Chaminade University of Honolulu

University Communications & Marketing

Kicking Off a Year of Business

2018 Hogan Entrepreneurial Program Kick OffChaminade staff, faculty and community partners joined together to welcome nearly 40 new Hogan Entrepreneurial Program students at the Pacific Club on October 10.

The Hogan Entrepreneurial Program provides an entrepreneurial certificate to Chaminade’s juniors, seniors and graduate students. Students in the program spend a year taking classes and hearing from weekly guest speakers to learn the principles of starting a business.

“Our motto is doing business things that make social sense and doing social things that make business sense,” says Dr. John Webster, director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. “We ask our students to take this motto seriously, and they do.”

The program’s annual kick-off event allowed students a chance to meet with members of the business community and hear from keynote speaker Leslie Wilcox.

2018 Hogan Entrepreneurial Program Kick OffPresident and CEO of PBS Hawaii Leslie Wilcox pulled from her well-respected career in news and media to present the new entrepreneurs with five leadership takeaways:

 1. Cultivate a simple mindset
 2. Respect team smarts
 3. Be willing to accept advice and constructive criticism
 4. Develop battle-hardened confidence
 5. Be fearless

After the address, attendees enjoyed a beautiful outdoor reception where students had a chance to network with and meet Hawaii business leaders.

Congratulations to our 2018 Hogan Entrepreneurs, we can’t wait to see what you achieve over the next year!

A Huntington Beach Reunion

The aloha warmth was strong in Huntington Beach on October 4! Close to 50 Chaminade alumni joined us at our second annual Southern California gathering to mingle, talk story and enjoy a delicious dinner buffet at the famous Wahoo’s Tacos.

Tom Orbe ‘73, Chaminade alumnus and owner of Wahoo’s Tacos, generously hosted the event with his wife Barb ‘76. Tom originally came to Chaminade for the surf, and immediately fell in love with it. He met his wife at Chaminade, and he now sits on our Board of Governors.

Alumni at Huntington Beach Gathering“We had such a great time at the event,” says Diane Peters-Nguyen, vice president of advancement for Chaminade University. “Seeing so many Chaminade graduates from throughout the decades brought a real warmth and sense of ‘ohana to the evening. We also had a few prospective students join us which was really terrific—our alumni had a lot of fun sharing all of their Chaminade memories with them.”

Are you a graduate of Chaminade on the mainland? Keep a look-out for more events coming your way soon as Chaminade continues to bring the aloha spirit to the mainland.

Out in the Field At Lyon Arboretum

Students at the Lyon ArboretumStudents in Dr. Hank Trapido-Rosenthal’s Cellular and Organismal Biology class headed to Lyon Arboretum on Thursday, September 27, 2018. Despite rainy conditions, students learned how to recognize the difference between plants that were endemic (native to the Hawaiian Islands and only found here), indigenous (native to the Hawaiian Islands but also found elsewhere) and canoe plants (brought to the Hawaiian Islands by Polynesian voyageurs).

In addition to learning about the history of the area and the wide variety of plants that call the arboretum home, each student picked and photographed a plant of interest which they will research and write a report about.

Megan Miguel ‘20 at Lyon Arboretum“I picked the ‘ohe plant,” said Megan Miguel ‘20, a biology major from Wailuku, Maui. “I chose it because it’s a type of bamboo, which is a really versatile plant. It can be used for so many different things in society.”

Hands-on learning is part of the Chaminade University experience. “Whether they’re local or from the mainland, most of my students have grown up in the city,” says Dr. Hank Trapido-Rosenthal. “My goal was to get them deep into the valley to see the geology, biology and history of our area. I wanted them to take what they learned in class and see it in context.”

Chaminade Launches New Data Science Degree

VR in Innovation Center

HONOLULU, HI (October 3, 2018)—A hot new major in data science, analytics and visualization is coming to Chaminade University in fall of 2019. Data science is dominating discussions on a daily basis—big data are saturating every sector of the economy and not enough people know how to analyze and communicate them. According to a recent LinkedIn article, data scientist is the fastest growing and one of the best-paid jobs in the U.S. The National Science Foundation, which funded Chaminade to start this program, identified ‘harnessing the data revolution” as one of its 10 big ideas for the future of U.S. science and technology.

“The world is drowning in data,” says Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University. “We need more people who can convert data into meaning, into knowledge that will guide our decisions. This program supports Hawaii’s innovation economy and brings a much-needed skill set to our workforce.” She adds, “Why place this program at Chaminade? It’s because we link science with values—our new program places a strong emphasis on data integrity and ethics because that’s the kind of data scientist our world needs right now.”

This is the first data science major in the state. Students will partner directly with industry partners to gain real-world experience and build networks. They’ll work with businesses and organizations for a semester-long capstone project and engage in a variety of hands-on internships. Students will learn using new fully-equipped cyberinfrastructure created specifically for this new program, including a new data science center and virtual reality classrooms.

The new program was a direct response to industry and stakeholder requests. “Data analytics is critical,” says Robbie Melton, executive director and CEO of Hawaii Technology Development Corporation. “It is integral to our state and our economy. We’re excited Chaminade is offering this program because it keeps students current with the most advanced technologies. It also provides them with high paying jobs which is what we want for our young people.”

“Our students will get a tremendous grounding in the technical aspects of data science,” says Dr. Helen Turner, vice president of innovation and dean of the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Chaminade University. “They will get the training to be great coders, communicators and visualization specialists.” Turner also noted the flexibility of the new major: “Students can specialize in tracks for healthcare analytics, business analytics, environmental analytics and analytics for the science and technology industries. With our four-year graduation guarantee, we will soon be serving every sector of the economy with our graduates.”

Applications to begin the new data science major in fall 2019 are open now. To learn more about the new data science, analytics and visualization major at Chaminade University, visit chaminade.edu.

 

# # #

 

Chaminade University of Honolulu provides a collaborative and innovative learning environment that prepares graduate and undergraduate students for life, service and successful careers. Established in 1955, the university is guided by its Catholic, Marianist and liberal arts educational traditions, which include a commitment to serving the Native Hawaiian population. Chaminade offers an inclusive setting where students, faculty and staff collectively pursue a more just and peaceful society.

Nursing Assistant Professor Awarded Scholarship

Eurina ChaCongratulations to Eurina Cha, assistant professor in the Chaminade School of Nursing, for receiving one of seven 2018 National League for Nursing (NLN) National Foundation for Nursing Education Scholarship Awards. This award is given each year to nurses who are pursuing advanced degrees to advance their careers as full-time nurse educators. Award recipients receive $8,000 to use toward a master or doctoral degree.

Eurina ChaEurina is currently in a Ph.D. program and writing her dissertation on cervical cancer perceptions, behaviors and challenges among Korean American immigrant women in Hawaii. Eurina is an Advanced Public Health nurse and has a strong passion for helping underserved populations and bringing diversity to nursing education.

She was presented with the award at the 2018 NLN Education Summit in Chicago on September 13. This year’s summit was the premiere gathering for nurse educators and celebrated 125 years of NLN leadership.

Welcoming New Scholars

“You are very welcome here.”

The Ho‘oulu Scholars Welcome Dinner on September 7, 2018, began with a very welcoming message from Dr. Helen Turner, dean of natural sciences and mathematics and vice president of innovation at Chaminade University. “We are delighted that you are here. Many applied but few were chosen—the Ho‘oulu Scholarship represents an investment in the future of our community here in Hawai‘i.”

Hooulu Scholarship Welcome DinnerChaminade faculty and staff gathered on campus with families from across the state to celebrate the new class of scholars and officially welcome them to the Chaminade ‘ohana. The dinner began with a traditional oli led by returning scholars and Kahoalii Keahi-Wood, cultural engagement specialist at Chaminade University.

President Lynn Babington motivated the students to make an impact. “We are counting on you to lead us into a better world,” she said. “You have an entire ‘ohana here, and we are so invested in your success.”

Thirty six students received this year’s scholarship, joining a cohort of 89 Ho‘oulu Scholarship students on campus. But the evening also brought an exciting announcement from Dr. Helen Turner. Earlier that week, Chaminade University received a prestigious $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to expand the program and offer an additional 15 scholarships next year. She also announced that next year an additional major will be available to Ho’oulu Scholars—the brand new Bachelor of Science in Data Science, Analytics and Visualization. “This will be one of Hawai‘i’s hottest degrees,” said Dr. Turner. “We are the first school here to offer it in support of Hawai‘i’s transition to an innovation economy.”

Hooulu Scholarship Welcome DinnerThe Ho‘oulu Scholarship is a partnership between Chaminade University and Kamehameha Schools to build a new generation of Hawaiian scientists, health practitioners, forensic specialists, environmental professionals and business leaders. Students who are accepted into the program receive full tuition assistance, consideration for a housing stipend and wraparound academic support.Livingston “Jack” Wong, CEO of Kamehameha Schools, inspired the students to work hard and compete. “If you work hard and compete,” he said, “you can do anything.”

Hooulu Scholarship Welcome Dinner