships we need to foster and expand to catalyze respectful, honest dialogue about Maunakea.
The divergent discussion of House Bill 2024 is a sign of how much more dialogue is needed and how much more work remains to find the right path forward for Maunakea.
Do you support the goal to eventually eliminate astronomy from Maunakea?
Astronomy brings great value in knowledge, inspiration for science, educational and career opportunities, and economic impact. I believe astronomy is worth having and is of value to our community.
And, knowing the profound cultural, spiritual, and ecological importance Maunakea holds, I feel it is presumptuous to say telescopes must exist on Maunakea indefinitely. Forever is a long time.
If and when technology advances to the point that astronomical discoveries can be more readily achieved through other means or in a less sensitive location, then we should be asking whether each telescope still belongs on Maunakea. If we determine they should not, we should lean toward restoring the mauna to its natural state out of our stewardship responsibility to Maunakea and the community.
Do you think a new governing body would allow a new telescope to be built on Maunakea, given the goal of eventually eliminating them?
The working group felt important decisions like this should be left to the governing body and not predetermined. As stewards, they would be informed by perspectives that represent our community’s values and priorities, including those left out in the past.
It’s important to acknowledge that part of our community has felt astronomy has grown without sufficient checks and balances, over their objections, damaging trust.
I hope that we in astronomy are able to continue rebuilding trust through our good-faith efforts to work hard and do the right thing; the timely decommissioning of telescopes is a good example. If we can repair the trust gap, I can imagine a future in which relationships are strong, the community is fully represented in stewardship and in the astronomy profession, and we all feel a mutual sense of responsibility for Maunakea and the community. In that future, I can imagine decisions being made by the governing body that increase the scientific value of astronomy while reducing the ecological impacts on the mauna.
Do you think space-based telescopes will replace all land-based ones? Explain.
The near-term answer is no. Ground-based and spaced-based facilities go hand-in-hand. Observations on our Maunakea telescopes inform and validate findings from space-based telescopes.
Space-based telescopes are far more expensive to develop and much riskier to deploy. They have shorter useful lifetimes because they are difficult or impossible to service or upgrade once they are sent to space. There are also practical technology limitations on how large a primary mirror you can put in space which affects how sharp and faint the telescope can see.
However, the farther you stretch the timeline into the future, the more the possibilities expand. Technology changes rapidly and in unexpected ways. Where will we be in 50 or 100 years, and what will our priorities be as a society then? It’s hard to predict.
How would you assess the value of astronomy to Hawaii?
The greatest value of astronomy is its place in humankind’s quest for answers to the enduring questions: How did we come to exist? What is our fate? Are we alone?
That Hawaii plays such a central role in answering those questions gives us a deeper sense of connection to the big, big picture. Integrating the wisdom of traditional indigenous Hawaiian knowledge and contemporary astronomy will give all in Hawaii a deeper sense of meaning about our place in the universe and our identity as explorers.
Astronomy in Hawaii provides wonderful educational opportunities for Hawaii’s keiki, 1,300 jobs directly at observatories and in sectors that provide services to astronomy, internships and workforce pipelines for local students and residents to enter the astronomy-related workforce, and a total contribution of $220 million a year to Hawaii’s economy.
Caring for Maunakea and conducting astronomy in a pono way that is meaningful to us all is possible. I remain optimistic about the future.
THE BIO FILE
>> Title: Associate director of external relations, W.M. Keck Observatory
>> Roots: Born and raised in Honolulu; Graduate of Punahou School, University of Washington (electrical engineering). Joined Keck 28 years ago, lives in Waimea with his wife; raised two sons.
>> Previous professional history: Worked at Boeing in Washington State on the design and fabrication of the 777 airplane.
>> Community work: Hawai‘i Community Foundation’s Hawai‘i Island Leadership Council; West Hawaii Fund Advisory Committee; past trustee at the Hawai‘i Preparatory Academy. Omidyar Fellow, 2016. Helped to form and lead the Keck Farms2Families program supporting local farms and food security during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Maunakea Observatories’ Kama‘aina Connections Program to strengthen relationships with the community.
>> Fun fact: Accepted the job at Keck Observatory after being mesmerized by the perfect head-high waves, black sand and sunrise glow while surfing at Waipio Valley for the first time.
