Dr. Helen Turner’s journey into science and education is one built on passion, inspiration, and perseverance. From her early love of biology in high school to her leadership and teaching roles at Chaminade University in, her story shows how determination and curiosity can create a lifelong commitment to learning and discovery.
“I think my career has been wonderful very varied and I can truly say that I have not been bored for a single day. Every day brings new challenges, excitement, and grace,” said Turner, who describes a lifetime of work filled with passion and purpose.
Turner first discovered her love for science at Seaford Head High school in England. She was inspired by her biology teacher, Mr. Matthew, who made her fall in love with the subject, and her chemistry teacher, Mr. Miller, who encouraged her to go to college. No one in her family had gone to university before, so this was a big step.
Once she got to college at University of York in the north of England. She got her Phd at the University of London, and she was a post-doctoral fellow. She enjoyed the labs, classes, and hands on learning. One memorable experience came while working in an atmospheric chemistry lab during her undergraduate research program at University of York. When her lab group made an exciting discovery of the first detection of atmospheric Carbon-60 fullerenes by Raman spectroscopy. She watched the scientists jump up and down, crying with joy. That moment showed her how thrilling scientific discovery could be and helped her realize she wanted to make science her career.
Turner also experienced other challenges outside of academics. Her father was very supportive of education, but her mother wanted her to take a different path, such as getting married or going into a convent. Overall, it was motivating but it created some distance between her and family. She also had to deal with financial struggles and the challenge of being a first-generation college student. In England she qualified for free college tuition, and she had to make hard choices on basic need. She often felt out of place because she didn’t understand the social side of college life. She felt a bit like an outsider and didn’t really understand the system or its expectations. However, she stayed focused on her goals and continued to succeed.
Turner studied at prestigious institutions like the University of London and Harvard Medical School. She found both exciting and welcoming, though she described Harvard as very competitive and political. This also help Turner chose where she wanted to spend her career with a preference for values based welcoming institution.
“I didn’t enjoy how science there often focused on personality and politics instead of pure discovery,” said Turner, who wishes science were more about discovery than competition.
This experience made her realize she wanted to approach science differently with more ethics, collaboration, and focus on learning rather than competition.
In 2000, Turner moved to Hawaii to help establish a new research institute Queens center for biotical research at the University of Hawaii and Queen’s Medical Center. She chose the job partly because of the opportunity and partly because the pay was better than some jobs she was offered in Boston. Seven years later, she joined Chaminade University. Her move to Chaminade in 2007 was not something she had planned, but after meeting the president, Sue Wesselkamper, she felt inspired to take the position. She believed that at a smaller university, she could truly make a difference.
“I was inspired by President Sue, and the job offer felt like an innovation I was really glad they accepted,” said Turner, who credited the opportunity with motivating her to take on new challenges.
At Chaminade, Turner found joy in teaching and mentoring. She had never taught undergraduates before, but she quickly saw how rewarding it was to guide students in the lab. This fall semester, she’s teaching BI 488 (Magic, Science and Belief online), and she’s also taught two data science courses in person and scientific writing in person and immunology for the biology program in previous semesters. Over the years, she has mentored more than 50 students, appreciating their curiosity and fresh ideas. She also enjoys the freedom to explore new research topics without the pressure found in larger institutions.
Throughout her career, Turner has faced moments of feeling like an outsider, especially as a woman in science and someone from a working class background. During the interview Turner says that she still, has stayed true to her values and continues to inspire others.
As she explains that “science should be about discovery, ethics, and education,” a message she continues to live by at Chaminade University.