Chaminade University of Honolulu

Data Analysis & Visualization

Cutting-edge GIS Certification

The certification is designed to tailor data science training with community and workforce needs.

Biology Professor Dr. Helen Turner is the Principal Investigator for Chaminade’s NSF Alliance Supporting Pacific Impact through Computational Excellence (ALL-SPICE) program.
Biology Professor Dr. Helen Turner is the Principal Investigator for Chaminade’s NSF Alliance Supporting Pacific Impact through Computational Excellence (ALL-SPICE) program.

When Chaminade University introduced its Data Science & Analytics degree in 2018, the University became among the first in the nation to offer such a curriculum at the undergraduate level.

Today, in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Pacific Intelligence Innovation Initiative (P3I) and Chaminade University’s United Nations CIFAL Honolulu Center for Sustainability, the University offers various sought-after certificates in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which are accredited by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the NSF.

“GIS leads to a very desirable skill set with applications relevant to the Department of Defense sector and defense contractors, and nonprofits and agencies working in agriculture, on sustainability and resilience,” said Dr. Helen Turner, Biology Professor and Principal Investigator for Chaminade’s NSF Alliance Supporting Pacific Impact through Computational Excellence (ALL-SPICE) program.

“It also has applications in public health (geospatial mapping of outbreaks, provider and resource allocation, and health disparities and inequities), and policy and planning (State and Federal planning efforts in transportation, housing, natural resource management and disaster/emergency management.”

According to P3I co-chair Jason Chung, the company’s mission is about developing careers for the people of Hawaii, allowing island residents to work, live and stay in Hawaii.

It’s also about building a more resilient economy through diversification, and creating opportunities for the growing demand for information technology, cybersecurity, data science and intelligence professionals within Hawaii’s defense sector—the second leading economic driver in the state.

Prior to interning with P3I, Kawailani Luat ’23 was resigned to the fact that she would have to leave her home state to find a job in her field of data science that would pay her a decent wage.

However, the experience with P3I changed her mind, opening her eyes to the many potentials, locally, where she can focus her career toward.

Now working as a data analyst with Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)—an all-domain defense and technologies partner, recognized worldwide as America’s largest shipbuilder—the Mililani native credits her internship with P3I as leading to this opportunity of a lifetime.

“By providing opportunities locally, I could stay in Hawaii, and I know a lot of local kids who want to stay home,” Luat said. “Without P3I, I would not have the career that I have today.”

Managed by the Hawaii Defense Alliance (HDA) and supported by Hawaii congressional delegates, P3I is committed to supporting economic development in Hawaii by creating jobs and opportunities for Hawaii’s students, businesses and military.

Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babingto presented Kawailani Luat with her President Sue Wesselkamper Award during last year's Na Liko Na’auao.
Chaminade President Dr. Lynn Babington presented Kawailani Luat with her President Sue Wesselkamper Award during last year’s Na Liko Na’auao.

“P3I connects individuals to educational and certificate programs, and internships, to prepare them with the experience and skill sets needed to succeed in these high-paying careers,” Chung said. “P3I is a collaboration with public, private and academic institutions across the state.”

Over the past five decades, geographic information systems have transformed from a simple concept into a sophisticated science. This remarkable evolution, from a basic tool to a powerful platform for comprehending and planning our world, is one of the fastest growing—and highly consequential—technological tools.

GIS, by definition, is exclusively used to refer to a particular kind of geospatial technology that stores geographic information in layers and integrates that data with software programs.

These software programs can then create, store, manipulate, analyze and even visualize the data for further use. Conversely, geospatial studies and practices set themselves apart with three unique practices: a particular focus on the management, analysis and representation of geographic data.

These elements create the three essential levels of geospatial practice:

  • Data management naturally includes acquiring, cleaning and integrating data into a system.
  • Data analysis refers to choropleth mapping, overlay and spatial query.
  • Data representation refers to producing representational maps, charts and graphs of geographic information.

“While data science analytics and visualization has been around for 15 to 20 years, it was only a decade ago that it really impacted higher education,” said Dr. Lance Askildson, Chaminade’s Provost and Senior Vice President, during a Hawaii Defense Alliance-hosted webinar about geospatial analytics careers and workforce development.

“From my perspective, I can see that we’re reaching a point where there’s so much data to disaggregate that we’re having to develop new tools, new methodologies and new credentialing pathways for professionals to make sense of it.”

In response, universities, like Chaminade, are fulfilling this niche demand by offering comprehensive curricula that blend theoretical knowledge with practical skills gained through experiential internships. Also a panel member of the geospatial analytics career webinar, Data Science Professor, Dr. Mark Speck, addressed the lack of supply of good candidates who are trained in the geospatial field.

“It’s difficult enough to find one person trained in a certain discipline, like geospatial and geospatial intelligence,” Speck said.

“It is even more difficult to try to find more of them on an island. Local contractors can hire people from the mainland, but they have trouble keeping them on island, and it’s also very expensive for them to bring people to Hawaii.

“So, it’s much easier and cheaper for them to train and invest in candidates who are from Hawaii and who are more likely to stay,” Speck added. “One of the focus of HDA is to hire local kids and keep them on island with good-paying jobs.”

Cybersecurity Workshop

Expert warns of maintaining healthy online hygiene

Similar to what you would hear at a dentist office, Liam Wesley dispensed advice about the importance of daily hygiene during a Cybersecurity Workshop at the Data Science Center in Tredtin Hall. But for the cybersecurity expert, this means never using the same username nor the same password ever! Just like you would never keep using the same strand of floss.

In an era dominated by digitization, Wesley described the importance of robust cybersecurity measures that cannot be overstated. As online users navigate an increasingly interconnected world, the guardians of our digital realm are facing new challenges and adapting strategies to protect against evolving cyber threats. Wesley is among them fighting the digital perils.

The 90-minute Cybersecurity Workshop was hosted by the National Science Foundation ALL-SPICE Alliance, which includes the United Nations CIFAL CENTER of Honolulu, Information Technology and Services Department (senior director Jules Sukhabut), the Networking Department (director Joseph Rosario), Data Science, Analytics and Visualization Program (director Rylan Chong, Ph.D.) and the Computer Science Department.

Liam Wesley—a penetration tester and cybersecurity engineer with High Tech Hui, LLC and Cyberruptive—demonstrated some of the tools that professional hackers keep in their arsenal.
Liam Wesley—a penetration tester and cybersecurity engineer with High Tech Hui, LLC and Cyberruptive—demonstrated some of the tools that professional hackers keep in their arsenal.

“We brought in Liam to demonstrate real cyberattacks, and discuss how a student can protect themselves for educational purposes and build awareness,” said Chong, Co-Principal Investigator of the National Science Foundation’s Alliance Supporting Pacific Impact through Computational Excellence (ALL-SPICE) grant. “Joe and I plan to pilot this cybersecurity workshop to Natural Sciences and Mathematics students to gauge interest. This will help us understand if there is interest for future workshops, larger workshops and/or a need for a cybersecurity course or program.”

Cybersecurity experts, like Wesley—a penetration tester and cybersecurity engineer with High Tech Hui, LLC and Cyberruptive—warn of the escalating sophistication of cyber threats, ranging from ransomware attacks that cripple essential services to targeted phishing campaigns exploiting the remote work landscape. The proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices—AI voice assistants like the Amazon Echo and Google Home—coupled with the rise of artificial intelligence in cyberattacks, adds a layer of complexity to the battlefield.

In the face of these evolving threats, organizations are doubling down on best practices to fortify their defenses. This includes regular employee training to recognize and thwart phishing attempts, implementing multi-factor authentication, and keeping software and systems up-to-date with the latest security patches.

“Patching is absolutely necessary,” Wesley said. “But wait a few days to avoid the potential for buffer overflow, which are memory storage regions that temporarily hold data while it is being transferred from one location to another.”

Initially limited to Rosario’s computer science networking class, the workshop was eventually opened to all Natural Sciences and Mathematics students due to the importance of the topic and the large interest from Chong’s previous presentation on the topic.

One of the workshop’s primary goals was to bring awareness and introduce education innovation. Chong explained that the topic is very important for the University’s DSAV, CS and NSM students, as many of them are doing research, working with data and sensitive data at various organizations for jobs and internships, and using computers.

“Instead of traditionally just bringing in someone to talk about cybersecurity in general, our goal was to make this relevant to the students to build awareness, address on the national security level the lack of cybersecurity education in schools, and an approach to work on better securing our campus,” Chong said. “In addition, we are planning to take an innovative educational approach by actually demonstrating how easy it is to hack and simulate how bad a cyberattack can be to an organization.”

The landscape of cybersecurity is indeed dynamic and ever-evolving. Experts agree that a collaborative, proactive approach—comprising technological innovation, regulatory compliance and ongoing education—is essential to safeguarding our digital world against the relentless tide of cyber threats.

“There was a lot of information, which was hard to keep up with,” said data science and visualization major LaVelle White ’26. “He explained pretty well how hackers get into systems, even though I can’t hack, but I understood the concept.”

SPICE Institute Peppered with Data

Monthlong seminar focuses on helping students understand data 

Data science continues to evolve as one of the most promising and in-demand disciplines, and budding data scientists are all too happy to explore the field … one byte at a time. Just ask Rylan Chong, Ph.D., Chaminade’s Data Science Program Director.

“Chaminade received approval in 2018 to launch a Data Science major, which was the first of its kind in Hawaii,” Chong says. “And we had our first cohort of 40-50 students in 2019. Now our classes are practically maxed out each semester.”

This summer, 35 students participated in the Supporting Pacific Indigenous Computing Excellence (SPICE) Data Science Summer Institute—from June 2-30—marking the largest number of participants since SPICE’s inception five years ago. Funded by a National Science Foundation grant, and in partnership with the Texas Advanced Computing Center, SPICE aims to level the playing field for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students, who are woefully underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, and specifically cutting-edge data science.

Of the 35 SPICE Data Science Institute participants, 19 of them were Silverswords.
Of the 35 SPICE program participants, 19 of them were Silverswords.

“We want to advance computing and data for social change and justice,” says Chong, who graduated with a bachelor’s in Computer Science from Chaminade in 2010, and with a doctorate in Information Security from Purdue University of West Lafayette in 2018. “We want to work with our community partners and upscale people’s knowledge about the use of data.”

SPICE participants include 22 undergraduate students from Hawaii, including 19 from Chaminade University. The remaining eight undergraduates hail from the Northern Marianas College (5), Mount Mercy University in Iowa, University of Portland and Guam Community College. Five undergraduate student mentors also were involved.

“Not to sound cliché, but data science is everywhere,” says Biology Assistant Professor Chrystie K. Naeole, Ph.D. “Students get to mesh science with data science, and to look at disparities among Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.”

With one of the largest wealth gaps in the nation, high rates of incarceration, and high rates of illness and health disparity, Hawaii has a compelling need to address social justice issues. Students of Hawaiian descent have something they want to fix because they see the inequality every day in their families and their communities, from health and homelessness to the environment and sustainable energy.

Of the 35 SPICE Data Science Institute participants, 19 of them were Silverswords.
Participants collaborated on research projects even during lunch.

“Most people have a passion. Most people care about something significant, something that they have a personal connection to,” says Kelly Gaither, director of Health Analytics at TACC and Associate Professor in Women’s Health at the Dell Medical School. “When you have a personal connection, it’s like a glue. It allows other concepts that you need to stick. In the absence of that glue, students may not realize they’d be happy working in computer science or data science because of the way it’s taught and presented to them.”

Chong believes we already apply data science in our daily routines. We compare prices, for example, when we’re shopping for groceries. We’ll shop at stores that offer better deals. Think of Longs Drugs on a Sunday or Safeway on $5 Fridays. We compare quantity and quality, a generic brand versus brand name.

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

A 2022 Chaminade University alumna with a degree in Data Science, Analytics and Visualization and one-time SPICE participant, Zoey Kaneakua is now a data analyst with the Department of the Attorney General’s Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division. And her job: To monitor crime statistics in Hawaii and to share the data with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), an incident-based reporting system in which law enforcement collects data on each crime occurrence.

Zoey Kaneakua '22 at her computer
Zoey Kaneakua ’22 now works for the Department of the Attorney General’s Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division

“That was my first independent research involving juvenile justice,” recalls Kaneakua of her participation in SPICE during her junior year. “And I think I built my first dashboard in three days using Python (a high-level, general-purpose programming language).”

Like Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) of the past, data science was barely mentioned a decade ago in scientific circles. Now it’s everywhere. In the same way that A.I. is an umbrella term for intelligence, Data Science is an umbrella term for insights from data.  Sometimes these two terms appear to be in conflict or competition, but this is not the case. The field of data and machine intelligence is vast and involves everything from understanding data to helping computers learn from the data and solve problems automatically using their learnings. Arguably, both Data Science and A.I. are critical for businesses and maintain a complicated symbiotic relationship.

“The underlying theme of SPICE is about building capacity and learning communities in the Pacific to harness the power of technology and data to address challenges,” Chong says, borrowing from the National Science Foundation’s Harnessing the Data Revolution initiative. “We focus on social aspects, applied ethics and responsibility working with people and data.”

In their final projects, SPICE participants studied various issues, from Indo-Pacific Resilience and Hawaii Biodiversity to Tax and Housing Equity and Health.

“All their projects were based on the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals,” Chong said. “These students upskilled in analytics, research and programming. We also had a lot of firsts this year. To name a few, it included an opportunity to use the TACC supercomputers at the University of Texas at Austin; we had technical directors who joined us in helping on sponsored projects; and three students presented their projects in their preferred or native language that included Spanish, Carolinian and Native Hawaiian.”