Director, Economic Education Center for Excellence
Associate Professor of Economics, School of Business and Communication
Chaminade University of Honolulu, 3140 Waialae Ave., Honolulu, HI 96816
Email: guanlin.gao@chaminade.edu Office: (808) 739-4609
I am an Associate Professor of Economics at Chaminade University of Honolulu. I also serve as the Inaugural Director of the Chaminade University Economic Education Center for Excellence, which has a mission to empower Hawai'i and the US-affiliated Pacific through economic education, training, and research. My current work involves building resilience and vital equity in underserved Indigenous communities, providing accessible, sustainable economics and personal finance training for K-12 teachers and students in Hawai'i, and incorporating Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders' cultures and values into economics education.
Publications:
News media and health behaviors: What can we learn from COVID-19? Economics Bulletin. Forthcoming (with Danyang Li).
Analyzing and Forecasting COVID-19 Vaccination -- Evidence from A Native American Community in North Carolina, USA. International Journal of Data Mining, Modelling and Management. 2025. Vol.17 (3) (with Zhixin Kang, Xinyan Shi, and Xin Zhang).
Beliefs, Observability, and Donation Revision in Charitable Giving: Evidence from an Online Experiment. Behavioural Public Policy. 2024 (with Xinyan Shi).
COVID-19 Perceptions among North Carolina Native Americans: Using a Qualitative Approach. North Carolina Medical Journal. 2024. Vol. 5, No. 1 (with Xinyan Shi, et al.).
Donor Recognition: A Double-edged Sword in Charitable Giving. Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing. 2023. Vol.28 (1): e1772 (with Jun Luo).
Knowledge, Overconfidence, and Behavior in COVID-19: Results from An Online Survey. Economics Bulletin. 2022. Vol. 42(1), 215-223 (with Danyang Li).
Brief Mindfulness Meditation and Individual Contribution to Public Goods. Economics Bulletin. 2021. Vol. 41(3): 1303-1312. (with Xinyan Shi).
Non-peer reviewed articles:
*Undergraduate student at the time of publication.
**Graduate student at the time of publication.
Working papers:
Cognitive Biases, Political Views, and Sources of Information: Individual Belief and Behavior Amid COVID-19 (with Danyang Li). Working paper.
The Power of Words: A Laboratory Experiment on Communication and Cooperation. Working paper.
Linking Principal Time Use to Student Performance (with Mary Mira). Working paper.
A Field Experiment on Racial Discrimination in the Rental Housing Market of Oahu (with Elena Chen*, Travis Myers** and Xinyan Shi ). Work in progress.
Awards and grants:
Pilot Investigator. “Understanding NHPI Communities’ Strategies and Strengths in Healthy Eating, Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge and Opportunities”, Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge, and Opportunities (PIKO, NIH/NIGMS award number: U54GM138062, PI: Kaholokula), 2023-2024 ($50,000)
PI. “Building Educational Enrichment Programs for Title I Schools in Hawai'i”, G.N. Wilcox Foundation, 2023-2024 ($15,000)
PI. “Building Educational Enrichment Programs for Resource-limited Micronesian Middle School Students in Hawai'i”, The Marianist Sponsorship Ministry Foundation, 2023-2024 ($10,800).
Hawaii State Federal Credit Union Foundation, 2022-2027 ($200,000).
HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union Foundation, 2022-2027 ($160,000).
First Hawaiian Bank Foundation, 2022-2024 ($50,000).
McInerny Foundation, 2022-2023 ($50,000).
Hawaii Catholic Schools Teacher Professional Development. The Marianist Sponsorship Ministry Foundation, 2022 ($6,000).
"A Feasibility Study on Increasing Healthy Eating among Low-income IPP Families in Hawai'i." Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge, and Opportunities (PIKO) Pilot Grant, 2022 ($5,000).
Lin and Ella Wong Foundation, 2022-2023 ($10,000).
Ho‘ea Foundation, 2021 ($7,500).
Economic Consultant. “Building Resilience and Vital Equity (BRAVE): Increasing COVID-19 Testing in American Indians”, The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant, 2020-2022 (award number: 3R01MD012767-04S1, PI: Kumar.) ($1.4 million).
Distinguished Faculty, Chaminade University of Honolulu, 2021.
Fr. Bolin Award for Excellence in Scholarship, Chaminade University of Honolulu, 2020.
President Mackey Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor of the Year, Chaminade University of Honolulu, 2020.
Faculty Development Grant, Chaminade University, Fall 2017, Spring 2019, and Fall 2019 ($4,500).
University Center for Excellence in Teaching Award, Indiana University South Bend, Spring 2017.
University Center for Excellence in Teaching Grant for Active Learning, Indiana University South Bend, Fall 2016 ($350).
University Center for Excellence in Teaching Bronze Badge in Active Learning with High Distinction, Indiana University South Bend, Spring 2016.
Judd Leighton School of Business and Economics Research Fellowship Grant, Indiana University South Bend, Spring 2016 ($1,000).
University Center for Excellence in Teaching SEED Grant, Indiana University South Bend, Spring 2016 ($1,000).
University Center for Excellence in Teaching Award, Indiana University South Bend, Fall 2015.
Theodore C. Boyden Excellence in Teaching Economics Award, Georgia State University, 2014.
Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Dissertation Grant, Georgia State University, 2013 ($4,000).
Excellence in College Teaching Award, Georgia State University, 2013.
Paul C. Mathis Memorial Scholarship in Economics, Central Michigan University, 2008.
Central Michigan University Fellowship, 2008.
Renmin University Excellence in Academic Performance Award, 2004, 2005, and 2006.
Renmin University Excellence in Social Work Award, 2004 and 2005.
Teaching:
My philosophy and teaching and learning is that "A mind is not a vessel to be filled. It is a light to be kindled." As an educator, I view my role addressing three components of learning: guiding students to grasp fundamental concepts and methods, challenging them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities, and mentoring them to grow as independent and collaborative professionals and researchers. I have taught a wide range of undergraduate and graduate classes both in the traditional format and distance education.
Selected service:
Strategic Plan Steering Committee, Chaminade University of Honolulu.
Committee Member, American Association of University Women (AAUW) - Honolulu Chapter.
Educational Consultant, Hawaii Council on Economic Education.
Reviewer, Theory and Decision, Developmental Psychology.