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Beach Transformed for CSI Simulation

Chaminade University Forensic Sciences students drew curious glances at a mock crime scene investigation held at Kaimana Beach this week. A field was transformed into a simulated investigation zone as students in full CSI gear took notes and captured crime scene photos.

Also in Campus News: Forensic Sciences Research in Spotlight

Organizers said the mock crime scene investigation allows students to put theory into practice. Participants practiced evidence collection and analysis along with meticulous scene documentation.

Chaminade Forensic Sciences students document a mock crime scene at Kaimana Beach.

Chaminade’s Forensic Sciences program is known for its hands-on approach to learning, blending rigorous academics with real-world applications. The realistic set-up in Waikiki demonstrated Chaminade’s commitment to giving students opportunities to learn by doing.

To read more about Forensic Sciences at Chaminade, click here.

Collaboration, Mentorship at Doctoral ‘Bootcamp’

The gathering offered students a chance to meet for collaborative sessions

For doctoral students, dissertations can be the stuff of nightmares.

The culmination of years of research, the dissertation represents a doctoral student’s unique contribution to the academic community and the dissertation defense is oftentimes the final requirement of a doctoral degree program.

Put simply, it’s high stakes—and high stress.

But Chaminade Psychology Associate Professor Abby Halston says it doesn’t necessarily have to be, with the right mixture of planning, preparation and collaboration.

That’s why Halston and her colleagues organized a “dissertation bootcamp” over the summer for Chaminade’s Doctor of Education in Educational Psychology students.

The gathering offered cohort members—busy professionals who attend their doctoral courses online—a chance to meet in person for collaborative sessions and mentorship.

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During the bootcamp, Halston said, attendees covered everything from online resources available for robust literature reviews to what’s required to meet the regulatory oversights for including human subjects in a research study.

They even took a campus tour, learning about Chaminade’s history along the way.

Halston said the central message of the gathering was simple: You’ve got this.

“Dissertations represent a huge piece of anxiety in doctoral programs,” she said, noting that her goal is to prevent students from failing to progress beyond the ABD—or “all but dissertation”—stage, when they’ve completed coursework but not the final requirement.

“This can be where doctoral students traditionally fall behind or fall through the cracks, especially without the right support,” Halston said, noting that the program works hard to weave dissertation conversations, research and milestones into every course.

She added that the dissertation bootcamp also served another purpose: To ensure that doctoral students, many of whom live on the neighbor islands, feel connected to Chaminade and its mission, their professors and their fellow cohort members.

Some 19 students are in the Ed.D. in Educational Psychology cohort, and all but five were able to attend the bootcamp. Among them was Susan Shinkawa, who serves as a behavioral health specialist for the state Department of Education’s Leeward District.

She said a “commitment to lifelong learning” inspired her to pursue a doctoral degree.

“Earning an Ed.D. represents personal fulfillment and satisfaction for both myself and my parents,” Shinkawa said, adding that she chose Chaminade because of its strong reputation, mission and values— plus the flexible program schedule.

In her dissertation, Shinkawa hopes to explore whether testing students’ perception of safety in their school environment impacts their performance on state tests.

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She said the bootcamp covered just about every question she had about the dissertation process.

Her favorite part of the day, though?

“I most enjoyed the fellowship with my classmates and collaborative sessions with faculty,” she said.

Jasmin Chang, also a behavioral health specialist with the DOE, said her dissertation will focus on interventions for traumatic grief and whether a manual for providers would enhance their perceived competencies and skills.

“I have always been passionate about learning and self-growth so I wanted to take on this exciting challenge,” Chang said, when asked what spurred her to pursue a doctoral degree at Chaminade.

“I wanted to use my education to expand my impact on the DOE in terms of systemic change, and I wanted to use my newly learned knowledge to improve my practice and better help the students and families I work with.”

She said she walked away from the dissertation bootcamp feeling more at ease and confident with the process and her next steps in her academic career.

“My favorite part of the day was simply seeing my classmates and professors in person,” she added

MBA Alumni Gather for Pau Hana

The gathering was a celebration of growth and connection

The MBA Alumni Pau Hana last week was more than a gathering, says Vice President of Advancement Jill Higashi. It was a celebration of growth, connection and the lasting impact of a Chaminade education.

“Events like this allow us to acknowledge the significant contributions that our alumni have made in their communities,” Higashi added.

The 39 MBA alumni who attended the gathering on October 24 graduated between 1980 and 2023.

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In addition to hearing from Chaminade President Lynn Babington, attendees also got the latest developments on the MBA and MBA Professional programs from MBA Director Eddie Merc, Ph.D.

Alumni mingled and networked at the Oahu Country Club event, enjoying wines donated by Chaminade Regent Rodney Harano MBA ’84 and gourmet pupu. One of the evening’s highlights was hearing about the journeys alumni had undertaken since graduation.

At the event, Chaminade Director of Alumni Relations Jodi-Anne Yoshida MBA ’23 encouraged alumni to continue to engage with their alma mater—and keep connected with fellow Silverswords.

She also invited alumni to join her as a member of the Chaminade Fund Society, which aims to help shape the future of Chaminade and the lives of its students.

Forensic Sciences Research in Spotlight

Throughout the school year, one of the ways Chaminade Forensic Sciences students learn about decomposition is by studying pig carcasses. The program has been bringing carcasses to a field on campus since 2013, allowing students to meticulously gather data on how the pigs decompose.

The resulting database, says Forensic Sciences Director David Carter, created such a wealth of information that it allowed for almost flawless predictions of how pigs would decompose in the tropics based on the time of the year, taking temperature, humidity and other factors into account.

Carter developed a formula based on that very data, a significant development for the field that he presented at the International Caparica Conference in Translational Forensics in Lisbon this month.

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Carter says it’s important to note that pig carcasses aren’t human bodies—so the formula isn’t transferrable. But his “little pig equation” does offer hope that a similar human-focused calculation could someday be within reach of forensic scientists, explaining decomposition in different climates.

“Humans have so many variables,” Carter said. “But if we do the same thing for humans, we can probably figure out how long people have been dead a lot better than we do now.”

Carter’s database findings are already providing a new avenue of research for universities or other institutions with so-called “body farms,” where human decomposition in the elements is studied.

Carter cautioned that developing such a formula would require partnerships with law enforcement, medical examiners and years worth of data. He added several universities have already sought him out to talk about the pig decomposition study, including one in Australia that’s establishing a body farm.

Carter’s pig carcass research, with co-authors, was published in the journal Forensic Science International last year and was based on 10 decomposition studies conducted on Chaminade’s campus.

Joined by some colleagues, Carter is also hoping to present on separate research findings next year at the 77th annual Conference of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences in Baltimore. That presentation is set to focus on investigations with the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office.

Carter is an expert consultant for the office and is often brought onto cases to help determine whether findings during forensic investigations or autopsies are consistent with natural processes of death.

The presentation developed for the Baltimore conference, he said, incorporates data from 250 cases that offer insight into how authorities could use previous death investigations to inform future ones.

For example, he said, the database he is developing could allow a forensic investigator to more readily determine if a particular mark on a body is consistent—or not—with a natural death.

“You have essentially a reference database. In forensic science, you would refer to it as your knowns—like a database of fingerprints,” he said. “People underestimate the power of ruling stuff out.”

To read more about Carter’s research, click here.

Students Clinch Design Excellence Awards

Industry leaders lauded the students for their innovation

A group of Environmental + Interior Design students at Chaminade were recognized for their innovative design of a “beer spa” at the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Hawaii Chapter’s Design Excellence Awards this month, clinching an Award of Merit in the student commercial category.

Judges praised their Da Crater Spa’t design as “exemplary of vernacular architecture.”

Dr. Junghwa Suh with her E+ID students at the ASAID Award Ceremony at DECK at Queen Kapiolani Hotel.
Dr. Junghwa Suh with her E+ID students at the ASAID Award Ceremony at DECK at Queen Kapiolani Hotel.

Developed by Environmental + Interior Design (E+ID) students Katherine Liu ’26, Farrah Dinh ’25, Jazlynne Williamson ’25 and Soraya Ortiz ’25, the class project was entered in the Iceland Beer Spa International Architecture Competition.

“We entered the contest late so we only had one month to work on the project, while others had a year,” Williamson said. “I think we still did a great job, but I think with more time—even a month longer—we would have had a more cohesive design.”

Liu, a student representative with the American Society of Interior Designers, was especially proud of the teamwork that went into the design.

“This award marks a milestone in my undergraduate design journey,” said Liu, who also won an individual competition award for her proposed design of a renovated gymnasium at Sacred Hearts Academy.

Liu said the project was the most comprehensive project she has ever taken on.

“It was quite a heavy project, but I learned so much from the experience and felt that it was a great practicum assignment since it truly encompassed all stages of interior design,” Liu added.

Attending the ASID Award Ceremony on October 12 with associate professor of Arts and Design Junghwa Suh, D.Arch, the four awardees also had the full support and congratulatory cheers of 10 of their interior design undergraduate peers.

“They had the opportunity to meet the designers behind award-winning projects they had previously visited,” Suh said. “Students also mentioned that it was great to see that many of the interior designers at the awards were graduates of Chaminade’s E+ID program.”

Suh said it was rewarding to see her students’ hard work recognized by the professional community.

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Katherine Liu ’26, Farrah Dinh ’25, Jazlynne Williamson ’25, Soraya Ortiz ’25 and Dr. Junghwa Suh take a selfie before submitting their final design concept to the Iceland Beer Spa International Architecture Competition.
Katherine Liu ’26, Farrah Dinh ’25, Jazlynne Williamson ’25, Soraya Ortiz ’25 and Dr. Junghwa Suh take a selfie before submitting their final design concept to the Iceland Beer Spa International Architecture Competition.

Suh added the event served as a great model for other students to participate in design competitions and awards. It also provided invaluable experience for students to measure their design projects against a larger community beyond school, while simultaneously offering an excellent platform to showcase their work and make professional connections.

“I encourage our students to engage with other designers in the community,” Suh said. “My goal is to help students become versatile designers who can connect the theory they learn with innovative practice.”

MBA Grad Sees Future in Sustainable Farming

He says environmental stewardship is everyone’s concern

Jon Watase MBA ’24 is an entrepreneur, an environmentalist and an educator.

But his nickname speaks to his humble, personable approach: He’s known as Farmer Jon.

And if he can bend your ear, he’ll tell you about his big dreams for sustainable agriculture in the islands and his lifelong passion for teaching environmental stewardship to the next generation of Hawai’i leaders.

Watase, director of ‘āina-based learning at Saint Louis School, was recently invited to deliver a presentation on his curriculum at the Marianist Encounters Conference in Dayton, Ohio. His talk detailed how he’s worked with both Chaminade and Saint Louis School students to clean up Palolo Stream.

The impact of his “Water Connects Us All” effort has been measurable.

From October 2023 to April 2024, students disposed of 4,830 pounds of trash.

Partnering with Chaminade Environmental Science Assistant Professor Dr. Lupita Ruiz-Jones and Senior Lecturer Sr. Malia Wong, Watase has long been a vocal advocate for environmental stewardship.

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  • Dr. Lupita Ruiz-Jones and her ENV 100 students help with the cleanup of Palolo Stream.
    Dr. Lupita Ruiz-Jones and her ENV 100 students help with the cleanup of Palolo Stream.
  • Bro. Jesse O’Neill. S.M., Marianist Province of the United States’s Assistant for Education, visited the Kalaepohaku campus after hearing about Jon Watase’s ʻĀina-based Learning curriculum.
    Bro. Jesse O’Neill. S.M., Marianist Province of the United States’s Assistant for Education, visited the Kalaepohaku campus after hearing about Jon Watase’s ʻĀina-based Learning curriculum.
  • Jon Watase educates St. Louis School's students about environmental issues in his outdoor pavilion classroom.
    Jon Watase educates St. Louis School’s students about environmental issues in his outdoor pavilion classroom.
  • Jon Watase holds up a large mamaki tea leaf that he grows on his farm.
    Jon Watase holds up a large mamaki tea leaf that he grows on his farm.
  • Gary, Christine and Glenn Hogan, from left, congratulate the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership graduates, including Jon Watase (center), with Drs. Lynn Babington and Roy Panzarella.
    Gary, Christine and Glenn Hogan, from left, congratulate the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership graduates, including Jon Watase (center), with Drs. Lynn Babington and Roy Panzarella.

He has propagated plants all over the Kalaepohaku campus and educated students about the importance of cleaning Palolo Stream, a key urban waterway. He has also discussed best practices for permaculture, vermicomposting, and taught students about sustainable agriculture.

“I have a unique opportunity to pave the way for our youth,” said Watase, who can often be seen on the slopes of Kalaepohaku wearing work boots, cargo paints and a straw hat.

“My success will help determine others’ sucess.”

On his off days, Watase runs a solar-powered farm—Oahu Grown Mamaki in Mililani.

He was recently able to expand the farm’s reach with the help of his MBA education.

“My marketing class helped grow my business,” Watase said. “With the help of our instructor Cort (Isernhagen, co-founder of Diamond Head Research), I was able to really build out my website.”

Watase also participated in and won a “Shark Tank”-like competition with his MBA peers.

His sustainable business ventures wowed the judges.

And he says he’s not done yet.

He plans to seek a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology at Chaminade to further his knowledge and pursue a long-term goal: To buy a piece of property in Waimea and turn it into a farm and retreat.

He says a counseling master’s degree is key to ensuring the retreat is therapeutic.

“I’ve grown so much at Chaminade,” he said. “The University truly nurtures who I am and what I value.”