Chaminade University of Honolulu

Natural Sciences & Mathematics

Data Science National Competition

Chaminade’s data science program made another strong showing recently at a national competition aimed at challenging young people to use computing for positive social change.

And students and faculty members say they’re already gearing up for the next challenge.

Students at Computing4Change in Denver, Colorado
First cohort (L-R): Sophia Riffo-Jenson, Clara-Nathele Trainer, Nainoa Norman Ing, Kahoalii Keahi-Wood, Rylan Chong, Hoano Rosario & Skye Haraga

Three Chaminade students were among 25 undergraduates from around the country to participate in the most recent Computing4Change challenge in Denver. Over three days in November, participants worked in small teams to use data analysis, computational thinking, and the latest data science tools to see how computing can be a driver for social good.

In this case, they sought to better understand the causes of infant mortality.

Dr. Rylan Chong, a data scientist and postdoctoral researcher at Chaminade, accompanied students to the challenge and a connected data science conference. He said Chaminade has actually sent three separate cohorts of students to the competition since the University launched its data science program in fall 2018 as a first-of-its-kind offering in Hawaii.

And Chong said the program is preparing to send its next cohort in July.

He said the gatherings not only help students apply their learning, but offer them vital opportunities beyond the classroom, from internships to networking that could lead to jobs.

Students at Computing4Change in Denver, Colorado
Third cohort (L-R): Kahoalii Keahi-Wood, Lillianna Flynn, Casandra Tanare, Rylan Chong

“From a curriculum standpoint, participating in these events, students experience an exciting hands-on opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary team with mentors to make an impact on a real-world problem, interact with a supercomputer and big datasets, and get exposed to and apply the latest data science technologies and approaches,” Chong said, in an email.

The challenges, which are sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on High Performance Computing, also give students the chance to stretch their leadership muscles. Chong said Chaminade students frequently serve as leaders in their teams.

Chenoa Faletoi was one of the students who participated in this year’s cohort. She said the challenge was high pressure – and a great test of her skills. “I would say the biggest takeaway was knowing the difference between data and information,” she said, adding that the competition also solidified her choice to switch to the data science major.

“Data science is everywhere and can be applied in all fields,” Faletoi said. “In my perspective, I have opened up more opportunities. I am not limited to a specific area of work because data science involves technology and technology is evolving and being incorporated in all fields.”

Student Maria Fratinardo also competed in the challenge.

She said at the end of the three days, she was “super proud” about what she’d accomplished. “It’s made realize that I want to be able to use my skills to help people,” Fratinardo said, adding that she’s interested in focusing on applying data science in healthcare. “I’m learning how to find raw data in order to answer questions to problems that we are currently facing.”

Chaminade University Now Accepting Applications for Four-Year Scholarship Program

HONOLULU (January 23, 2020) – Chaminade University is now accepting applicants for its Ho‘oulu Scholarship program for Native Hawaiian students. Developed in partnership with Kamehameha Schools, the program was designed to grow the number of Native Hawaiians graduating with science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees.

The four-year scholarship is open to first-year and transfer applicants seeking degrees in Biology; Biochemistry; Chemistry; Data Science, Analytics and Visualization; Environmental Sciences; Environmental Studies; Forensic Sciences; and Nursing. The scholarship provides:

  • Full tuition (100 percent of tuition not to exceed the published amount) assistance for four years
  • Consideration for partial housing subsidy for on- or off-campus housing for neighbor island or rural students
  • Wraparound academic support services to promote on-time graduation
  • Participation in Chaminade’s four-year graduation guarantee
  • Access to post-graduate career paths via Chaminade’s suite of articulation agreements with medical and graduate schools
  • Paid internships for professional development
  • Financial support for career development activities, such as MCAT and GRE preparation

Now in its fifth year, the Ho‘oulu Scholarship gives preference to applicants of Native Hawaiian ancestry to the extent permitted by law. To date, 125 students have received Ho‘oulu scholarships at Chaminade.

“We’re extremely proud of the Ho‘oulu program at Chaminade,” said President Dr. Lynn Babington. “Both our persistence and four-year graduation rates are close to 100 percent for these scholars, who not only receive financial aid but more importantly intensive wraparound academic support services to help them succeed.”
The application submission deadline is March 16, 2020. For an application, visit chaminade.edu/hooulu.

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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. For more information, visit chaminade.edu.

“Forensic Microbiology” Goes International

In 2017, Chaminade Professor Dr. David Carter co-authored a textbook on the emerging (and groundbreaking) role of microbes in forensic science. Three years later and “Forensic Microbiology” is not only a seminal text in the field, but an Arabic version is slated to be published in December 2021.

Dr. David Carter

Carter, director of the Forensic Sciences program at Chaminade, co-wrote and served as one of the book’s four co-editors to focus on the emerging role of microbiology in forensic science investigations.

As he notes, microbes (or microorganisms) don’t replace more mundane forms of evidence – think fingerprints or cell phone records – but they can prove vital in establishing a cause of death, estimating when a person has died, and analyzing changes to a body after death along with evidence at a scene.

Using microbes – one of the “trendiest” areas of forensic science – can involve cutting-edge DNA analysis or tools and procedures that were invented more than a century ago, Carter previously told Campus News. ““There were folks using microbes in the 19th Century as evidence,” Carter said, adding that some of those techniques were forgotten and then recently unearthed to determine their efficacy.

Why microbes? Because they’re “present everywhere a human goes,” Carter said.

They’re always on us – and in us – “and not all forms of evidence do that.”

Forensic Microbiology Book

The planned Arabic translation of “Forensic Microbiology,” which is already in use at institutions nationally and around the globe, underscores the growing utility of microbiology in forensic science – and how Chaminade’s Forensic Sciences program is at the forefront of that effort.

Indeed, the focus of Carter’s research is the structure and function of the postmortem human microbiome and the process of human decomposition, especially in tropical environments. In his decades of work analyzing crime scenes, Carter has consulted with investigative agencies around the globe, published in high-profile scientific journals, and served as a leader in the academic field.

He has also mentored scores of Forensic Sciences students, including two Chaminade University graduates who contributed to “Forensic Microbiology”: Emily Junkins (’16) went on to pursue a doctoral degree in microbiology while Whitney Kodama (’17) joined the Honolulu Office of the Medical Examiner.

Alumna Pursues Passion at Chaminade and Beyond

Jennifer Lai Hipp became a forensic sciences buff in high school, but she never saw it as a career path.

Forensic Sciences CSI class at Kaimana Beach

That is, until the college program she was in – studying American Sign Language – was put on hold.

Hipp, who graduated from Chaminade in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in forensic science, is now pursuing a master’s degree in human biology at the University of Indianapolis and has her sights set on a future in forensic anthropology. She said she’s even considering getting a doctoral degree.

“I took it as a sign I should follow my true passion and knew that Chaminade had one of the best forensic science programs in the country,” she said. “I decided to apply and luckily I got in.”

Hipp said she’s thankful for the strong educational foundation she built at Chaminade, where she thrived with small class sizes and engaging learning opportunities.

“The lab courses at Chaminade are built to give us hands-on experience that we can take into the real world,” she said. “I learned crime scene investigation techniques, including crime scene mapping and photography, latent fingerprint processing, and bloodstain pattern analysis.”

Along the way, she was able to build strong relationships with her professors and her peers.

Dr. David Carter and Jennifer Lai Hipp '17
Dr. David Carter and Jennifer Lai Hipp ’17 had a chance to catch up while Dr. Carter was in Indianapolis.

One of those mentors was Dr. David Carter, director of the Forensic Sciences program at Chaminade.

Hipp said Carter was “integral” to her success at Chaminade — and beyond.

“He helped me with everything from registering for classes and planning out my academic year to giving me advice about careers and applying for graduate school,” she said.

“I was nervous about attending college, but Dr. Carter was always positive and supporting. He was also great to talk to when I needed a break from studying.”

Hipp said that Chaminade’s Dr. Robert Mann also helped her immensely in the program, including by serving as a “source of inspiration” and advice about jobs in the field.

She said Mann even helped her secure internship opportunities and encouraged her to pursue her dream of becoming a forensic anthropologist.

“The faculty of the Forensic Sciences program at Chaminade integrated their work experience in the field into the classroom, which I believe was an important part of my education. They were able to relate the material in the textbooks to the real world,” Hipp said.

“They also worked closely with all the forensic sciences students to create a resume, critique scientific journal articles, and practice giving professional presentations.”

All that preparation proved key to Hipp’s next steps: Seeking a graduate degree in pursuit of a career.

“Being a non-traditional student, I did not have the typical college experience,” Hipp said.

“But I found my professors very easy to relate to and had a wealth of knowledge about both college and the working world.”

Students Present Findings at Leadership Alliance Symposium

Chloe Talana has a mantra in life: Don’t wait for opportunities to knock, go out and get them.

That how’s the Chaminade senior found herself researching Hepatitis C in a lab at New York University’s School of Medicine over the summer and then presenting her findings at a national conference alongside other undergraduates selected for the competitive Leadership Alliance program.

“You have to find the initiative,” she said. “That’s how I see opportunities. You go and find them.”

Chloe Talana and Nainoa Norman Ing at the Leadership Alliance Conference

Talana was one of two Chaminade students who participated this summer in Leadership Alliance, designed to prepare underrepresented minorities for academic research and graduate degrees. Also representing Chaminade: Nainoa Norman Ing, who conducted research at Vanderbilt University.

Chaminade is one of 35 institutions nationwide that are part of the Leadership Alliance. Other participating universities include Harvard, Yale and Stanford. Through the program, Chaminade students gain access to valuable research, mentoring and career development opportunities.

“This program specifically tries to gather people from different walks of life and really bring them together to let them see you’re not alone in this journey,” said Talana, who came to Chaminade from Farrington High. “Their mission is to really make sure that students who want to pursue Ph.D. in any field are able to do it, regardless of their background and the challenges they face along the way.”

It was actually the second year that both Talana and Norman Ing participated in the program, completing internships that give them real-life experiences in labs and then presenting what they learned to their peers – and to experts in the fields they’re interested in pursuing.

Norman Ing said the Leadership Alliance symposium, held in Connecticut this year, is aimed at giving researchers-in-training a taste for what it’s like to defend your conclusions – while also considering what you might have missed. He added that the experience of working in a cutting-edge university lab and then reporting on what you’ve learned is aimed at preparing students for graduate school.

“This experience … reminded me that while I live and learn on this island, the world is a much bigger place,” Norman Ing said. “One of the biggest lessons I learned from experiencing living with people from across the country in a diverse setting is just how important it is to be grounded in one’s own culture.”

He said that while he’s learned so much at Vanderbilt University about organic chemistry – his presentation at the conference was titled, “A vision for vaccines built from fully synthetic cell-surface antigens” – the biggest takeaway of the internship for him was that he could envision a future for himself in academics. It was “just the pure experience in and around the university,” he said.

As for Talana, she said she’s already gunning for that next opportunity.

After graduation from Chaminade, she hopes to secure a post-baccalaureate appointment at a university on the mainland in order to further build a foundation of knowledge. After that, she plans to seek a dual medical and doctoral degree, with a focus on infectious diseases.

She added that she’s grateful for all of the opportunities she’s been able to grab at Chaminade. “The attention from faculty is amazing,” she said. “The help they provide to students, I can’t even pick words to describe it. It’s really wonderful how they’re able to help students pursue what they want to do.”

Scholars Welcome Dinner

With oli and inspirational speeches, a special welcome dinner this month celebrated 27 recipients of competitive Chaminade scholarships geared toward those interested in STEM-related careers.

Students and families at scholars welcome dinner

The dinner Sept. 6 honored Ho’oulu scholars and awardees of the National Science Foundation S-STEM scholarship.

In addition to the scholars and their families, attendees included previous recipients of the Ho’oulu Scholarship, representatives from Chaminade University and Kamehameha Schools, and invited guests.

The Ho’oulu scholarship was made possible thanks to an innovative partnership with Kamehameha Schools, and is geared toward helping those interested in STEM fields achieve their career goals.

Awardees receive 100 percent tuition assistance to Chaminade along with access to career-preparation opportunities and programs that help students ensure they stay on track to graduate in four years.

Current and previous recipients of the scholarship have worked toward careers in a broad cross-section of STEM fields, from data science and medicine to forensic sciences and biotechnology.

Eighteen incoming Ho’oulu scholars were recognized at the welcome dinner.

Also in attendance: Nine students who received the National Science Foundation S-STEM scholarship this school year. The $10,000 merit scholarship is distributed over four years, and also includes innovative development programs, from research opportunities to internships. Speakers at the event included Dr. Helen Turner, vice president of Strategy and Innovation at Chaminade, Kamehameha Schools CEO Jack Wong, and Lauren Nahme, vice president of strategy and transformation at Kamehameha Schools.