Data Science

Finding Solutions Through Data Science

March 20, 2021 by University Communications & Marketing

Dairian Balai ’22 peers into data to find solutions. That’s where she found her passion, too.

The Data Science major likes to say that all those numbers—on everything from community health disparities to poverty to race and education—represent people, with hopes and dreams, just like her. She’s on a mission to tell their story (and hers) by spotlighting the data that speaks to real experiences.

“I want to shine a light on the problems we’re facing,” she said.

And even though she hasn’t yet graduated, Balai is already making her mark. Thanks to a series of programs at Chaminade, Balai scored a paid remote internship with a University of Texas lab to research maternal and infant mortality and co-morbidities in Native Hawaiian communities.

She hopes to use data science to spotlight what factors can help protect moms and babies.

Balai grew up in Waiʻanae and graduated from Waiʻanae High. During her junior and senior year, she applied to a long list of potential universities in Hawaii and on the mainland. And she was pretty set on going out-of-state for her undergraduate education. But then her high school counselor told her about the Hoʻoulu STEM Scholarship, which covers 100% of Chaminade tuition and offers support services.

The scholarship convinced Balai to take a tour of Chaminade—and she’s glad she did.

“Off the bat, I liked how it was a small community. The campus was small,” she said, adding that she later spoke to her high school adviser and realized that the financial support offered through the Hoʻoulu STEM Scholarship far outweighed other aid universities on the mainland were offering her.

“I decided to stay. If I went back in time, I would make that decision again,” she said.

Balai said the thing she appreciates most about Chaminade is the one-on-one support she gets from professors and advisers, who have connected her with key opportunities. “They really make it a point to help you plan out your future,” she said. “They say ‘Chaminade is a family.’ I really believe that.”

Balai originally majored in Biology because she planned to go into healthcare.

But the course of her studies changed after she was participated in Chaminade’s Supporting Pacific Indigenous Computing Excellence (SPICE) program. The intensive, immersion experience, in partnership with the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas at Austin, is designed to help train students to lead in data science and visualization efforts that support social justice projects in Hawaiʻi.

Balai said she learned coding in the SPICE program and worked with other students to create visualizations that helped illustrate her research area—how socio-economic status impacts healthcare.

From the SPICE program, Balai participated in a Computing4Change event in Chicago. The national competition challenges students to use computing for positive social change. Balai said through SPICE and the Computing4Change conference, she learned that data science wasn’t just about highlighting problems “but helping to solve them.” That, she realized, was the career she wanted to pursue.

So Balai switched majors to Data Science, taking the plunge even though it meant a little more time completing her undergraduate degree. She also started considering how she could eventually bring Data Science home—back to Waianae and the community she loves and eventually wants to serve.

She said Data Science helped her understand that having vulnerable populations doesn’t define Waiʻanae (and other communities with larger concentrations of low- and moderate-income families), but that socio-economic and other factors have a significant impact on the lives of Waianae residents.

She is especially interested in uncovering the factors that contribute to health disparities in her hometown. Data Science solutions to those gaps, she said, will help build a healthier community. And ultimately, that will help build a healthier state and nation, Balai added.

In 2019, Balai was offered a paid internship studying maternal health in Native Hawaiians. She said as a Native Hawaiian, the research feels personal—and all the more important given the healthcare challenges the community faces. She’s continuing that work and hopes to build on it.

In fact, Balai is now planning to go to graduate school.

She’s working with her adviser weekly to consider programs, and on crafting her long-term dream: returning to Waiʻanae to “build a better, a more aware community”—with Data Science.

Islands of Opportunity: First-Ever Virtual DataCamp

January 16, 2021 by University Communications & Marketing

In November 2020, the Islands of Opportunity-Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (IOA-LSAMP) and Chaminade University Honolulu partnered to launch an online data analytics proficiency course for university STEM students from Hawai‘i and the Pacific. The DataCamp was run by Chaminade faculty and staff under the supervision of a molecular immunologist and biologist. The program offered a unique opportunity for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students to learn about the data analytics field through hands-on learning modules.

The University of Hawai‘i Hilo was also a participant in the DataCamp. Check out this article to learn more about the professors and students involved. We see bright futures ahead for Hawai‘i’s next generation of data scientists and can’t wait to see them use their newfound skills in our community! IOA-LSAMP includes 10 institutions across the Pacific region: Chaminade University of Honolulu, American Samoa Community College, College of the Marshall Islands, College of Micronesia—FSM, Guam Community College, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Northern Marianas College, Palau Community College, University of Guam and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Data and Design: A Powerful Storyteller

December 16, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

Majoring in data science means you spend a lot of your time combing through data, learning to use coding software, digitally mapping data and analyzing results. But at Chaminade University, it also means learning how to tell a story, understanding color theory, learning how to use design software and understanding the principles of visual communication.

Data Science 403: Digital Humanities is a new interdisciplinary course taught by Dr. Junghwa Suh, associate professor of environmental + interior design and Dr. Laura Tipton, assistant professor of data science, that all data science majors at Chaminade are required to take. The course merges the fields of humanities and data science, and teaches students how to turn data into meaningful, visual stories and relate it back to various dimensions of human living.

“We wanted to challenge the more analytic students in the course to think more creatively, both in their presentations and in their topics of study,” says Dr. Suh. “We wanted to show that not every data science analysis is based on a scientific study, sometimes we use data science to analyse classic literature or song lyrics.”

For many of the students, this was their first foray into the humanities and they weren’t quite sure what to expect.

“At the beginning of the semester, I interpreted digital humanities solely as studying the history of data science and technology,” says Trinity Young, a fourth-year student. “But now, after taking this course, I better understand that digital humanities is the study of applying data and technology to analyze and better understand human society and culture.”

Digital Humanities Miley Cyrus presentation

In the first iteration of the course this past fall semester, each student was tasked with choosing a topic for a semester-long project that either brings them happiness or sparks their interest and passion. They then spent the first-half of the semester collecting and analyzing data, and the second half of the semester learning to develop a visually appealing story out of the data and present their findings.

“[This course] really gave me another perspective in this area and allowed me to see the story behind everything,” says Taylor Ishisaka, a third-year student who used the project to explore how Miley Cyrus’s character has developed throughout various events and albums. “As of now, I truly think that it is necessary to have previous knowledge in humanities in order to understand the digital world better.”

Lilianna Flynn, a senior who is majoring in business administration and minoring in data science, did her project on the recent Australian wildfires. She used data visualizations and word clouds to determine the causes and consequences of the wildfires and to identify solutions.

“I believe my word clouds were my best visual aid,” says Flynn. “They displayed the most important words and gave the readers a basic understanding of the news articles.”

But her favorite part was seeing how creative her fellow classmates were in choosing their topics.

“My favorite part of the semester was listening to everyone’s presentations,” says Flynn. “Everyone had different ways of analyzing their data and unique presentation designs. Now, I believe design is even more important to communicate data visualizations effectively.”

While the course was fun and meaningful for the students, the professors also had a good time with it.

“I was really excited when I saw this course listed as part of the data science curriculum because it gave me a chance to highlight some of my “passion project” research areas, including dance history and mythology,” says Dr. Tipton. “And it gave me a chance to see what non-science interests the students have.”

On the other side, Dr. Suh was excited to take a dive into the sciences. “I have always wanted to teach a course where science meets art and design, and vice versa,” she says. “I usually don’t have a chance to meet students from other disciplines, so it was great interacting with the data science students.”

The pair is now brainstorming ways to expand the course in the future.

“Now I’m excited to see where this collaboration goes and how we can include students from other majors, like design and other humanities, next year,” says Dr. Tipton.

New Data Science Scholarships

September 3, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade University recently received a $1M grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide 20 scholarships for new first-year and transfer students who are majoring in data science.

Data science is one of the most in-demand and fastest growing careers in the Pacific region. As industries collect more data, they need more people who can analyze and interpret those data. This new program is part of a larger initiative to build a cohort of data science professionals in the Pacific to help support decision-making across Hawaii’s economic sectors.

“This program is all about access to high-paying in-demand jobs,” says Dr. Alexander Stokes, assistant professor at Chaminade University. “Every business sector in Hawaii, from healthcare to finance to energy and nonprofits, needs professionals in data analytics to provide decision support.”

Data science students at Chaminade participate in hands-on, project-based courses and internships that use real data provided by local businesses, agencies and community organizations. In addition to learning the necessary technical skills like coding and data visualization, students also learn about decision-making, data ethics and how to communicate complex datasets in a clear and concise way, ensuring they are well-versed in all aspects of the career.

“This project will empower students from across the region to find data-driven solutions to challenges in Hawaii and the Pacific region,” says Dr. Helen Turner, vice president for Strategy and Innovation at Chaminade University. “The Pacific faces unique challenges, and we need local students who can use local data to help us understand and address those challenges.”

The grant is part of NSF’s Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. The scholarships will be available for new students who are majoring in data science, and preference will be given to students from Hawaii and the Pacific region who meet academic and financial requirements.

The new project aims to accomplish three things: 1) Mitigate the financial and academic barriers for low-income students from the Pacific; 2) acknowledge and address the cultural and non-academic barriers these students face when pursuing an education in STEM; and 3) develop new ways of teaching and supporting student needs, strengths and cultural expectations.

“There is a national need for well-educated STEM professionals from diverse backgrounds and experiences,” says Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University. “The support from NSF will help strengthen the career pathway for low-income students and will ensure these future STEM workers receive a high-quality, values-driven education.”

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of Chaminade faculty members and students who are selected to participate in the program will receive a $10,000 per year scholarship. Program participants will also have access to academic navigators, cultural programming, life coaching, professional tutoring, paid internships, retreats and careers preparation.

Pacific Business News article (9/22/20) >>

Honolulu Star-Advertiser article (9/28/20) >>

Data Science National Competition

January 30, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

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.

“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.”