The National Science Foundation (NSF) selected Chaminade University to lead a groundbreaking $10 million, five-year grant project to create new leadership pathways into data science careers for students and working professionals across Hawaii and the Pacific region.
The grant is part of a comprehensive $39 million effort to establish four new NSF INCLUDES Alliances nationwide designed to bolster diversity and inclusion in scientific leadership, innovation and discovery.
With the help of the transformative funding, Chaminade University’s new United Nations sustainability center, CIFAL Honolulu, and Data Science program will spearhead the launch of the university’s new Alliance Supporting Pacific Impact through Computational Excellence (ALL-SPICE). Working with a consortium of partners, ALL-SPICE will focus on the application of data analytics to solve critical sustainability issues and promote sustainable development across the Pacific region. The program will also focus on workforce development, providing opportunities for skills building in data science to meet employer needs in this high-demand field.
The first Alliance programming will begin this September.
“Chaminade University is honored to lead this important initiative charged with empowering STEM leaders for tomorrow from across Hawaii and the Pacific, equipping them with the cutting-edge data analytics skills they need to drive sustainable development,” said Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington.
“This grant is part of a collective and exciting effort to meet a pivotal moment in our history by expanding opportunities to a new generation of change-makers. This program is founded in our mission of serving community needs and building d healthier, more resilient and socially just communities in Hawaii and the Pacific region.”
CIFAL Honolulu Executive Director Dr. Gail Grabowsky said ALL-SPICE will be “laser-focused” on data science as critical to helping Hawaii and Pacific region communities meet their sustainable development goals, including bolstering renewable energy, reducing inequality and forming sustainable communities.
“This project is about putting Pacific data in Pacific hands to effect regional change and develop the capacity for data-driven decision support,” Grabowsky said. “Our communities are facing big challenges and so this alliance is about helping tomorrow’s Hawaii and Pacific leaders to find big solutions.”
Dr. Helen Turner, research director of Chaminade’s CIFAL Honolulu Centre, is the principal investigator for ALL-SPICE along with Data Science Director Dr. Rylan Chong. She said the Data Science program at Chaminade has taken a community-focused approach from the start.
“Our data science faculty has a portfolio approach to data science education that meets students, working professionals and community members where they are to offer academic, training and informal learning programs,” she said. “NSF recognized the potential of applying this strategy across our Pacific region with a focus on using data analytics to promote sustainable development goals.”
The ALL-SPICE Alliance will have three central functions:
- Offering training and education programs;
- Conducting data science research on sustainable development;
- And building capacity for data analytics, including with cyber infrastructure.
The Chaminade University-led consortium includes the University of Hawaii, East-West Center and the Texas Advanced Computing Center.
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Chaminade University of Honolulu believes in the power of education to drive positive change, broaden perspectives, and deepen our understanding of one another. With an emphasis on transformative service-learning experiences, we prepare students to serve as tomorrow’s leaders, inspiring and challenging them to use their minds and their hearts to help build stronger and more just communities. We are proud to serve as Hawai‘i’s only Marianist university and rely on these values to guide us in delivering a high-quality education with an individualized approach and a focus on excellence, innovation, and change. Established in 1955, we offer more than 30 undergraduate and graduate programs, including doctoral degrees in education, psychology, and nursing practice. Learn more at chaminade.edu.
