The Data Science Revolution

DATA SCIENCE IS TAKING JUST ABOUT EVERY INDUSTRY BY STORM— AND ONE OF CHAMINADE'S NEWEST PROGRAMS IS READY

The Data Science program at Chaminade is expanding its offerings to attract students across a wide range of disciplines, from healthcare to communications to education.

Five years ago, Chaminade was well ahead of the curve when it launched its Data Science, Analytics and Visualization bachelor's degree program. The program was the first of its kind in Hawai‘i—and it quickly attracted attention in a highdemand, growing sector.

Now no longer in its infancy, the program is not only continuing to grow and celebrate successes, but is offering new opportunities to students across disciplines. “We have had students from almost every school join us, which has made the classes very rich in regards to discussions, thoughts, and ideas,” said Dr. Rylan Chong, Data Science program director.

“I am a true believer of exposing our students to other disciplines because it helps them navigate their career development and exposes students to the realities of a data science job where they will be working with a range of people with expertise from a range of disciplines.”

In addition to offering special certificates in particular areas, including criminal justice, environmental analytics and health informatics, the Data Science program encourages students to seek double majors or minors, maximizing opportunities for them to apply their skills.

The approach is part of a strategic evolution of a program seeking to prepare students for a quickly evolving workforce in Hawai‘i and nationwide. Chaminade’s data science grads don't just go into cybersecurity—they're also working in education, tourism, transportation and more.

Chaminade President Lynn Babington said the Data Science program was founded in line with the University’s mission of partnering with stakeholders to meet community needs. Today, she added, “One of the most compelling aspects of this program is its broad applicability across diverse sectors, including business, science, healthcare and environmental protection.”

Big Wins

Since its inception, the Data Science program has garnered some major wins.

“I am a true believer of exposing our students to other disciplines because it helps them navigate their career development and exposes students to the realities of a data science job where they will be working with a range of people with expertise from a range of disciplines.”

Dr. Rylan Chong Data Science program director

In 2022, Chaminade was chosen to lead a $10 million federal grant project aimed at creating new opportunities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and data science careers for historically underrepresented populations across Hawai‘i and the Pacific Region. Chaminade has also partnered with the Texas Advanced Computing Center at the University of Texas at Austin for hands-on supercomputing programs for students.

This summer, Chaminade’s biggest cohort yet—33 students—participated.

Those are all major accomplishments, but Chong counts one of the biggest successes of the program as building an ecosystem and a capacity for data science in the Pacific. “As every year goes by, we add more partnerships and graduate more students,” he said. And those Silverswords, he added, give back—and mentor the next generation of leaders.

“Our graduated students are always trying to find new ways of providing opportunities for our new generations of data science students,” he said. “Our DSAV alumni did talks for us, held workshops for us, and more importantly, offered internship opportunities for our students.”

Dr. Helen Turner, biology professor and principal investigator for the National Science Foundation Alliance Supporting Pacific Impact through Computational Excellence program at Chaminade, said attracting Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students to data science careers and opportunities has been a cornerstone of the University’s program from the start.

That’s meant ensuring the program meets “students, working professionals and community members where they are to offer academic, training and informal learning programs” while also weaving in UN sustainable development goals that are particularly relevant in the Pacific.

Giving Back

“These types of curricula resonate with students when they can see the impact that data science has on their communities,” added Chong, who said community engagement with businesses, nonprofits and government has also led to internship and student research opportunities.

Data Science graduates at Chaminade have gone on to pursue doctoral degrees at Purdue University and the University of Wisconsin, to name a few, while others have landed jobs at the likes of the state Attorney General’s Office, Huntington Ingalls and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Lillie Flynn ‘21 was able to secure a position at Hawaiian Airlines as a data analyst after graduation. She credits the opportunity to Chaminade, saying class projects helped get her an internship at the airline—and ultimately, a fulltime position. “Chaminade has opened doors for me,” she said. “The Data Science program helped me build a solid foundation.”

Flynn added her Chaminade education also underscored the importance of giving back and volunteering, something she remains passionate about. “My education highlighted the importance of making meaningful contributions to our community,” said Flynn.

Next Steps

Just like at Chaminade, data science has seen a stratospheric rise in academia and the labor market nationally—and that’s expected to continue. The Department of Labor projects a 36 percent increase in the number of data scientist positions across the country over the next decade, surpassing the growth rates for statisticians, logisticians and research analysts.

The Data Science program at Chaminade has about 40 declared majors and minors and is anticipating even more growth, in part because of significant interest in the artificial intelligence applications. Additionally, Chong said, the program is working to pilot new initiatives and classroom instruction in high-performance computing and supercomputers.

Chaminade Provost Lance Askildson says with data science, applicability is key. “While data science analytics and visualization programs have been around for 15 to 20 years, it was only a decade ago that it really impacted higher education,” he told Chaminade Magazine.

“We’re reaching a point where there’s so much data to disaggregate that we’re having to develop new tools, new methodologies and credentialing pathways for professionals to make sense of it.” One thing is for certain: Whatever the direction data takes, Chaminade’s Data Science program will be ready—and so will the future data scientists it’s preparing.