Innovation

Chaminade University and United Nations Host Pacific Regional Sustainability Conference

November 29, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade University and the United Nations will host a ground-breaking regional sustainability conference this week at the university campus to discuss climate change and the potential impacts to the Pacific region.

The “XIX Steering Committee Meeting Of The CIFAL Global Network” runs from Wednesday, November 30 to Friday, December 2, with the three-day conference bringing together world and local community leaders on goals, education and solutions to the global warming crisis. It will include seminars and workshops by experts from the United Nations and others around the world on climate change, global warming and sustainability.

This regional conference hosted by Chaminade University follows the UN COP 27 Climate Change Summit held earlier this month in Egypt, in which 200 participating countries came together to help resolve the climate change issue.

Seminars and workshops will allow timely and important discussions on a variety of topics related to leadership, health and wellbeing, education, and sustainability in Hawai‘i as well as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. These goals include climate action, advocating for the oceans, reducing inequalities, and developing programs that pursue peace, justice and strong institutions.

Conference attendees will participate at this week’s Hawaii conference either in-person or virtually. The conference will kick off with an evening reception on Tuesday, November 29 at the university with opening remarks by event co-organizers United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and UNITAR executive director Nikhil Seth and Chaminade University provost Dr. Lance Askildson. Hawaii Governor-Elect Dr. Josh Green is also scheduled to speak during the opening reception.

Earlier this year, Chaminade and the United Nations launched a new Pacific region training and research center to provide leadership development opportunities to tackle these urgent global issues. The university’s Centre International de Formation des Autorités et Leaders (CIFAL) Honolulu is the first and only one of 24 international United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) centers to represent the Pacific area.

The Pacific region training center will provide innovative leadership development opportunities and tackle issues such as climate change, poverty, clean water and energy and other urgent global issues. The university’s CIFAL Honolulu Centre is the only international United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) center located in the Pacific region.

“Our school is honored to partner with the United Nations in hosting this exciting, groundbreaking conference to deal with the critical and timely issue of climate change,” said Chaminade University president Dr. Lynn Babington. “Our state has been an amazing leader in studying climate change and in innovating solutions that include using indigenous knowledge and practices along with new technologies. Sharing these ideas with the rest of the world will only benefit all of us in dealing with this global crisis.”

Tuesday’s reception from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday’s sessions from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. are open to the public. To learn more about the new Chaminade United Nations learning center, go to: chaminade.edu/cifal-honolulu.

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About Chaminade University
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.

UNITAR CIFAL Honolulu Centre at Chaminade University
CIFAL Honolulu Centre is part of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). It is the 21^st international training and research center of the CIFAL Global Network and the only center located in the Pacific Region. CIFAL Honolulu aspires to empower Pacific peoples to create a sustainable future that reflects their values and the priorities of their communities.

Chaminade University Awarded $600,000 Federal Grant

November 22, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade University of Honolulu was among seven minority educational institutions that received $1.75 million in grants from the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). The monies are part of an expanded pilot program to support entrepreneurship for undergraduate students.

“This marks another proud achievement and win for our faculty members,” says Chaminade University of Honolulu president Lynn Babington. “Principal Investigator, Dr. Helen Turner, and a supportive leadership team shepherded this grant through a rigorous vetting process, and deserve all the recognition for bringing this nationally competitive award to the university.”

Submitted to the MBDA’s Minority Colleges and Universities Grant Competition, the award will allow Chaminade to develop the “‘Inana Sustainability Entrepreneurship Program,” which aims to spark minority entrepreneurial innovation among Hawaii-Pacific undergraduates.

“As a Native Hawaiian Serving Institution, Chaminade University of Honolulu’s proposal demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the mission and goals of MBDA, and the requirements of the Federal Funding Opportunity Announcement,” says Donald R. Cravins, Jr., Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development, in a prepared statement. “In addition, their application presented evidence of the expertise and community resources necessary to meet these goals.”

The Minority Colleges and Universities pilot program will help fund the development of curricula, pilot courses, seminars, and replicable products and tools that address inclusive innovation, entrepreneurship and general economic development. The award is worth $600,000, funded annually over a two-year span.

“The ‘Inana program is highly collaborative and builds on foundations laid by Chaminade’s more-than-20-year history of promoting business and entrepreneurship,” Dr. Turner says. “`Inana will bring together our new UN Sustainability Center, our outstanding School of Business and Communication, and the highly regarded Hogan Entrepreneurs Program, as well as our Marianist Leadership Center and Experiential Honors program. Together we will laser-focus on supporting the next generation of sustainability focused entrepreneurs for Hawaii and our Pacific region.”

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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.

2022 Innovation Awards Winners Announced

October 31, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Modeled after the National Catholic Education Association’s Innovation in Catholic Education annual awards and sponsored by Hawaii Catholic Schools, the Ka Ho’oulu Awards focuses on “Innovation for Mission.”

“It recognizes and celebrates talent in Catholic education,” says Dr. Helen Turner, professor of biology and CIFAL research director and former vice president of Strategy and Innovation, which established the Ka Ho’oulu Awards in 2020. “Nominees exemplify innovation in education inside and outside the classroom.”

Award applicants submit projects that illustrate the Catholic worldview, support quality academics, integrate technology, demonstrate data-driven decision making or promote operational vitality. Submissions with the highest marks receive recognition at an annual award ceremony and a grant to continue their work. Eligible nominees can be individuals or teams, and faculty and administrators/staff currently employed at a Hawaii Catholic School (all grade levels K-12).

In an interview with the Hawaii Catholic Herald, retired Hawaii Catholic School’s superintendent, Michael Rockers, said his office’s close collaboration with Chaminade University “helped establish catechetical institutes, the “Teacher of the Year” award, the “Innovation Award,” and to provide a quality review of the Hawaii Catholic Schools office’s goals, objectives and communications.”

“He really wanted an award that was similar to the national innovation award,” Turner says of Rockers. “That’s how we came up with the Ka Ho’oulu, which honors teachers and administrators who are continuously innovating in support of their students.”

The 2022 Ka Ho’oulu Awards winners include Mary Star of the Sea School Honolulu in the team category and Dan Mawyer of Damien Memorial School for the individual award.

“We are pleased to continue our sponsorship of these annual awards,” Turner says. “Mary, Star of the Sea and Mr. Mawyer exemplify education in Hawaii. They are committed to implementing innovative strategies and teaching methods that leverage state-of-the-art technology to create the highest quality students.”

Team award: Mary Star of the Sea School, Honolulu
This award recognized the Mary Star of the Sea’s 2021-22 Schoolwide Literacy Project. The team, nominated by Laci Hitchcock, described a yearlong project that exemplifies the Ka Ho’oulu themes of supporting quality academics, technology integration and data-driven decision making. The review committee was struck by the strategic and comprehensive “whole school” approach to the important goal of improving literacy and mitigating COVID impacts on student reading.

According to the three-member panel, the literacy program holistically integrated student-centered activities with teacher professional development and such enriching programs as guest speakers for parents and the whole school community to engage with. The program collected data on its own impacts, and is now refining the program for its continuation in the new school year. The nomination mentioned that the goal was “to make reading a part of everyday culture.” Drs. Turner and Dustyn Ragasa and Fr. Martin Solma, S.M., were impressed by the commitment of staff, teachers and school leadership to make this goal part of the school’s DNA.

Individual award: Mr. Dan Mawyer, Damien Memorial School
This award acknowledged Mawyer as a school champion in the areas of technology, computing and robotics. A math teacher, Mawyer is passionate about preparing students for the future. He has built coding challenges, robotics teams and STEM activities that engage students in technology, critical thinking and teamwork.

“During the COVID crisis, (Mawyer) stepped up to the plate and offered his expertise to use technology, particularly digital communications, to keep the school community informed and unified,” Turner says. “The entire school benefitted from his innovative approach to creating visually appealing and informative content for information sharing and online learning.”

The review committee further noted that this work has quickly evolved into the leadership of a new project for a broadcast communications center at Damien. Catholic educators are passionate, expert, and student-focused and Dan exemplifies these qualities.

Using AI and Machine Learning in Healthcare

September 26, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Algorithms are increasingly being used to make big decisions in healthcare, and there’s a common misconception that they’re unbiased. The truth is: they’re as biased as the humans that create them and a group of researchers—including several at Chaminade University—are trying to spotlight what that means.

In partnership with a federal consortium looking at the issue—dubbed AIM-AHEAD—Chaminade hosted a special virtual symposium in August aimed at better understanding the uses of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning in health and what changes are needed to improve health equity in the Pacific.

Dr. Claire Wright, an associate professor at Biology at Chaminade, said the symposium was about beginning a conversation—and ensuring Pacific voices are part of it. “We wanted to engage the community and understand some of the things that are really important to them,” she said.

“We think it’s kind of science fiction but there are many elements of health sciences that machine learning is already used, like diagnostics, surgery, prognosis, and driving health plans. But the data used to run those algorithms is not representative of our population in Hawaii.”

So is that a problem? And if so, how much of a problem?

That was the question tackled during the event—and the topics covered could help guide the development of best practices and ethical guidelines nationally. AIM-AHEAD, which organized the symposium with Chaminade, is funded by the National Institutes of Health and focused on increasing diversity among AI and machine learning researchers to ultimately improve the technologies in health applications, starting with electronic health records. The initiative’s acronym stands for the Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Consortium to Advance Health Equity and Researcher Diversity.

Chaminade Data Science Director Dr. Rylan Chong delivered the opening keynote at the symposium, urging attendees to consider how bias makes its way into algorithms and machine learning programs at various points in the process—from the bias that researchers bring to biases baked into “norm studies.”

Dr. Melissa McCradden, who is a bioethicist at the Hospital for Sick Children (affiliated with the University of Toronto), built on those themes in her keynote. She said the conversation happening around algorithmic bias, including in healthcare, is ultimately about “doing better science.”

“One of the major misperceptions is because AI uses so much data … that it’s ultimately leading us toward a place where we’re modeling objective truths about the world,” she said. “But we need to be really, really cautious about assuming that more data can get us closer to objectivity.”

Instead, she said, communities need to work together to make “values-based choices.”

And then, McCradden added, those choices need to be evaluated for their impacts.

Importantly, the symposium also included listening sessions so participants could weigh in on where inequities are now—and how technology might help to address them—rather than make them worse.

“These tools are already being used, but we don’t know the power of them for our communities,” Wright said. “Before we go too far down the line, we want to make sure that some of the folks who are underrepresented have the opportunity to be involved in the conversation.”

She added, “Let’s direct the quality of our own healthcare. Let’s tailor it to fit our needs.”

Harnessing the Data Revolution Through a $10 Million Grant

September 2, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

Dr. Rylan Chong, director of Chaminade’s Data Science program, calls it nothing less than historic.

In early August, the National Science Foundation (NSF) INCLUDES Alliance selected Chaminade University to lead a groundbreaking $10 million grant project aimed at creating new opportunities in STEM and data science careers for historically underrepresented populations across Hawai‘i and the Pacific Region.

The grant announcement, Chong said, is one of those moments that educators will look back on in a decade or so and recognize as a turning point—the beginning of new initiatives that opened doors for students, the institutions that serve them, and nonprofit and business communities in the region.

“This is about leveling up, addressing capacity in the workforce and making sure our low-income and underrepresented students have an opportunity to bring their perspectives to data science,” Chong said, adding that welcoming diverse populations into data science will ensure their voices are heard.

“You can apply data science to every field—education, healthcare and mental health, environment science and climate change, and criminal justice,” he said. “It’s not just about crunching numbers but ensuring the numbers reflect different viewpoints and getting those numbers into the right hands.”

That’s why the Data Science program at Chaminade doesn’t just want to prepare students for competitive careers at the Googles and Amazons of the world. “We also want to find opportunities for students working in grassroots and community organizations, being able to contribute to projects they’re interested in while making a difference to the places where they live,” Chong said.

The competitive NSF grant is one of the largest Chaminade has ever received and reflects the strong data science work and foundational programs already in place at the University.

With the transformative funding, Chaminade’s United Nations-affiliated CIFAL Honolulu Center will spearhead the launch of the university’s new Alliance Supporting Pacific Impact through Computational Excellence (ALL-SPICE) with a consortium of partners, putting a strong emphasis on leadership for sustainable development and efforts aimed at tackling the growing impacts of climate change.

“Chaminade University is really quite honored to lead this important initiative charged with empowering STEM leaders for tomorrow from across Hawai‘i and the Pacific, equipping them with the cutting-edge tools they need to drive sustainable development projects,” said President Lynn Babington, PhD.

“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. Our mission of service is foundational to everything we do at Chaminade and so we are proud to drive a culturally informed initiative ultimately designed to help build healthier, more resilient and socially just communities.”

The first ALL-SPICE programming and opportunities launched in the Fall.

Dr. Helen Turner, research director of the Chaminade United Nations CIFAL Honolulu Center and a professor of Biology, is principal investigator for ALL-SPICE along with Chong. She said the funding will focus on three central efforts: bolstering training and educating, conducting data science research on sustainable development projects, and building capacity (including infrastructure) for data analytics in Hawai‘i and the Pacific.

“This work takes a village,” Turner said, adding the grant was the result of years of collaboration between Chaminade and other institutions to step up programming and underscore the importance of data science to the community. The Chaminade-led consortium includes the University of Hawaii Data Science Institute, East-West Center and the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC).

“The National Science Foundation identified the power of data analytics for education, research and industry. They use this phrase ‘harnessing the data revolution’ because right now we are all swimming in an ocean of data,” Turner said. “We can either drown as individuals, communities and society or we can swim and surf that wave—take data and turn it into wisdom, knowledge and action-based plans.”

Turner said that’s exactly what the Data Science program at Chaminade is focused on.

And the grant will exponentially increase that work, expanding opportunities to more students, community leaders and institutions so they can use data for the greater good. “Data and social justice go hand and hand. To me, it’s a very obvious and beautiful linkage,” Turner said.

For example, she says that health inequities are fundamentally a data problem—failing to get the right resources to the right people or not fully understanding the root causes for gaps in care. Environmental problems, economic development, educational gaps can be approached similarly.

“Because a big piece of this is meeting the needs of the community,” she added. “No university in the United States can keep up with the pace of demand for data scientists. We want our students to succeed, but we also don’t want our own organizations in Hawai‘i to be left behind.”

That’s why the grant will, in part, fund research or hands-on internships for students. Already, Chaminade students in data science are working on a plethora of important projects—looking at everything from maternal mortality in Pacific populations to recidivism in Hawai‘i.

“If you ask what is a data scientist, the answer is everything,” she said. “With data science, students undoubtedly can follow their personal passions and make a positive impact. This is ultimately a vehicle for students’ passions to change the world. It’s also about democratizing our relationship with data.”

CIFAL Honolulu Executive Director and Dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Dr. Gail Grabowsky said data visualization and interpretation are a central focus of the grant’s programming. That’s because it’s not enough to analyze the data. Helping the community (especially non-data scientists) understand what the data says is just as important.

“We think data alone will change the world and it won’t,” said Grabowsky, who is also dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at Chaminade. “What will change the world is many people working together on shared goals, using data along the way to inform policy and guide next steps.”

She added that CIFAL Honolulu envisions the Pacific Ocean as a “connector,” helping to spur conversations around both modern approaches and traditional knowledge and practices. Indigenous ways of knowing, Grabowsky added, could also bring about new perspectives and questions.

Dr. Lance Askildson, Chaminade provost, called the grant and its potential impact “incredibly significant.” He added, “This is really about creating a network of institutions across the Pacific, of which Chaminade is the lead, to provide education, training and research.”

He said a key part of the funding is working with community stakeholders to help them tell their own community stories with data. “Particularly here in the West, there is a tremendous amount of data being collected on us at all times of the day,” he said. “Being in control of your data is just like being in control of your Facebook profile—it’s a chance to tell a story with greater integrity that prioritizes your needs.”

ALL-SPICE co-Principal Investigator Dr. Kelly Gaither, the director of health analytics at TACC and a professor of Maternal Health at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, first started hearing about Chaminade’s work in data science in 2005 as part of a grant review committee.

What struck her the most, she said, is there was no tension between the pursuit of data science and traditional Hawaiian and Pacific knowledge and ways of knowing. “Chaminade was really trying to chop down any notion that Hawaiian science is not science,” she said. “This is the true definition of capacity building. Chaminade is really leading this, one community stakeholder and one student at a time.”

Gaither added she’s especially excited about the workforce opportunities the grant has to offer.

“We can dream big, peacefully coexist and all move forward,” she said. “That’s what is possible.”

Economic Center for Excellence: Providing Financial Literacy Resources

August 22, 2022 by University Communications & Marketing

What does cooking have to do with economics? Dr. Guanlin Gao is glad you asked.

Gao, a professor of economics and director of the Economic Education Center for Excellence at Chaminade, is on a mission to bolster financial literacy, education, and research in Hawaii. That’s why on a recent weekday she was cooking with a group of teens after giving them a budget to plan a menu.

The exercise was part of a hands-on financial literacy workshop for Hawaii high school students—and one of the economic center’s latest educational offerings. EECE also recently welcomed 28 Hawaii State Department of Education teachers to campus from 15 Oahu K-12 schools for an innovative educator training program. The aim: help them incorporate accessible and real-world financial literacy lessons into their curriculum.

“We’re here to help people understand just how important economics is to their everyday lives. Financial literacy education has the power to promote economic empowerment, ultimately strengthening our communities, our families, and the broader local economy,” Gao said.

With the support of community stakeholders and several organizations, Chaminade launched the Economic Education Center for Excellence in 2021 with an ambitious mission: “to advance prosperity and economic justice in Hawaii and the Pacific through integrated economic education, training and research.”

Gao notes that financial literacy in Hawaii is a significant area of need.

Nearly 7 in 10 Hawaii residents are considered “financially unhealthy.” Approximately 59% of Hawaii families report they’re struggling financially. And while 21 states require high school students to complete a personal finance or financial literacy course, Hawaii isn’t one of them.

“We use a train-the-trainer approach at the center,” Gao said. “In other words, our educational approaches, initiatives and projects have exponential power because everyone who comes through our center has the tools and the capacity to pass on what they’ve learned on to others.”

Chaminade President Lynn Babington, PhD, said the university was also the perfect place to house the Economic Education Center for Excellence because of its wealth of academic expertise, strong connections with the community, and institutional mission of public service.

“The center has not been operating for long, but it is already making a positive impact in the community,” Babington said. “Over the last year, we have also learned just how strong the demand for economics education and financial literacy is across the state. We look forward to continuing our expansion of the center’s programming to reach more Hawaii educators and students.”

Gao said the center is focused on:

providing accessible training programs to K-12 educators and students;
engaging with community networks to bolster financial literacy discussions;
undertaking research that explores barriers to economic empowerment;
and demonstrating measurable outcomes and impacts.

She added that another key focus is offering educational programming on the Neighbor Islands. “We want to reach people statewide with high-quality teacher training and financial literacy tools, and we’ve already started to make connections with Neighbor Island teachers and schools,” Gao said.

Since kicking off in April 2021, the center has already offered hands-on training opportunities for teachers and workshops for students—like the Summer Research Institute seminar where Gao found herself cooking with teens. She said the students got $15 to cook a nutritious meal for a family of four. Along the way, they learned key skills, from budgeting to product affordability and planning.

Also as part of the workshop, the students visited HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union and walked into the vault. The idea was to explore the importance of personal banking and savings, and make financial institutions less mysterious.

Gao said the teacher training seminar is just as hands-on.

Educators round out the workshop by sharing their lesson plans with their colleagues and walking through the exercise together. “Teachers are passionate about sharing these important financial literacy skills with their students,” Gao said, adding reviews of the courses were overwhelmingly positive.

“They want to share what they’ve learned with their fellow teachers and they have strongly recommended the trainings,” Gao said. “The next step is reaching more educators and then building and building on what they’ve learned. The center’s focus is all about scaling up but also about repetition.”

Gao said the center is also interested in working with the Hawaii Department of Education to incorporate financial literacy lessons into the social studies curriculum, and already sees the workshops with educators as core to weaving grade-level appropriate economics education into classrooms.

Speaking of big goals, Gao has no shortage of them.

Within five years, she wants the center’s training opportunities to have reached hundreds of Hawaii teachers—and their thousands of students. She is also seeking new grant funding, pursuing research for publication in journals, and excited about the potential for welcoming affiliate faculty or advisors.

“We know we have work to do when it comes to financial literacy in Hawaii. But we are proud to be making a difference and serving as a hub for economics education,” Gao said. “Financial literacy doesn’t have to be hard and unreachable. In fact, financial literacy should be accessible to everyone.”