Chaminade University of Honolulu

Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs

Undergraduates Showcase Summer Research

For many undergraduates, summer means spending lots of time at the beach or the mall.

But for a group of Silverswords, this summer offered the perfect opportunity to sink their teeth into a complex research project under the mentorship of a Chaminade professor. The undergraduates presented their work in July at the Summer Research Institute Symposium on campus.

Among the areas they explored: AI, healthcare, architecture and financial literacy, to name a few.

Shania Lindsey R. Gervacio ’27 presented her research on using artificial intelligence as a creative tool in interior design concept development. The Environmental + Interior Design student at Chaminade conducted her research under Associate Professor Junghwa Suh, D. Arch.

    • “I chose to take up this summer research opportunity because I wanted to utilize my free time expanding my knowledge in this career field of interior design while developing my skills in research and public speaking,” she said, adding her goal is to become an interior designer.

    “I was very excited that I had the chance to present my findings and results to the University community. I honestly was unsure of who would be attending, so it was definitely a unique and memorable experience to have presented in front of diverse audiences.”

    Gervacio hopes to refine her research paper for an upcoming national conference.

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    Jax Wong ’26, who is majoring in psychology, presented research on potential psychosocial interventions for adults with autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). His research was conducted under Associate Psychology Professor Abby Haltson, Ed.D.

    Wong said he chose the topic because he has autism and ADHD, and wanted to investigate support available to people like him in the community.

    “I consider myself very lucky and fortunate to have a strong support system, but many other folks do not and are left to fend for themselves,” he said.

    “My research findings confirmed my predictions: there is a very concerning lack of research on my communities and the evidence for potential interventions is also lacking.”

    Wong added it was “intimidating” to present his research to the University community, but the experience gave him more confidence in his work and his research skills. He now looks forward to pursuing a career in academia to improve the state of research in his areas of interest.

    The annual Summer Research Institute is coordinated at Chaminade in partnership with Kapiʻolani Community College.

    Amber Noguchi, Ph.D., who is assistant provost for Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs, said the grant-funded initiative offers important research experiences to undergraduates. In a new aspect this year, each student also selected a community partner to work with in addition to a mentor.

    The community partners, including nonprofits, informed the research work, provided background information on fields, and directed students to available resources and information.

    Undergraduate Researchers Shine at Symposium

    “Investigating human mast cell degranulation and membrane alterations due to nanoplastic exposure”

    “Tiktok and the age of digital propaganda”

    “Evaluating the effectiveness of culturally tailored diet programs for indigenous Hawaiians”

    Those are just a handful of the more than two dozen projects Chaminade students presented on at this year’s Na Liko Na’auao, an annual symposium aimed at showcasing undergraduate research.

    Amber Noguchi, Ph.D., assistant provost for Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs at Chaminade, said participating students each worked closely under the mentorship of a faculty member.

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    “Na Liko Na’auao not only represents a milestone accomplishment for our students, but a stepping stone for those who plan to pursue careers in various sectors,” she said, adding the April 16 symposium was also an opportunity to celebrate the hard work of undergraduate researchers and their scholarship.

    “This venue celebrates their hard work. They are able to practice their communication skills, explore their strengths and identify areas for improvement, and get feedback on their work from faculty, staff and peers.”

    Hailey Kekumu ‘25, a biology major who is also minoring in biochemistry, presented her research on nanoplastic exposure.

    “The focus of my research is on how exposure to nanoplastics, which are less than 1 micrometer in size, affects our immune system, an important mediator between us and our environment,” said Kekumu, who also presented at Hawaii’s INBRE Undergraduate Research Symposium.

    “My project is more immunology based, which was my primary interest when I first started here at Chaminade. My mentor also mentioned that research on nanoplastics is still relatively new, so our research serves as a sort of foundation on future studies looking into nanoplastics,” she said.

    • Kekumu added that she hopes to continue her research and potentially pursue medicine.

    Zach McClellan ’25, who is majoring in psychology with a minor in criminal justice, studied the impact of occupational stressors on firefighters. He said the feedback from fellow student researchers, faculty members and others at the symposium was incredibly valuable—and positive.

    “At first, I was a little nervous, but I was able to remind myself that I’m having a conversation with others about what I’m passionate about which kept me grounded. There were a lot of graduate programs that I was able to speak to about their programs and learned a lot through that,” he said.

    McClellan added that he hopes to continue his research with a doctoral degree in neuroscience or clinical psychology. “I am excited about pursuing this study because I come from a family of firefighters,” he said.

    “I also enjoy doing research in general because I am able to chase my own ideas and back them up with strong statistical data. Firefighter mental health is a very under-researched issue, which I aim to add to.”

    Student Research on Display

    The Summer Research Institute Symposium was an opportunity for undergraduate scientists-in-training to get feedback on their work.

    In his final presentation during the Summer Research Institute Symposium, Zach McClellan ’25 decided to pursue the correlation between the effects of occupational stressors on the quality of life among firefighters.
    Zach McClellan ’25 presented his findings during the Summer Research Institute Symposium.

    Zach McClellan ’25 comes from a long line of firefighters—and has seen first-hand the trauma these first responders can experience.

    So as a participant in this year’s Summer Research Institute at Chaminade, the Psychology major decided to study how occupational stressors correlate to quality of life indicators for firefighters.

    He presented his findings July 23 at the Summer Research Institute Symposium on campus, an annual showcase of cutting-edge undergraduate research at Chaminade conducted under the mentorship of professors.

    “I sent out my first survey that comprised of demographics, the Firefighter Assessment of Stress Test (FAST), and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) back in March,” said McClellan, pointing out the number of respondents shown on his poster board.

    “This was my capstone project with Dr. (Darren) Iwamoto, and I want to take it as far as I can take it. The end goal is to get the study published.”

    Organizers say the symposium reflects Chaminade’s strong commitment to advancing academic excellence while fostering close collaborations between faculty and student researchers.

    A two-time participant in the Summer Research Institute Symposium, Grace Helmke ’25 built on last year’s “Climate Monstrosities” with this year’s “Climate Tricksters in an Indigenous Future.”

    Mentored by Assistant Professor of English Dr. Justin Wyble, Helmke said she chose the subject for a couple of reasons. “The no. 1 reason was that I believe Indigenous peoples to have an incredibly important perspective on society—one that’s largely dismissed and unseen by the masses,” the English major said.

    “Their viewpoints surrounding the ways in which to combat colonialism, preserve culture and fight for a greater future, are all concepts that each of the texts I focused on examined. I believe that discussing these concepts, principles and cultural beliefs, from an Indigenous perspective, has the potential to lead society into a future that rejects the colonial systems, and instead seeks equity and healing of the people.”

    Amber Noguchi, program director for Chaminade’s Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs Office, said the symposium allows Summer Research Institute participants to not only showcase their work—but get feedback and questions from attendees to expand their research inquiries.

    The institute is funded by a joint federal Title III grant with Kapiolani Community College.

    A two-time participant in the Summer Research Institute Symposium, Grace Helmke ’25 built on last year’s “Climate Monstrosities” with this year’s “Climate Tricksters in an Indigenous Future.”
    Grace Helmke ’25 explained her theories to a group of attendees.

    “We just completed our fourth SRI,” Noguchi said, adding that participants also present at Kapiolani Community College’s Student Undergraduate Research Fair each semester.

    Participant Georgeanna Flook is a rising senior and double majoring in Historical and Political Studies, and Criminology and Criminal Justice. Her research looked at the influence that education has on crime. Titled “Support Instead of Control: Education as a Unique Approach to Crime,” Flook’s study explored the possibility of reducing crime outside of traditional policing methods.

    She credited her professors, Drs. Abby Halston and Kelly Treece, and lecturer Collin Lau, J.D., for their guidance as she conducted her research. Flook said she found that education, “acting as a means of formal social control and providing social support, can effectively reduce crime—regardless of the academic ability of the individual.”

    “Future studies should focus on further articulating what effective social support means in the context of criminology and use working examples of social support to compare against crime trends,” concluded Flook, who aspires to go into criminal justice policy analysis.

    Other Summer Research Institute participants at Chaminade this year included Ku‘ulei Koko ’26, who presented “Feeding Hawaii’s Future: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Culturally Tailored Programs for Native Hawaiians,” and LaVelle White ’26, who looked at “Student Food and Nutrition Security.”

    For details on undergraduate research opportunities at Chaminade, click here.

    Summer in the Lab

    Chaminade University students are participating in high-impact STEM research at universities nationwide.

    Through Chaminade University’s Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs, students like freshman Brielle Lo ’27 and Calista Ancog ’27, junior Scott Bowman ’26 and senior Alexandrea Cole Patino ’25 are participating this summer in cutting-edge STEM research at universities nationwide.

    As part of a research project with the Social and Behavioral Interventions (SBI) program within the International Health Department of Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, Cole Patino has been involved in an extensive literature review of menstrual health and self-care, from menarche (the first menstrual period in a female adolescent) to menopause.

    She said the literature review will be used to inform health care educational materials, self-care and more.

    This summer, Cole Patino is participating in Johns Hopkins’s Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP).

    “I will assist in writing, per Johns Hopkins University’s partnership with the World Health Organization, this PICO guideline, which I will present during the Leadership Alliance’s National Symposium in Connecticut in July,” she said.

  • Freshman Brielle Lo '27 was accepted into the Leadership Alliance's First Year Research Experience (FYRE) Program at the University of Miami.
    Freshman Brielle Lo ’27 was accepted into the Leadership Alliance’s First Year Research Experience (FYRE) Program at the University of Miami.
  • Scott Bowman '26 is participating in a summer research program with University of Coloradoʻs Anschutz School of Medicine’s Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates.
    Scott Bowman ’26 is participating in a summer research program with University of Coloradoʻs Anschutz School of Medicine’s Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates.
  • Chaminade’s Program Director with the Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs, Amber Noguchi, met with Calista Ancog ’27, who is currently an intern at Xavier University in Cincinnati.
    Chaminade’s Program Director with the Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs, Amber Noguchi, met with Calista Ancog ’27, who is currently an intern at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

    • As one of only 41 member institutions that make up the consortium of the Leadership Alliance at Brown University, Chaminade has helped guide students on how to advance their academic opportunities and enhance their educational experience through the Alliance’s First Year Research Experience (FYRE) Program and Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) at select institutions across the nation.

    The goal and purpose of the Leadership Alliance is to increase the participation of underrepresented and underserved students in M.D. to Ph.D. training programs.

    To date, the Leadership Alliance has mentored more than 6,000 undergraduates and over 1,000 Leadership Alliance summer program alumni, known as Doctoral Scholars, have earned a Ph.D. or M.D. to Ph.D.

    “The Leadership Alliance is guided by the principle that promoting and advancing underrepresented talent in research produces a significantly equitable and diverse research workforce and society,” wrote The Leadership Alliance Executive Director Taiese Bingham-Hickman, M.S., MBA, Ph.D., in a recent article titled, “Leading Towards Impact: Diversity and Leadership in Higher Education.”

    “Catalyzing a culture of academic achievement, belief in expanding diversity in faculty ranks and promoting mentorship, the Leadership Alliance creates change that promotes and contributes nationally to discourse about diversity, equity and inclusion in our colleges and universities, and the research workforce.”

    A participant in the Alliance’s FYRE Program, Lo is studying a type of cell signaling pathway known as the Wingless/Integrated, an ancient and evolutionarily conserved pathway that regulates crucial aspects of cell fate determination, cell migration, cell polarity, neural patterning and organogenesis during embryonic development.

    “From what I’ve learned so far from my mentors at University of Miami, it is a fundamental mechanism for establishing polarity in vertebrate limbs during embryo development,” said the Kauai native. “It also ties heavily into cancer and cell fate determination/migration.”

    Meanwhile, Bowman is conducting his own medical research with University of Coloradoʻs Anschutz School of Medicine’s Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates. After losing his good friend, Victor Martinez, to colon cancer last year, the Silversword soccer player wanted to honor him by making an impact in the medical world.

    “I started working in Dr. Weichhaus’s cancer research lab at Chaminade last spring, then when I got the opportunity to research colon cancer over the summer, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity,” said Bowman, who is participating in Colorado University’s Cancer Research Experience for Undergraduates.

    “I’m expecting to gain practical lab skills and a wider knowledge of both lab procedures and cancer biology in general, as well as where I see my role in health care may be in my future career.”

    Since being recast as the Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs—replacing the former Office of Health Professions Advising and Undergraduate Research (OHPAUR)—students’ appetite for participating in research projects has steadily grown since 2009, according to Amber Noguchi, Ph.D., Chaminade’s Program Director with the Undergraduate Research & Pre-Professional Programs.

    “We promote all of the opportunities that we receive—usually via email—through our monthly URPPP (Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Program) newsletter and our internal Google site for students,” said Noguchi, who also serves as the Leadership Alliance’s primary coordinator with Chaminade University.

    “We also held an Undergraduate Research Workshop Series during which students learned about research opportunities, as well as how to write an effective personal statement and prepare their applications. This past year, Dr. Justin Wyble served as our Faculty Undergraduate Research Coordinator and he ran our workshops.”

    After shadowing graduate students and observing the different lab skills they utilize while working on their projects, Lo has grown an affinity of research, citing her own studies in the Wnt signaling pathway, and how it influences the anterior-posterior body plane development of starfish embryos.

    “I am investigating this through conducting microsurgery on them, and using various chemical inhibitors to suppress parts of the pathway,” said Lo, who credits Noguchi for convincing her to sign up for the Leadership Alliance’s FYRE Program. “Initially I wasn’t too interested in the idea of research this summer as I wanted to pursue more health-based summer experiences.

    “But I think since health depends on biology for the majority of its workings, it would be useful to take time to learn about it a little outside of the classroom,” Lo added. “It is an environment where I can build a variety of skills—from teamwork and presenting information to micropipetting and making an agarose gel.”

    Medical School Journey

    Rachel Arakawa enters her final year at George Washington

    She’s more accustomed to dispensing medicine than she is advice. So, when asked what she would advise students to expect when they’re in medical school, Rachel Arakawa ’20 offered this simple suggestion: “Keep focus on your goals. And remember, you are just as qualified as anyone there.”

    During a casual information session with students enrolled in Dr. Amber Noguchi’s HP 390 class–Advanced Topics in Health Professions Preparation—Arakawa shared her journey to George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Like many freshmen who entered college amid a global pandemic in 2020, the former Silversword soccer and tennis player had to decide whether to stay home or move to Washington D.C.

    “Even though all my courses were going to be online, I decided anyway to move to D.C.,” said Arakawa, who hopes to do her residency either in the Maryland–Virginia area or on the west coast. “That first year was really tough because it was my first time being away from home, and I had six to eight hours of online lectures every day, and then another two to three hours of reviewing the previous day’s content. We covered everything I learned as an undergraduate in two months.”

    Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington welcomed Rachel Arakawa '20 back to campus this month for an informal discussion with students.
    Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington welcomed Rachel Arakawa ’20 back to campus this month for an informal discussion with students.

    Discipline and academic rigor, though, weren’t new to Arakawa. At the beginning of her sophomore year, the Kaneohe native decided to formally enter into an Articulation Agreement between Chaminade and George Washington University’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

    At its essence, an articulation agreement document is a formal arrangement between two colleges or universities, outlining a structured transfer plan for specific program offerings. Depending on the program and degree, students have the opportunity to initiate their path towards advanced studies as undergraduates. This involves building a robust academic record and fulfilling prerequisites during their time at Chaminade. The agreement benefits students by guaranteeing the transfer of all completed classes (credits) and providing a clear pathway for ongoing academic progression.

    Students who want to take advantage of participating in an articulation agreement, for example with George Washington University, should apply in January of their sophomore year. “This timeline avoids any gap year between undergraduate and graduate programs,” Noguchi noted. “Applicants are required to have spent two years (four semesters) in an undergraduate program of the contractual college and to have completed approximately 60 semester hours of course work by the end of the semester during which they apply.”

    Articulation agreements streamline the transfer process for everyone involved. This will help alleviate the stress surrounding the application process, the credit transfer process, and several other issues students might encounter when applying to a graduate program. By simplifying this process with transfer agreements, it is beneficial to all parties involved.

    Third year bio-medical major, Joshua Dumas ’25, plans to go to med school even though he didn’t pursue an articulation agreement. The aspiring physician’s decision was based on his preference to attend a school on the west coast so he can be closer to Hawaii and family.

    “I was studying all winter break for the MCATs, but I decided to wait until I was better prepared,” said Dumas, a Regent Scholarship awardee and COPE Health Scholar with Adventist Health Castle. “It was inspiring to hear how her Chaminade experience helped her in med school, as I am sure it will help me.”

    Now in her fourth year and two of three medical licensing exams behind her, Arakawa has applied to various residency programs and received 20 interviews. Her choice of post-graduate training will be in emergency medicine, a specific area that she has been interested in ever since she started her academic track in the health field.

    “I did a lot of event medicine, like at concerts and marathons, and I really enjoyed it,” Arakawa told the students. “I get to look at trauma, but it’s not for everyone. You’ll have to find your own passion and specialty.”

    Asked by sophomore Ku‘ulei Koko ’26 if she ever experienced the impostor syndrome, Arakawa unhesitatingly answered yes. “I am a first-generation medical student and the only Hawaiian–Japanese in my class,” Arakawa added. “Some of the other students were also more familiar with the social cues and mores of the medical field since they weren’t first gen. But, I overcame impostor syndrome by not comparing myself with others, and got involved with activities that I liked.”

    Healthcare is indeed the perfect complement to Chaminade University’s mission. As a Marianist institution, faculty members educate their students to embrace adaptation and change, family values and community service, which are all core components of our healthcare system. And as a liberal arts school, Chaminade ensures that graduates have a wide breadth of knowledge and are able to think critically across a range of disciplines.

    “I learned a lot during my years at Chaminade years—inside and outside of the classroom,” Arakawa said. “The small class sizes and the supportive faculty helped shaped my belief in serving the community and being an empathetic individual that can make a transformational impact.”  

    Ocean Science

    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.
    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.
    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.
    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.”