Chaminade University of Honolulu

Natural Sciences & Mathematics

Welcoming New Scholars

“You are very welcome here.”

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

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

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

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

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

Hooulu Scholarship Welcome Dinner

A World of Opportunity

Nerisa Taua doesn’t believe in waiting for opportunity to come knocking, it’s time wasted. Instead, she hunts it down.

Taua – who will graduate from Chaminade University in May with a bachelor’s in Environmental Studies – has knocked on a few of opportunity’s doors during the past four years.

On the academic front, she found her true passion through Chaminade’s Summer Research Program. While other students soaked up the sun, Taua spend her summer at Purdue University collaborating with experts in the university’s bat lab. Alongside Associate Professor of Wildlife Science Patrick Zollner – who became one of her mentors – she was able to get up close and personal with long-eared bats. Using acoustic monitors and echolocation, her research involved finding efficient and cost-effective ways to capture the animals.

With graduation on the horizon, Taua dreams of returning home to American Samoa to research the fruit bat, one of the country’s few native mammals. But before she does, there’s another stop on her journey before she returns.

She’ll be making a round trip back to Purdue University to further pursue her newly found passion at the graduate level, seeking a master’s degree in the Wildlife Science program, and continue working with Zollner and his team.

Paying for graduate school is never easy, but the cost for Taua isn’t a factor. Again seeking out opportunity, she found the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership grant and applied for its scholarship program. Taua was accepted, she is now a Sloan Scholar.

“I was beyond excited,” she says. “This was another step closer to opening a pathway for my people. As a Samoan, this is such a huge opportunity. The first thing that came to mind was ‘if I can do it, anyone from American Samoa can do better.’”

Although she’s been busy with her studies during her time at Chaminade, Taua has kept her culture alive in her heart and shared it with other through her experiences performing with her brothers and sisters of Lumana’i O Samoa.

There’s been personal growth as well and Taua says she’s grown immensely during her time at Chaminade. She now considers herself to be better at public speaking, more social, open-minded, approachable and professional.

A PERSONAL CHEERING SQUAD

It takes a village – and an enthusiastic cheering squad – to raise a child and Taua found hers since arriving in Honolulu four years ago. She’s has a team of dedicated and caring professors, advisors and staff encouraging her success and guiding her to individualized opportunities.

“I’ve received help from a lot of mentors who guided me toward a passion I didn’t know existed,” she says. “Their encouragement and belief in me is what motivated me to set and accomplish goals. Without mentorship, I would probably be lost and still searching for the next step to a brighter future.”

Taua leaves Chaminade with many great memories. She says she’s humbled and honored with the opportunities she’s been provided and that she’s proud to represent her home, family and those who’ve helped her along the way. Now she wants to give back to others as a mentor to help them grow and succeed in the ways she did. She especially wants to channel her energy toward the youth in America Samoa.

When Taua leaves Chaminade with her degree in hand, she’ll take with her a world of experience and lessons. She’s built a solid foundation at Chaminade and this is just the beginning.

The Environmental Studies minor offered by the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics focuses on policy and environmental law to prepare students for careers in environmental science, ecology and conservation biology.

The Office of Health Professions Advising and Undergraduate Research (OHPAUR) assists students interested in healthcare careers, regardless of their major. Services include: advising, test preparation, summer programs, guest speaker presentations, professional seminars, community service activities and internship/shadowing opportunities. OHPAUR also maintains articulation agreements with four ATSU campuses, as well as Boston University School of Medicine, George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Pacific University, Samuel Merritt University, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, University of Dayton and Western University School of Health Sciences.

From Scraping By to Attending Med School, Hyo Park Makes it Happen

As a high school student in Pennsylvania, Hyo Park dreamed of going to college.

But come graduation day, he found himself stuck.

While his friends went off to seek four-year degrees, Park took several part-time jobs to make ends meet — at a deli and a bank, in retail and telemarketing.

When times were really tough, he’d donate plasma twice a week for $50.

“I dreamed of a college education,” Park said. “It was luxury I couldn’t afford.”

That didn’t stop him from keeping hold of that goal. And before long, despite his mother’s reservations, he joined the Navy so that he could eventually seek financial assistance to get a college degree.

Hyo Park

In uniform, Park excelled.

He became a ballistic missile defense computer technician, serving aboard the USS Lake Erie stationed in Pearl Harbor. He was deployed to China, Japan and Korea.

And he was recognized by the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet for his role in helping to develop the nation’s ballistic missile defense capabilities.

Things were going well, but Park never forgot his bigger dream.

In his spare time, he took online college courses at Chaminade. And it was through those classes that he realized the school that offered him the “right fit” had been in front of him all along.

Hyo Park and friends celebrating Dr. Terem Bulent's birthday
Hyo and friends celebrating Dr. Bulet Terem’s birthday

He chose to enroll in Chaminade full-time, and after taking a particularly inspiring organic chemistry course with Professor Bulent Terem — “It was the first class that challenged me to think critically and stimulated my curiosity,” Park says — declared biochemistry as his major.

Hyo & friends celebrate Professor Terem’s birthday

Park remembers those early days at Chaminade with no small amount of fondness—he was finally where he belonged.

But he also cringes a little when he recalls how socially awkward—his words—he was, having taken up a host of habits in the military that just didn’t translate well in the real world. (Turns out, people don’t stand at attention in front of their professors’ desks.)

Eventually, though, Park loosened up, got used to civilian life again, made friends. He gained some valuable mentors, too. Professors like Terem who, Park said, live to make learning engaging, and whose passions in their fields are absolutely infectious.

In hopes of giving back to Terem, Park even volunteered to serve as his lab assistant.

“Although I initially started with the intention of helping Dr. Terem,” he said, “I realized that I was able to develop my leadership and communication skills because of these experiences.”

And Park just kept building on those skills—and looking for more opportunities to grow.

Hyo Park and classmates during UCLA summer program
Hyo and classmates at UCLA summer program

Hyo with fellow students at UCLA summer program

He spent a summer helping underserved populations through a UCLA School of Medicine program. He got a grant from Chaminade to attend a conference, where he met with members of the admissions committees from medical schools around the country. And he spent a summer studying zebrafish embryo at the University of Maryland, and then received a Chaminade travel grant to present his award-winning research at a conference.

In short, Park has accomplished some incredible things at Chaminade — thanks in large part, he says, to the connections and mentorships and support he’s gotten at the university.

But perhaps the most noteworthy part of Park’s journey at Chaminade isn’t his many successes, it’s his growing commitment to helping those around him.

“While at Chaminade,” he said, “I learned the importance of dedicating myself to something greater than my personal ambitions — through service.”

And that’s why, after Park graduates in May, he’ll be headed off to the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences, where he scored a seat after applying through Chaminade’s articulation agreement.

At George Washington, he said, Park wants to learn — and serve. He plans to volunteer at the university’s “healing clinic,” serving low-income populations who don’t have affordable access to health care.

HUMAN OR ANIMAL BONES? LECTURER CARLOS GUTIERREZ SHARES HOW TO TELL THE DIFFERENCE WITHOUT DNA TEST

When crime scene investigators discover small bone fragments, it’s often difficult to initially determine if the remains are animal or human. Conducting a costly and time-consuming DNA analysis in a laboratory is one way to resolve the question. Or, as Chaminade University lecturer Carlos A. Gutierrez points out, a much simpler and far less expensive examination could reveal the answer on site that same day. Gutierrez specializes in forensic microanthropology, a new field of study with broad implications for crime scene investigators around the world – especially those working in economically disadvantaged countries and in small towns with limited resources. As part of his research, Gutierrez developed a bone identification technique involving polarized microscopy analysis. Carlos A. Gutierrez (NSM, Forensic Sciences)“You can get very good information and quick answers for families,” according to Gutierrez, who earned a master’s degree in Forensic Sciences from Chaminade in 2016. “If the bone fragments are from a human, you go to the next step – DNA analysis.” But if the remains are from an animal, he said, the probe can stop there. “Lots of police departments could use forensic microanthropology for crime scene investigations,” Gutierrez added. “That’s my goal – to spread the word.” Along with spreading the word among Chaminade students, Gutierrez recently presented his research and conducted workshops at the third UCENM International Forensic Sciences Conference in Honduras, and at the fifth Forensic Sciences, Law and Public Safety International Conference in Acapulco, Mexico. Before coming to Chaminade, Gutierrez served as director of a criminalistics laboratory in his native Chile, where he notably led efforts to identify victims of two massive disasters. One tragedy involved a deadly fire in 2007 at a hostel in Punta Arenas, and the other was a 2010 earthquake and tsunami that devastated the city of Constitution. Two years ago, Gutierrez and his wife Ana Acuna founded Honolulu-based True Forensic Science, LLC with guidance from the Hogan Entrepreneurs Program at Chaminade. Their company provides training, consulting and products in the forensic sciences, especially for clients in Latin American countries. Chaminade University’s Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics offers a bachelor of science degree and a minor in Forensic Sciences. Students enrolled in these programs can prepare for careers in biology, medicine, pharmacy, anthropology, criminal justice, psychology, law and other fields.

I Am A Scientist STEM Expanding Outreach to More Schools with GIFT Foundation Donation

A $49,000 donation from the GIFT Foundation of Hawaii is helping Chaminade University expand its I Am A Scientist STEM outreach program to additional public schools, including those on the Neighbor Islands. The donation also helps the program pursue its long-term goal of securing federal support and developing a self-sustainable funding model. I am a Scientist“We did not know the amount of the award until they gave us the envelope, so it was a huge surprise,” said Research Associate Lori Shimoda, who founded and directs I Am A Scientist STEM. “It was exciting, and extremely humbling to feel the extent of their support for our program. It got pretty emotional as hugs, tears and laughter were shared.” The GIFT Foundation, which encourages young people to participate in philanthropic giving, collected the donations at its annual fundraiser, a “Miami Vices & Vixens” costume party. Also receiving donations were the Alliance for Drama Education’s T-Shirt Theatre program, a Kalihi-based performance group for middle and high school students; and HUGS, which provides financial and emotional support to families with seriously ill children. I Am A Scientist STEM, an initiative of Chaminade University’s Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, provides free outreach activities to Hawaii public schools. Volunteering to conduct the program are researchers, faculty and postdoctoral, graduate and undergraduate students. Since its founding in 2009, the program has encouraged more than 13,000 K-12 students to learn more about science and mathematics.

Student Broderick Menke Conveys Marshall Islands Plight at Climate Change Conferences in Germany

Having grown up in the low-lying Marshall Islands, Chaminade University student Broderick Menke knows firsthand about the devastating effects of global warming and sea level rise. Tidal flooding regularly threatens homes and freshwater supplies in his island nation and may make many areas unfit for human habitation in coming decades.

An Environmental Studies major, Menke conveyed the plight ofhis South Pacific home at the 13th Conference of Youth. Held during November 2017 in Bonn, Germany, this gathering of young people from 114 countries had a theme of “Talanoa Mada – Youth Accelerating Climate Action.”

Menke also represented the Marshall Islands at the ensuing United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, which supported governments in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and thereby accelerating the transformation to sustainable, resilient and climate-safe development.

“Out of all my international trips, Germany was a unique time,” Menke said, because the Republic of Fiji presided over the conferences.

“The significance of that is that the Pacific Islands were able to amplify their voices and issues,” he pointed out. “As a Pacific Islander, I was proud to give a face to the climate realities that we are currently facing, as my home is one of the most vulnerable countries.”

Menke was selected to lead the Pacific Voices in Unison – a team of six youth from Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands – who shared their stories of resilience in the face of climate change.

He was also active with the “Have Your Sei” campaign in Bonn, during which “Pacific Climate Warriors” called for ending the use of fossil fuels and providing financial assistance to countries facing irreversible damage from rising sea levels and other environmental threats.

Being invited to participate in the two conferences was the product of “other people’s hard work,” Menke emphasized.

“I commend everyone out there doing immense local work to improve their own environment in their unique way,” he said, because everyone has a duty “to partake in nurturing our planet.”

As for his college experience, Menke said he was attracted to Chaminade based on the small class sizes and recommendations from family members who attended the university.

“When I got to Chaminade, it was more than I expected,” he said. “It was better! The whole idea of a smaller campus gives you the opportunity to get to know many people, and I love hearing stories and their experiences.”

Menke credits one of his professors, Environmental Studies Director Gail Grabowsky, with being especially important in clarifying his academic and career goals.

“I came in with a scattered mind, thinking I will graduate and get into anything environmental in the future,” Menke said. “But she is helping me narrow down my field. She knows me more than I know myself, and I am extremely thankful for her guidance and moral support.”

After graduating from Chaminade, Menke plans to further his education at a university on the East Coast or possibly in Aotearoa (New Zealand).

His message to other climate warriors?

“Let’s all take the power back into our hands,” he said, “and work towards a more sustainable and resilient future.”