IfA Maui
MAIKALANI ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH CENTER
The IfA building contains offices, a large astronomical library, laboratories, Although they primarily observe from Maunakea or Haleakalā, most UH astronomers are based at the IfA headquarters building in the part of Honolulu known as Mānoa Valley, near the main campus of the University of Hawai‘i on the island of O‘ahu. The IfA has an annual budget of about $20 million and a total staff of about 200 people, including more than 50 faculty and 40 graduate students. a machine shop for building the scientific instruments that go on the telescopes, extensive computing facilities, and remote observing facilities so that astronomers can use the telescopes on Maunakea and Haleakala over the Internet.
CryoNIRSP instrument built at the ATRC Lab.
ATRC Lab
The University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy (UH/IfA), has a history of unique and excellent imaging system development, and facilities for providing support of telescope, detector, and optical system development. The unique optical research lab at The University of Hawaii’s Maikalani Advanced Technology Research Center on Maui is unique in that it has a 20 meter optical meter path and houses state of the art equipment for fabricating, modeling, and evaluating modern imaging instrumentation. Over $3M of advanced optical instrumentation and test equipment is available. ATRC facilities include offices, workshops, imaging and detector development laboratories, and extensive computer and supercomputer facilities. The newly commissioned C7 inch coelostat facility is currently in use for testing and development of instrumentation. Other IfA ATRC facilities include state-of-the-art equipment for fabricating and evaluating modern imaging instrumentation including a mechanical and electronic design shop including 3-D modeling capability, finite element structural modeling, thermo-mechanical optics modeling, ZEMAX optical design, mechanical CAD, optical metrology equipment, electron beam coating chamber, a Class 10,000 optical instrument assembly, and chemistry lab room (under construction). Other IfA assets include a welding shop, full machine shop with over $2M of fabrication instruments including 5-axis NC mill, NC lathe, precision micro mill, wire EDM cutter, and conventional large lathe and milling capabilities.
Waiakoa Laboratory
An old farm house, the IfA Waiakoa Laboratory in Kula was once the location of the IfA on Maui. It has been refurbished as a dorm for visiting students and researchers.
Its location is:
4761 Lower Kula Road
Kula, HI 96790
Phone: (808) 876-7600