Santa Barbara Maritime Museum

Educationthanks to the generosity of sbmm board member roger chrisman and his wife sarah, the museum now has access to the tall ship mystic whaler to provide educational programming. In october 2024 sbmm hosted 14 classes aboard the tall ship, which included an open-ocean sail. Students gained a clearer understanding of the 19th century lives of those that brought cargo around the world and had the same responsibilities that persist into the 21st century. They exercised their understanding of math, physics, history, and engineering to practice traditional skills such as navigation and mechanical advantage. In september 2023 sbmm continued to expand its girls in ocean science program to include both junior high school and high school females. Both groups got to go out on the ocean, working with female naturalists and scientists, including those from ucsb's jenn caselle lab, which is focused on marine conservation and reef ecology. The high school students performed hands on experiments aboard the noaa research vessel shearwater with their crew. The purpose of this program is to inspire these young ladies to go to college and pursue careers in various ocean related fields. Whales are superheroes! Complemented sbmm's permanent exhibit of the same name. Sbmm sends staff and naturalists to classrooms countywide to show how whales help with climate change, and includes an art component taught by sondra weiss. Students learn to appreciate the role whales play in providing oxygen to our planet, helping our oceans provide more of the air we breathe each day than trees do. This program helps to fulfill the educational component of efforts to have the santa barbara channel declared a whale heritage area, encouraging eco friendly whale watching experiences.