Chaminade University of Honolulu

Honors and Awards

Student’s Summer Research at Johns Hopkins University Earns Award

Chloe Talana and fellow students

Chaminade junior Chloe Talana was one of eight students out of 103 to be named best poster presentation at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students on November 17 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Talana studied blood samples from HIV infected individuals to document how their immune cells function as part of a summer research program at Johns Hopkins University. She first presented her research at the Leadership Alliance symposium in Connecticut and was invited to present her research again at the recent conference in Indianapolis. She attended the national conference with six other Chaminade students, three of whom also presented their research.

“I could never be more grateful to be part of that conference,” says Talana.  “I wasn’t even sure if I was actually going, but then I was fortunate enough to receive a full travel award from the Office of Health Professions Advising and Undergraduate Research. I was surrounded by bright people with the same passions, the same drive that want to do something good in STEM. I felt at home, especially since this is really what I want to do.”

Chloe Talana

Talana attributes her award to her ability to seize opportunities and the support she’s received from Chaminade professor Dr. Michael Weichhaus. Talana joined Dr. Weichhaus’s lab as a student researcher after she approached him after class one day and asked if he knew of any research opportunities.

“Opportunities don’t just fall into your lap nowadays, you have to take the initiative,” says Talana. “I took the initiative to approach Dr. Weichhaus, and now he’s my mentor and my advisor. He really takes the time to help me understand things, and he really listens. His mentorship has helped me evaluate what I want to do, what I can do and what I should do more.”

Dr. Weichhaus has encouraged Talana to pursue research opportunities outside of his lab, including the Johns Hopkins program. His mentorship has made such an impact on Talana’s experience as a student that earlier this year she nominated him for the President Mackey Prize, which he was awarded at the Na Liko Na’auao undergraduate conference at Chaminade University in March.

“Since I have started working with him, Dr. Weichhaus has validated what I want to do with my future,” says Talana. “A lot of people say doctor’s save lives, and they absolutely do. But if we really think about it, it all comes down to research. Without research, we wouldn’t have advances in medicine. I want to go to medical school to get a combined M.D. and Ph.D. and become a medical scientist.”

Reinventing the Mall

E+ID Team, "Death of a Mall"On November 15, four Chaminade undergraduate students were honored at The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Hawaii Chapter Gala for their inspiring and revolutionary designs.

Zhu (Ryan) Fan, Jenelyn Sison, Nicolle Soriano and Catherine Valentine received an honorable mention award for their project “Death of a Mall,” and Jenelyn Sison received an individual Award of Excellence for her project “ALEA Bridge—Human-Centered Affordable Housing.”

“Our professor tasked us with redesigning the current concept of a mall,” says Catherine Valentine. “We wanted to integrate new online shopping technology with the connection that people get when they’re shopping in a social setting, so we integrated augmented and virtual reality with other appealing features that give you a small town feel and make you want to come in and meet your neighbors.”

Three of the students—Fan, Sison and Soriano—graduated from Chaminade in May 2018 and are working for design firms. Valentine will graduate next month.

“I am a military vet and decided to leave my already established career to pursue this passion of mine,” says Valentine. “This award helps make it feel like I made the right choice. The four of us worked so hard and well together and we developed something that we can all be proud of.”

Chaminade Grad Named Teacher of the Year

Mathieu Williams '14
Dr. Dale Fryxell (Dean, School of Education & Behavioral Sciences) and Mathieu Williams ’14 (2019 Hawaii Teacher of the Year)

Congratulations to Mathieu Williams ‘14 for being named the 2019 Hawaii Teacher of the Year. Williams is a visual media and technology teacher at Kealakehe Intermediate School in Kona who challenges his students to look inward and discover the individual they want to become.

“Media is such a great platform, but it’s all about building a brand,” says Williams. “I help my students understand that they all have their own brand and I ask them, ‘what are you going to be known for? Do you want to be known for kindness? Respect? Being dependable?’”

Williams started his teaching journey as a member of Teach for America right out of university. He didn’t know he wanted to be a teacher right away, but he fell in love with all that his students had to offer. He learns from them every day and loves helping his students see the world in a different light. “The moment we stop learning it’s a scary thing because we get complacent,” says Williams. “It’s not about teaching kids facts or subject matter, it’s about teaching kids how to learn and how to empathize and understand people and places.”

“Knowing that the future sits in front of you each and every day and that you have the ability to shape that future is a large responsibility,” says Williams. “I feel completely humbled by it.”

Mathieu graduated from the Chaminade Master of Education program with a specialization in educational leadership in 2014. “We are incredibly proud of Mathieu for achieving such a high honor,” says Dale Fryxell, dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences at Chaminade. “This is a fantastic accomplishment and a well-deserved award.”

Chaminade Named Outstanding Organization by Top Cop

Hawaii Top Cop AwardOn October 25, the Chaminade University Criminal Justice Program received the Outstanding Organization Award at the Top Cop Hawaii 34th Annual Law Enforcement and Security Awards Banquet. Each year, The Law Enforcement and Security Coalition of Hawaii presents the award to a security or safety organization or professional association that demonstrates initiative and innovation in promoting law enforcement, security and safety in the State of Hawaii.

Chaminade has the largest and most respected undergraduate criminal justice program in the state of Hawaii, and the only master’s degree in criminal justice. Chaminade graduates can be found in law enforcement agencies throughout the state as police chiefs, correctional agency directors, government attorneys and federal, state and county law enforcement personnel.

Ronald Becker, director of the criminology and criminal justice program at Chaminade, accepted the award on behalf of the university. “When I received the award, I asked all of our Chaminade graduates to stand up,” says professor Becker. “A large number of people stood up. It really helped visualize the extent of our program and our reach. This award helps validate what I already knew, but now I can share it with others.”

Top Cop Scholarship AwardeesThe ASIS International Hawaii Chapter and Cindi Flating also presented two Chaminade students with the Bob Flating Scholarship at the event. The award is given each year to individuals who are pursuing a degree in law enforcement or security. Both Sydney Thyen and Yaron Fernando received the $1,000 scholarship to use toward their course tuition.

“We were thrilled to see our students being recognized for their commitment and hard work,” says Allison Jerome, dean of students. “The generous gifts from ASIS will help our students pursue their academic goals and share their gifts and talents with the community.”

Nursing Students Win International Competition

As a freshman, Rosemarie knew she wanted to create a Chaminade HOSA club. “I wanted to start it right away in fall when I first came to Chaminade,” says the nursing major. “But since I was a freshman I didn’t really know what to do yet. In spring, I got some upperclassmen to help me and from there we started our various community service projects and going to competitive events. Now Chaminade has an official HOSA club that’s affiliated with the international organization.”

Rosemarie Maltezo has been a member of HOSA-Future Health Professionals ever since high school. The international student organization is designed to empower future healthcare leaders and member students participate in community service, leadership opportunities, networking events and competitions.

The Chaminade club started in the spring semester of 2018. Within a few months, they had won first place in the statewide HOSA competition for their project on preventing teen dating violence. By the summer of 2018, they had won second place in the international competition in Dallas, Texas.

“We had to give a 10-minute presentation on a public health topic,” says Rosemarie. “We wanted to show the signs and symptoms of dating violence so to think outside of the box we put together a video that told the story of three different teenage girls. The video seemed to really hit the judges, they seemed like they were about to cry.”

The team is already eagerly awaiting next year’s competition in Orlando, Florida. They hope to expand the club to include other students interested in healthcare from other majors and bring even more team members with them next year. “Students interested in business can do it too,” says Rosemarie. “Anyone who is interested in something health-related can join.”

Watch a video that Rosemarie and her team created about their experience at HOSA in Dallas. Then, watch the award-winning video that Rosemarie and her HOSA team created for the competition.

 

Dr. Kate Perrault Named 40 Under 40

Katelynn Perrault

Dr. Kate Perrault made this year’s Power List published by The Analytical Scientist. The annual Power List recognizes the great work of analytical scientists all over the world. This year’s theme, 40 under 40, celebrates rising scientists making waves in analytical science.

“I follow the Power List every year,” says Dr. Perrault. “It’s such a big honor now to be on it. To be nominated for something like this so early in my career is really meaningful.”

As a forensic scientist and an odor scientist, Dr. Perrault analyzes the chemicals released by odors, specifically the odors that law enforcement canines use to find dead bodies. Canines are our best tool to find bodies following a natural disaster, homicide or missing person alert–they latch on to the smell of a certain chemical that is released when a body decomposes.

“We wanted to understand exactly what dogs smell when they find a body,” says Dr. Perrault. “But that became a major challenge because the traditional techniques used to characterize odors weren’t good enough. My work identified better methods with newer technologies, and now I want to use those methods to study how different microbes on a body can change the odor it releases.”