Faculty

Peer-Reviewed Paper

February 12, 2024

International journal accepts paper from Professor David Carter and colleagues

David Carter, Ph.D., literally wrote the book on forensic microbiology so, it was only natural that he was invited to co-author a published paper that will appear in Nature Microbiology. Completely comfortable discussing an issue that is often squeamish for many, the Forensic Sciences Program director casually speaks of cadavers and PMI (Post Mortem Interval) as if he’s talking about the weather.

“There’s definitely increasing interest in PMI (or the time that has elapsed since an individual’s death),” Carter says. “It’s critical information that could be key to solving a crime—or providing an alibi—in absence of any witnesses … or insects.”

Dr. David Carter holding his AAFS Pathology/Biology Section Award for Achievement in the Forensic Life Sciences.

The microbiomes associated with decomposing human cadavers are universal regardless of location or environmental conditions, the paper published in Nature Microbiology suggests. The findings show a conserved and predictable sequence of microbial interactions that break down organic matter, which could have implications for forensic science.

Decomposition is essentially nature’s recycling system. It is a fundamental process that recycles dead biological material to fuel biological processes, such as plant productivity and soil respiration. Microbial fungi and bacteria are predominantly responsible for decomposition, and although this process is well studied, research has focused predominantly on the breakdown of dead plant biomass. In contrast to plants, animal carcasses, including those of humans, are enriched in readily decomposable proteins and lipids, but their impact on biogeochemistry and community ecology are poorly understood.

In their research, Carter and his colleagues tracked the decomposition process in 36 human cadavers, which had been willed to science. The bodies were placed in three locations with either a temperate or semi-arid climate, with three cadavers placed at each location for each of the four seasons, and the researchers took samples of the cadavers’ skin and surrounding soil throughout the first 21 days postmortem. Their study found that decomposing human cadavers had a universal consortium of microbes, regardless of the location, climate or season, that are rare in non-decomposition environments and appear unique to the terrestrial breakdown of flesh.

“Jessica Metcalf of Colorado State and Rob Knight of UC San Diego and I initiated this research in 2011,” Cater says. “Our findings are a sign of success, but we’re still not quite there.”

With metagenome-assumed genomes and metabolomic profiling of soils adjacent to cadavers, Carter and his co-authors reconstructed a network of interaction that revealed how fungi and bacteria share resources as they metabolize decomposition products. Carter and his colleagues suggest that insects may serve as vectors that disperse these microbes from one decomposing animal to another.

According to Carter, using data on the microbial timeline of cadaver decomposition, combined with a machine learning model, they were also able to predict the time since death, which could have potential future applications for forensic science.

“We now have techniques that we didn’t have 20 years ago,” Carter asserts. “It’s also a lot easier for new science and other developments to get in the hands of lawyers and investigators, which makes for a stronger working relationship with criminologists to achieve criminal justice.”

Artificial Intelligence

January 18, 2024

Embracing the use of AI in education

Dr. Denise Dugan believes that AI will only continue to progress and evolve as new data flows in. — Dr. Denise Dugan believes that AI will only continue to progress and evolve as new data sets flows in.

Long before it was reduced to an uppercase two-letter acronym, artificial intelligence (AI) was already present in education with early systems focused on using simple algorithms to automate certain educational tasks. In the 1970s, the emergence of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) was designed to provide personalized instruction based on individual student needs, more commonly known today as Individual Educational Plans. These days, OpenAI dominates the conversation and headlines.

“AI has been in education in some iteration for decades now,” says Denise Dugan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Special Education and Elementary Education. “The danger of AI these days is that current students have too much reliance on it, rather than simply using it as another available resource.”

In an op-ed to the “Chicago Tribune,” Chaminade Provost Lance Askildson opines that recent advances in artificial intelligence have given rise to hyperbolic predictions of the decline of many human roles and professions.

“In fact, purported AI platforms such as ChatGPT will never be meaningful replacements for writers, educators or people in general,” Askildson writes. “To understand why this is true, it is critical to remind ourselves of what ChatGPT is and how its architecture and capabilities relate to the science of human learning and the arts of writing and teaching, respectively.”

The conversation around AI didn’t just begin in 2023. The U.S. Department of Education initiated a project exploring the use of generative AI in 2020, partnering with Digital Promise to collect information and insights. Recently, the outcomes of that work were released by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology. Titled “Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and Learning: Insights and Recommendations,” the new report addresses the clear need for sharing knowledge, engaging educators, and refining technology plans and policies for artificial intelligence (AI) use in education.

The report further describes AI as a rapidly-advancing set of technologies for recognizing patterns in data and automating actions, and guides educators in understanding what these emerging technologies can do to advance educational goals—while evaluating and limiting key risks. This paper also explains AI in education and gives a pros-and-cons summary, and suggests districts develop a policy defining parameters for AI use in education.

During an educator workshop hosted by Hawaii Education Association, Dugan and Chaminade students Abigail Eli ’23 Gabe Zapata-Berrios ’24 were among the attendees who discussed not only the ethical dimensions of AI, but also its legal ramifications.

“I can see how AI is having an impact on educators and students,” says Eli, who is pursuing her master’s in counseling psychology at Chaminade and is one of three Community Homeless Concerns liaisons with the Hawaii Department of Education in the Nanakuli-Waianae Complex Area. “I think it could be beneficial for our Waianae students who struggle with the concept of writing. I think they can learn from seeing something that’s well written.”

Starting his student teaching in Kailua, Zapata-Berrios has experimented with AI in his own studies, using it, for example, to create lesson plans, which typically take a lot of time.

“AI will write a complete lesson plan in less than 10 seconds,” Zapata-Berrios says. “This lesson plan is typically pretty good as a first draft. If I want I can ask the AI to revise it for me or I can just take that draft and revise it myself. I would always recommend revising it yourself because AI is not perfect.”

Abigail Eli '23 is now pursuing her master’s in counseling psychology at Chaminade. — Abigail Eli ’23 is now pursuing her master’s in counseling psychology at Chaminade.

While academic dishonesty tops the list of educators’ concerns about AI in education, teachers also worry that increased use of AI may mean learners receive less human contact. It’s a valid point that Askildson succinctly affirms in his letter to the editor, noting that “the science of human learning has shown us that students learn not only through their abilities of reasoning, interpretation and creative expression—which ChatGPT lacks— but also with the help of teachers who engage them in a two-way dialogue accompanied by feedback that is adjusted to their understanding and overall needs.”

From a student’s perspective, the use of AI in education comes with both benefits and potential pitfalls. Some view AI-powered tools as a way to provide additional support to students with diverse learning abilities, making education more inclusive. It can then assist in addressing specific challenges students may face.

Others are skeptical about its accuracy and its susceptibility to spread misinformation and disinformation. It’s also biased since AI can only be as smart or effective as the quality of data it is provided, and algorithms can be manipulated and skewed.

“Some of the teachers we heard from said they wanted to stay away from AI all together, that it was too controversial,” Dugan says. “They were afraid of plagiarism and cheating, and not being able to detect it. But I say AI is here to stay; it’s not going to go away and it will only progress.”

“AI is going to keep growing and infiltrating more parts of our lives,” adds Zapata-Berrios. “It’s already all over the place and constantly analyzing and improving. It will become more prevalent in classrooms, however, I don’t think it will become something that the students use to outsource their thinking. I think it’ll be present without the students knowing it’s there.”

Literary Honor

December 6, 2023

Professor Jim Kraus receives Loretta Petrie Award

It was poetic that Chaminade English professor James Kraus, Ph.D., was announced as the recipient of this year’s Loretta Petrie Award by the Hawaii Literary Arts Council (HLAC). After all, the award’s namesake was an early leader of HLAC, and a teacher and administrator at Chaminade University, where she took an active role in its literary magazine and sustained her own lifelong interest in writing. A legacy that Kraus helps perpetuate today on campus.

English professor Jim Kraus, Ph.D., was a recipient of this year’s Loretta Petrie Award by the Hawaii Literary Arts Council.

“This is meaningful because it is recognition for the work I have done on behalf of the literary community, trying to model what it is to be a good ‘literary citizen,’” says Kraus who, incidentally, was hired by Petrie as a full-time Chaminade faculty member in 1985. “I’ve been active in this regard for well over 40 years, since I was in graduate school at the University of Hawaii in the 1970s.”

An avid surfer who started teaching part-time at Chaminade in 1976, Kraus’ formative years were spent studying nuclear engineering with the Navy, with a dream of getting into the United States Coast Guard Academy. Then the Vietnam War happened, and he became a conscientious objector, legally claiming the right to refuse to perform military service on the grounds of freedom, and conscience and thought principles.

“I never wanted anything to do with nuclear technology ever again when I returned from the Navy,” Kraus asserts. “There was a lot going on in those days, including the 1970 massive protests that led to the Kent State shooting.”

From 1980-1984, Kraus was the founder, editor and publisher of Hawai‘i Surf & Sea magazine, a publication dedicated to all aspects of the ocean. It was a passion for Kraus, as was poetry. Today, he is a popular English professor and a prolific author, whose poems have graced multiple magazines and literary journals, including Virginia Quarterly Review, Pequod, Unmuzzled Ox, Kentucky Poetry Review, Bamboo Ridge, Hawaii Review, Neologism Poetry Journal, Poetry Hawaii and elsewhere. His latest essay Poetry and Anti-Nuclearism was published in the volume Toxic Immanence: Decolonizing Nuclear Legacies and Futures (McGill-Queens University Press). He has also recently taught a poetry class at Halawa Correctional Facility as part of Chaminade’s Higher Education in Prison (HEP) program.

“The intent is to honor resident members of the Hawaii literary community whose contributions have benefited the work and advancement of others,” said HLAC officer John Simonds of the Loretta Petrie Award. “The awardees may (but need not) be active writers, professionals or volunteers in roles that may include (but are not limited to) editing, publishing, mentoring, event-organizing, promoting, or serving as creative allies or catalysts.”

Now in its seventh year, the awards were inspired by a bequest from Loretta D. Petrie (1928-2014), whose generosity has enabled the HLAC to honor her legacy of unselfish service, particularly to other writers. The awards have resulted from her unrestricted bequest to the Council, a gift made known after her death in 2014 at age 85. Members of her family living on the mainland agreed with HLAC that such an award would be appropriate to her memory.

A professor of English, Kraus teaches creative writing, American literature and surf studies. Currently, he is the editor of the Chaminade Literary Review (CLR). He is also a past president of the HLAC.

“My experience in the literary community has included participating in the Poets-in-the-schools Program, helping organize and incorporate the Hawaii Literary Arts Council back in the ’70s, sitting on its board in the ’80s, then serving as its president,” says Kraus, who will be on sabbatical in the spring at New York University. “I continue to be active in publishing Chaminade Literary Review—which was initiated by Petrie in 1986—as well as organizing poetry readings and other events.”

Ocean Science

November 20, 2023

Professor Sean Chamberlin credits Chaminade for lifetime experience

Dr. Sean Chamberlin has treasured his Chaminade acceptance letter to a science program that he received 50 years ago.

Akin to someone cherishing a handwritten love letter for a lifetime, Sean Chamberlin, Ph.D., covets a Chaminade acceptance letter he received more than 50 years ago. He even kept the envelope it came in. Five decades ago, the Florida native had applied to then-Chaminade College’s Science Training Program (STP) for high school students. The experience would forever change his life.

As an aspiring oceanographer, Chamberlin was among 36 students from across the nation who were invited to participate in the six-week program. To this day, he can vividly recall falling in “love with Chaminade University in May 1973,” the month he received his acceptance letter from Dr. Ruth Haines, Chaminade College’s then-STP project director.

“I was 17 years old and I had never been away from home by myself,” exclaimed Chamberlin, during a phone interview. “Now I was going to Hawaii for six weeks—by myself! Chaminade made that happen. The school even paid for most of my room and board, which was about $60 per week in those days. Needless to say, I was super stoked.”

He has never forgotten the experience and the mentorship he received from Dr. Ron Iwamoto, biology professor emeritus with Chaminade. At the time, Chamberlin admitted he was carefree, staying up late at nights, coming to class barefooted, hanging with college students who were living on the top floor of the dorm and having his first pizza with pineapple at St. Louis Drive In.

“Despite my shenanigans, Dr. Iwamoto took me under his wing,” said Chamberlin, citing Iwamoto as one of the most influential people in his life. “Students in the program were required to carry out a research project as part of their studies. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Dr. Iwamoto devised a project for me that would require lots of energy, and would take me as far away as possible from the other students.”

Iwamoto’s strategy paid off.

The research project involved building an artificial reef in a bay where Iwamoto liked to fish. Like a MacGyver, Chamberlin creatively improvised by filling a few old tires with bricks and hauling them out to a channel between the reefs. Every day, he swam out to the spot and made frequent observations of the organisms that came to live there.

“I remember screaming through my snorkel when I saw the first fish inhabitants,” Chamberlin said. “The project didn’t amount to much scientifically, but it meant everything to me personally. I fell in love with field work, a passion that would propel my career as an ocean scientist for the next several decades.”

Dr. Sean Chamberlin received a lei upon his arrival on Oahu.

Chamberlin is careful in choosing his words to describe the courses he teaches in the Department of Earth Sciences at Fullerton College. He substitutes ocean science for the term oceanography, the scientific nomenclature more commonly used among scientists who study the properties (temperature, density, etc.) and movement (waves, currents, and tides) of seawater and the interaction between the ocean and the atmosphere. He also prefers to use the term weather and climate science to describe meteorology.

“Some students get intimidated about science because they may not have been exposed to it at a younger age,” Chamberlin explained. “Personally, I was always fascinated with science and living in Florida, I was exposed to the space program at an early age. I could see rockets go over my head in my own backyard. However, my parents weren’t too keen on me becoming an astronaut, but when I was 10 years old I learned about Scott Carpenter, an astronaut who became an aquanaut, and that was OK with them.”

After attending Chaminade’s STP, Chamberlin followed his passion and attended the University of Washington, a national leader in oceanographic research and education. Four of his peers in the Chaminade summer program also decided to enroll at UW.

At UW, the aspiring scientist landed opportunities as a work-study student to carry out undergraduate research. By his junior year, he was regularly sailing aboard oceanographic vessels in the North Pacific. After graduating with bachelor’s degrees in oceanography and English, Chamberlin decided to attend graduate school at the University of Southern California.

He pursued his research aboard Jacques Cousteau’s Calypso in Tahiti, where he tested a new optical tool for measuring how fast ocean plants grow. He has also been to the Arctic where he sailed with Norwegian oceanographers in the Barents Sea. In 1988, Chamberlin spent five weeks aboard a polar research vessel in the Antarctic. He even got to walk on the sea ice in the Weddell Sea. His postdoctoral research with Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, New York, led him to Iceland, the Azores and Portugal on research expeditions in the North Atlantic.

Dr. Sean Chamberlin still enjoys conducting field research.

“All of these paths originated from Chaminade,” Chamberlin said. “My experiences on a reef in a Hawaiian bay—thanks to Dr. Iwamoto—inspired me to pursue field science. “Perhaps because of that experience, my textbooks—“Exploring the World Ocean” (Chamberlin and Dickey 2008) and “Our World Ocean” (Chamberlin, Shaw, and Rich 2023)—draw from Hawaii’s countless examples of ocean features, processes and scientific achievements.”

But this story isn’t really about Chamberlin, it’s about the thousands of young people who have benefitted from his experiences at Chaminade. Although, he is not Hawaiian, he gained a profound respect for the Hawaiian culture and its people, thanks to Chaminade.

A few years ago, Chamberlin read a post on Chaminade’s Facebook page about the Ron Iwamoto Teaching Fellowship in Biology, which brought back fond memories for him—especially of Dr. Iwamoto and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity afforded to him by Chaminade.

“I smile when I think of how Dr. Iwamoto and Chaminade shaped my life as a young man,” Chamberlin said. “My choice of colleges, my pursuit of oceangoing research, my respect for diverse people and their cultures, and my love for Hawaii are rooted in my experiences under his mentorship. As an ocean educator, writer and scientist, I can only hope that my contributions are a fraction as impactful as Dr. Iwamoto’s were on me. After all, it only takes a few bricks, a tire and a passion for life to make a beautiful reef.”

Grant Expectations

October 5, 2023

Grant help via the Office of Sponsored Programs

Newly restructured and expanded, Chaminade’s Office of Sponsored Programs (OSP) will advance the university’s commitment through excellence in research administration, according to Claire Wright, Ph.D., who recently assumed the role of Senior Director with the Office of Sponsored Programs. It will also ensure that all grants are in compliance with federal, state and local regulations.

The Office’s primary and most visible mission is to serve the University community in the successful pursuit of external funds to support research and campus programs. Wright will collaborate with faculty through every step of the pre-award process to submit highly competitive proposals.

“The office helps faculty members finance the research and projects that they want to do,” said Wright, who completed all of her undergraduate and graduate training in the U.K., and joined the Chaminade faculty in 2011. “This a change for me from teaching, but I want to help faculty members realize their dreams.”

Although she’ll continue with her teaching duties with the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Chrystie Naeole, Ph.D., now has the added responsibility of being the Director of Office of Sponsored Projects.

“As a federal grants specialist, I’ve undergone extensive federal training to be able to assist grantees with the development, interpretation of federal language, and submission of these grant applications,” Naeole said. “I will also help with the execution of grant subcontracts, sub-awards and the management of grant-maintained studentships.”

Lynn Haff, Director of Proposal Development and Andrew Perez, Grants Financial Specialist; and Helen Turner, Ph.D., Senior Advisor on Sponsored Projects make up the remaining OSP team. A private funding specialist, Haff helps to identify and match grant seekers with potential funding sources of all kinds. She also helps to craft ideas for proposals, editing and drafting of proposal narratives, and the gathering of additional materials for submission, including bio sketches and letters of support. If the proposal submission is from a private source, Haff will also help with the submission process and the reporting requirements during the award period.

Perez is a staff member of the Business Office with an abundance of experience in grants financial management for both private and federal grants. He helps grantees generate grant budgets for application submission, and assists with the management of all financial reporting and compliance issues.

“I was hired by Chaminade to fill this specific role more than nine years ago,” Perez says. “There are lot of moving parts to a grant, and our role is to make sure that nothing is overlooked and that all the details are complete.”

Recruited by Chaminade because of her past successes in winning grants with the National Institutes of Health (NICHD) and local foundations, and her progressive translational research, Wright takes on this new role as the university develops its 2024-2029 Strategic Plan.

“Grants can help determine what the vision is for the school,” Wright said. “I’m here to help them write their grants, whatever that grant may be. And it’s not just for academic research; it could be for a study abroad program, student scholarships, community outreach or service learning. I’ll help them work through the process and their announcements, as well as with their reporting of outcomes.”

Driven by an idea, a product, a concept or a cause, faculty members conducting research or off-campus activity are often dedicated to their project, but they might lack the experience or access to funding sources needed to effectively carry out that project. In most cases, faculty research projects require outside funding that often comes from federal and state agencies, foundation grants or fellowship programs.

“And that’s where many universities’ Offices of Sponsored Programs play a critical role,” Wright said. “The office is the support system for faculty members who are trying to get a grant for their work in their respective disciplines.”

Faculty Award Winners

August 18, 2023

Faculty Institute Awardees Drs. Chong, Halston and Mukina honored for their work

Acknowledging the tragedy that befell Maui residents and visitors alike, Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington asked faculty and staff to take a moment of silence to honor the victims of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history in more than a century. “Let’s keep them in our thoughts and prayers today and in the coming days,” she said, before delivering her welcoming remarks.

As the new academic year begins, Babington first looked back at the University’s many “points of pride” during the past year, including another successful Commencement at the Waikiki Shell, as well as the inaugural graduation ceremony of eight Halawa Correctional Facility inmates. It was indeed, as she said a “chicken-skin moment” for all those in attendance.

Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington delivered a welcoming address to faculty and staff on the Sullivan Family Library Lawn.

Looking ahead, Chaminade University will welcome one of its largest incoming classes of new students with a projected 1,572 undergraduate students and 642 graduate students for a total of 2,214 student enrollment. The incoming class of freshmen and transfer students amounts to 481.

“This will be one of the largest incoming classes in recent history,” Babington said. “It’s gratifying to see so many local high school graduates and others selecting Chaminade as the institute to pursue their higher education. We also have the highest graduation rate of Hawaiʻi colleges, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, and that’s something of which we’re really proud.”

During lunch at the Sullivan Family Library Lawn, Jim Heller Sutton, Assistant Provost for Faculty Development and Director, Center for Teaching & Learning, was proud to announce the three faculty winners of the Chaminade University of Honolulu (CUH) Excellence in Teaching Award, the Fr. John F. Bolin Excellence in Scholarship Award and the Dr. Joseph Allen Collegiality Award.

Education Assistant Professor, Travis Mukina, Ph.D., was honored with the CUH Excellence in Teaching Award, recognizing his approach to teaching mathematics that involves challenging and reshaping students’ pre-conceived beliefs about the subject.

“My goal is to ‘un-teach’ the negative beliefs that students hold towards math,” Mukina said. Rather than traumatize them, I want to ease their fears of numbers and calculations, guiding them to find their own solutions.”

Faculty members gather for a group shot on the steps of Eiben Hall.

“Clearly, Dr. Mukina is making a positive and lifelong impact on his students,” wrote Katrina Roesler in her nomination of Mukina. “And it is our great privilege to present him with this award.”

Designed to recognize a full-time faculty member for achieving excellence in scholarship, the Fr. John F. Bolin Excellence in Scholarship Award went to Dr. Abby Halston, Ed.D, NCC, LMFT. Dr. Halston’s research philosophy centers on the transformative power of scholarly inquiry and mentorship for academic and personal growth. Embracing collaboration and a student-centered approach, she fosters an environment that encourages critical thinking, ethics and creativity in research.

“She is dedicated to mentoring undergraduates, providing meaningful research experiences and empowering the next generation of scholars,” said Dr. Darren Iwamoto, who nominated Halston for the award. “The Fr. John F. Bolin Excellence in Scholarship Award recognizes a faculty member with a clear research philosophy who has advanced knowledge in their field, and it is our pleasure to recognize Dr. Halston with this award.”

Data Science Program Director and Assistant Professor, Rylan Chong, Ph.D., was honored with the Dr. Joseph Allen Collegiality Award, recognizing his extensive engagement with fellow faculty members, and his mentorship, collaboration and teamwork across a wide array of university activities, including research endeavors and curriculum development.

“His collegial work spans student programs, admissions, advising, faculty policies, career development, and community outreach, exemplifying his clear role in promoting Chaminade’s mission and values,” said Laura Tipton, a former Chaminade Data Science, Analytics, and Visualization Assistant Professor. “Dr. Chong’s wide-reaching involvement in the institution and his investment in developing relationships within the university ‘ohana has made a significant impact at Chaminade. I can think of no one more deserving of a collegiality award than Dr. Chong.”