Governor Linda Lingle today announced a new Hawaii-Taiwan joint partnership in undergraduate education, community outreach and astronomy research stemming from the Taiwan-American Occultation Survey (TAOS). The agreement between the Academia Sinica and the University of Hawaii - Hilo was signed by UH Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng during the Governor's trip to Taiwan. The partnership will facilitate the enhancement of current TAOS research capabilities in Hawai'i and initiate reciprocal educational, outreach, and research programs.

The purpose of the TAOS project is to measure directly the number of Kuiper Belt Objects in the outer solar system. This knowledge will help scientists to understand the formation and evolution of comets in the early solar system.

"The TAOS-Hawaii partnership will lead to an increase in the number of under-represented minorities in science, technology, engineering and math professions, and expand the ability and mission of the UH Hilo 'Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawa'i to interpret the relationship between science and culture," Governor Lingle said.

"Astronomy and space science have become significant activities generating income and employment in Hawaii," said Ted Liu, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. "On the Big Island it is topped only by tourism. The Mauna Kea observatories bring in over $150 million dollars to the local economy and employ over 600 workers, including many kamaaina."

TAOS is an ongoing international research program led by the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics with a number of other institutions, including the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Taiwan's National Central University (Institute of Astronomy), Yonsei University (South Korea), and, through this agreement, the newest member - UH Hilo.

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