Author: Marco Leon

Erin Turban

Erin Turban

Posted by | Sep 17, 2019 | |

Erin Turban is a 36-year-old former KCC student from ‘Ewa Beach who has begun her first semester at UH Mānoa for Fall 2019.

She originally started taking nursing classes, and one of those prerequisites was John Berestecky’s Micro 130 class. She “found it really interesting” and is now pursuing a BS in Microbiology. 

Erin enjoys hanging out at KCC.

“I love it here!” she said.

She can be found working alongside a research team investigating Campylobacter spp., a bacteria that is commonly found in poultry. 

“We are looking for a specific gene that Campy has,” she said. “It’s the type VI secretion system, the hcp gene. This gene provides cells with a needle like method of passing on its genetic information to other cells.” 

Turban got involved in research by joining the on campus organization, Kapiʻolani Association of Research in Microbiology (KARM).

“KARM has been a supportive environment,” she said. :This will for sure help me with my Microbiology degree. I get to work with the equipment and learn techniques from Becky Kanenaka [a mentor for KARM], JB [Berestecky] himself, and my lab mates.”

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  • Carl WheelerCarl Wheeler
    86-year-old Carl Wheeler can be found in the library as a math tutor at the study hub. Wheeler started teaching math in classrooms back in 1956; he's taught everywhere from Mid-Pacific Institute, Punahou School, and even Kapiʻolani Community College. He retired from teaching in the classroom in 1997 and started tutoring because he said he has time to do it, he can be of help, and he likes math. Wheeler chose his field of teaching when he was in junior high school and while he tried other things he was always coming back to teaching math in the end. Wheeler also provides private tutoring at $60-70 an hour, though that is rare these days, or for free if it is family or friends. While private tutoring has its benefits, he prefers tutoring at KCC as there is more variety. More students come from a variety of math courses in which he can help. "Language, what do the words mean. The meaning of words," Wheeler said. "How it helps one understand. ... I've long held the belief if one understands why a particular word is chosen for a concept one understands the concept better, and I stick that in my teaching all the time."

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