The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology is preparing to welcome a new multipurpose research vessel.
Once complete, Imua will be able to conduct a wide range of research projects — from seafloor mapping to deploying equipment like buoys.
The vessel is designed to be versatile and adaptable to board a variety of instruments.
Imua is scheduled to be a medium-sized research vessel that can support a 10-person mission for 10 days. The ship can also carry up to 22 people for educational outreach missions.
Carl Meyer, a researcher in charge of overseeing the construction process of Imua, describes the vessel as a "state-of-the-art floating marine science lab and classroom."
"Students on Oʻahu have a lot of opportunities for science immersion. As you go to the neighbor islands, those opportunities diminish, and what we can do is we can take those science immersion experiences to students in the neighbor islands. And that's one of the greatest things about this new vessel," Meyer told HPR.
Imua is part of the $50 million donation from Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg to support research at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology.
