Losing the Thirty Meter Telescope could mean
losing billions of dollars in research funding
over the next few decades, a senior University of
Hawaii official said.
Vassilis Syrmos, the school’s vice president for
research and innovation, told the Honolulu Star-
Advertiser not building the advanced telescope
on the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii’s Big
Island could impair the school’s ability to attract
research dollars.
Some Native Hawaiians oppose building the
observatory on Mauna Kea because they believe
its summit is sacred. Protesters have been
blocking the road to the summit since mid-July
topreventconstructionfromgettingunderway.UNIVERSITY: LOSING HAWAII TELESCOPE RISKS BILLIONS IN FUNDS
Image: Andrea Franceschini