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Forensic Sciences

Alumna Pursues Passion at Chaminade and Beyond

October 23, 2019 by University Communications & Marketing

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.”

Filed Under: Alumni, Featured Story, Natural Sciences & Mathematics Tagged With: Forensic Sciences

Crime Scene Investigation Camp

August 9, 2019 by University Communications & Marketing

Over the summer, Chaminade Forensic Sciences Professor David Carter and colleague Carlos Gutierrez led a group of high schoolers in a not-so-typical hands-on activity. After some intensive instruction, the teens spent hours poring over a mock crime scene to find “human remains.”

CSI camp in Maui - in the field

While the crime scene and remains weren’t real, the learning absolutely was.

And Carter believes the experience is also an innovative recruitment tool, helping students envision themselves in a forensic science career. “It’s neat for these students,” Carter said, “the hands-on activity, the experience with teamwork and documenting observations.”

The innovative exercise was part of the Maui Police Department’s 2019 CSI Camp, a unique week-long program of events aimed at giving high schoolers a taste for the work that criminal investigators do every day, from crime scene photography to blood stain pattern analysis.  

Chaminade’s Forensic Sciences department has been participating in the camp for four years alongside representatives from the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Maui Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division, and Maui’s Medical Examiner.

Tony Earles, an MPD crime scene investigator and evidence specialist, runs the program annually. He said students have come from across Hawaii and even the mainland to attend.

CSI camp in Maui - in the classroom

This year’s camp had 12 students selected after a competitive application process. Students submitted essays explaining their interest in the program and were required to submit letters of recommendation. And before the week even begins, the students go through training online.

“With the effect of CSI television shows, there’s a lot of interest in crime scene investigation careers,” Earles said, in an interview. “Of course, you can’t have kids in an actual crime scene.”

The CSI Camp is the next best thing.

“We try to cover everything – from what happens when the call is dispatched to 911, the investigation by the detective, beginning to end,” Earles said. “By the end of the week, the thing they always say is they would like to make it longer. They always say, ‘I learned so much.’”

Hands-on activities, like the one that Carter and Gutierrez lead, are particularly popular.

Maui Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu called this year’s CSI Camp, which ran from June 17 to 21, a “tremendous success” and said Chaminade’s presentation and hands-on activity triggered lots of questions and interest from students. “It is through collaborative efforts such as this Camp that we continue to inspire our youth to dedicate themselves to careers which support our community,” he said, in a letter to Chaminade Provost Dr. Lance Askildson.

Carter said he uses the camp to clue students in on what they need to do to pursue a career in forensic sciences. He also helps them understand the related offerings at Chaminade. But he’s quick to note that the University’s participation in the camp isn’t merely a recruitment tool.

It’s an opportunity to give back. “The camp is a really important community service,” he said. “It’s not at a high school or college campus, but a forensic science facility. And students participate in actual investigative work and experience being a scientist in the field.”

Filed Under: Faculty, Featured Story, Natural Sciences & Mathematics Tagged With: Forensic Sciences

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

February 5, 2018 by University Communications & Marketing

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.

Filed Under: Faculty, Natural Sciences & Mathematics Tagged With: Forensic Sciences, Hogan Entrepreneurs Program

Student-Athlete Emma Tecklenburg Brings Her Competitive Spirit to Volleyball Court and Classroom

November 17, 2017 by University Communications & Marketing

For anyone who follows women’s volleyball at Chaminade University, the competitive spirit of student-athlete Emma Tecklenburg is impossible to miss. Named to the All-Pacific West Conference Third Team, the 5-foot-11-inch outsider hitter helped the Silverswords achieve a record third-consecutive winning season at 16-12.

A sophomore from Plano, Texas, Tecklenburg finished third in the PacWest in kills per set and seventh in service aces. Moreover, her kill average was the second-highest by a ’Sword since 2010.

Tecklenburg brings that same intensity to the classroom. She’s double majoring in Forensic Sciences and Criminology and Criminal Justice, thinking about adding a minor and already looking ahead to graduate school. During her rare downtime, she enjoys camping, swimming, beach volleyball and other sports.

“It has definitely been a struggle at times balancing school, volleyball and my social life,” said Tecklenburg, who’s attending Chaminade on a four-year athletic scholarship. “But I have some really great teammates that do their best to hold me accountable.

“The hardest balance is school and volleyball,” she pointed out, “especially during our road trips when we’re gone for more than a week at a time. But the team puts in a lot of effort at keeping caught up in school while traveling.”

While attending high school nearly 4,000 miles away in the Lone Star State, Tecklenburg was a standout on her champion volleyball team and earned academic all-district honors. When it came time to make college plans, she was drawn to Chaminade and the abundant natural beauty and recreational opportunities on Oahu.

“I was super attracted to Chaminade because I live in Northern Texas, so there’s not a lot of nature to experience down there,” Tecklenburg said. “The only time I ever went to the beach was on vacation, and I thought I would regret passing up such a cool life experience of living in Hawaii.

“It wasn’t as big of an adjustment as I thought it would be,” she continued, “because we started playing volleyball right away and it was a good distraction from being homesick.”

Competing for the Silverswords, Tecklenburg said, “is a wonderful opportunity.”

“This team is truly a family and I am so appreciative to get to wake up and see them every day,” she said. “Everybody is so talented and driven! It’s really fun to get to see everyone grow and get better together.”

As for her academic career, Tecklenburg enjoys working with Associate Professor David Carter, director of the Forensic Sciences program.

“So far, Dr. Carter has been my absolute favorite professor,” Tecklenburg said. “He is a great instructor in general, and one of the most easy-going and fun people to talk with.

“I would love to go to grad school and extend my education once I finish my four-year plan,” she added, “so we will see where I end up when that is all completed.”

Chaminade University’s Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics offers a Bachelor of Science degree and a minor in Forensic Sciences. The Division of Behavioral Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice.

Filed Under: Alumni Tagged With: Criminology and Criminal Justice, Forensic Sciences

Chaminade Students Inspire School Children at Annual ‘Astronaut Lacy Veach Day of Discovery’

November 14, 2017 by University Communications & Marketing

By sharing their knowledge and love of science, two teams of Chaminade University students encouraged children to pursue STEM educations and careers at the “2017 Astronaut Lacy Veach Day of Discovery.”

Held Oct. 28 at Punahou School, this 16th annual event honored the life and legacy of NASA astronaut Charles Lacy Veach, who flew on Space Shuttle missions in 1991 and 1992 and developed robotics for the International Space Station. The Punahou alumnus and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate died of cancer in 1995 at the age of 51.

2017 Lacy Veach Day - anchialine pools activity

One team of Chaminade students conducted a workshop on the tiny opae`ula Hawaiian red shrimp and the ecologically fragile anchialine pools where they live. Anchialine pools are enclosed bodies of water with underground connections to the ocean.

“The kids we worked with made a habitat for the shrimp and were really excited to take them home,” said English major Kalei Ehlers from the Hogan Entrepreneurs Program. “Kids are excited by science and I had a blast teaching them something new.”

Also conducting the workshop were students Aulani Oka, Martina Segura, Tara Supit and Luwella Leonardi.

A team of students from the “I Am A Scientist” mobile outreach program showed children how to dust and “lift” latent fingerprints.

2017 Lacy Veach Day - fingerprint activity

“We got to educate kids and parents about the different characteristics in fingerprints that are unique to the individual person,” said Nursing major Heather Carvalho. “We also taught them that fingerprints are how they catch criminals.”

Carvalho said she enjoyed encouraging parents and children “to engage in science education together as a family.”

“It was an awesome way to get the kids outdoors,” she said, “instead of in front of the television and internet devices.”

Forensic Science major Kaitlyn Castillo said she initially thought young children “wouldn’t really think about doing science-related things.”

“After this event, I know that I was wrong and that some kids really do enjoy science so much,” Castillo said. “A few parents I talked to said they had bought their kids fingerprint kits and they would be dusting for prints all over the house.

“I liked knowing there were kids that got interested in forensic science by actually doing things related to forensic science,” Castillo added, “rather than from a TV show.”

Working with Carvalho and Castillo at the fingerprint booth were students John Aiwohi, Chante Carter, Doris Sanborn and Samantha Williams, along with alumna Cassandra Song and biology lecturer Dr. Eric Umemoto.

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Students Tagged With: English, Forensic Sciences, Hogan Entrepreneurs Program, I Am A Scientist

$1 Million Awarded to Chaminade in Recognition of National Excellence in Science Programs

June 7, 2017 by University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade joins select group of 24 universities nationwide recognized for inclusivity and quality in STEM programs

NSM Student in LabChaminade University of Honolulu today announced a grant of $1 million from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as an awardee in the 2017-22 ‘Inclusive Excellence’ program. Chaminade was selected as one of 24 awardees from a pool of over 500 universities who applied for the prestigious recognition as a Howard Hughes Undergraduate Institution. The program will fund culture-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education programs, Hawai‘i-centered research, and activities that link science to family and community for Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students.

Dr. Helen Turner
Dr. Helen Turner

“Chaminade has been building excellence in STEM for a decade with support from agencies such as National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF) and Kamehameha Schools, and this award recognizes the tremendous progress we have made in preparing the next generation of Hawai‘i and Pacific scientists” says Dr. Helen Turner, Chaminade’s Dean of Natural Sciences and Principal Investigator of the HHMI Program. “This award takes us to the next level of national recognition for the curriculum and cutting-edge teaching methods our faculty have developed. The HHMI program confronts the challenge of connecting STEM education with culture, family and community – which are critical for our local students to be successful and to build a strong Hawai‘i for the future.”

“Finding a way to include all students, from all backgrounds, in STEM is critical for building future generations of American scientists”, says David Asai, HHMI Senior Director for Science Education. “HHMI recognizes that science excellence depends on having a community of scientists that is rich in diversity of people and perspectives. This national experiment expects that the selected universities will produce useful models to address inclusivity in STEM.”

ABOUT THE HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is the largest private, nonprofit supporter of science education in the United States. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has created an Inclusive Excellence Commission whose role will be to evaluate the outcomes of this national experiment, and to disseminate to the broader community what is being learned.

  • HHMI’s announcement
  • HHMI’s essay on science education by David Asai

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Natural Sciences & Mathematics, Press Release Tagged With: Biochemistry, Biology, Forensic Sciences, Grants

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