THE SENATE |
S.C.R. NO. |
120 |
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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SENATE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
Supporting the workforce Pipeline Program of the thirty meter telescope project.
WHEREAS, in the 2001 Decadal Survey for Astronomy conducted by the United States National Research Council, the scientific community identified the critical need for a telescope with a thirty meter primary mirror capable of achieving better resolution and light-gathering power than any observatory constructed to date; and
WHEREAS, subsequently, the Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Corporation, a non-profit company, was formed to plan, design, build, and operate the Thirty Meter Telescope; and
WHEREAS, the Thirty Meter Telescope Project is a partnership of the University of California, California Institute of Technology, and the Association of Canadian Universities for Research in Astronomy, with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan as a collaborating agency; and
WHEREAS, the Thirty Meter Telescope will be the world's most advanced and capable observatory, with the ability to study objects too faint or too distant to observe with existing facilities, and will be a key tool for answering many of the most compelling and important questions in all of science, including the evolution of galaxies and the formation of stars and planets; and
WHEREAS, in July 2009, the Board of Directors of the Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Corporation selected Mauna Kea on Hawaii Island as the preferred site for the Thirty Meter Telescope; and
WHEREAS, the Thirty Meter Telescope Project would provide long term potential employment on Hawaii Island for astronomers; a wide range of engineers and engineering technicians; staff to maintain and direct equipment at the observatory; and scientific support, public outreach, management, and administrative personnel; and
WHEREAS, after the telescope is built, observatory operations will require approximately one hundred twenty full-time jobs, and the Thirty Meter Telescope Project is committed to hiring as many members of the local workforce as possible; and
WHEREAS, to achieve this goal, the Thirty Meter Telescope Project is currently developing a Workforce Pipeline Program to ensure a highly skilled, local workforce for the Hawaii observatory, as well as other observatories and high-tech companies; and
WHEREAS, the Workforce Pipeline Program will focus on efforts such as strengthening STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) skills infrastructure, developing or expanding program and curricula at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Hawaii Community College, and Hawaii Island K-12 education organizations serving lower-income and first-generation college attendees; and
WHEREAS, the Workforce Pipeline Program will include scholarships, internships, and mentorships to support students from elementary school to college graduate school, with the ultimate goal of strengthening STEM skills throughout Hawaii Island; and
WHEREAS, the Thirty Meter Telescope Project is pursuing partnerships with the Department of Education, independent and charter schools, Hawaii Community College, and the University of Hawaii at Hilo to initiate education and training programs that will prepare Hawaii's workforce for high technology jobs in the future; and
WHEREAS, the Thirty Meter Telescope Project is also pursuing a partnership with Imiloa Astronomy Center, a part of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, in its workforce pipeline efforts to provide cultural grounding to its technical and educational training; and
WHEREAS, the Thirty Meter Telescope Project also hopes to explore collaborative relationships with Hawaiian organizations including Kamehameha Schools, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Alu Like; and
WHEREAS, the Workforce Pipeline Program will provide a much needed community benefit with positive long term effects for the people of Hawaii Island and the State of Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, although full implementation of the Workforce Pipeline Program is not expected to commence until after construction is underway, it is incumbent upon the Thirty Meter Telescope Project to begin the process of outlining its workforce pipeline goals, strategies, outcomes, and proposed collaborative partners; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature supports and encourages the Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Corporation's collaboration with the Department of Education; independent and charter schools; Hawaii Community College; the University of Hawaii at Hilo; state, county, and private-sector workforce entities; community organizations; and the astronomy industry to help develop, implement, and sustain a comprehensive Workforce Pipeline Program that will prepare the local workforce for employment at the Thirty Meter Telescope Project and other high technology projects in Hawaii; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Thirty Meter Telescope Project is encouraged to identify appropriate apprenticeship program opportunities with relevant trades and to formulate a preliminary curriculum for students interested in STEM fields; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, the President of the University of Hawaii, the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo, the Chancellor of Hawaii Community College, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Executive Director of the Charter School Administrative Office, the Executive Director of the Hawaii Association of Independent Schools, and the Chairperson of the Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Corporation Board of Directors.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory; Workforce Pipeline Program