Jonathan Hicken, executive director of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at UC Santa Cruz, told the committee the center uses partnerships and public exhibits to connect campus science to local solutions for coastal climate resilience.

Hicken described three pillars — partnerships, exhibits that translate scientific findings into actionable information, and a flagship project to restore the skeleton of a blue whale — as the center’s model for public engagement. He said the Seymour Center has educated about 1.5 million people and 200,000 youth since its founding and that its location on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary supports collaboration across the coastal science campus.

Examples cited in the presentation included outreach on ropeless crab pots to reduce whale entanglements, collaboration with UC researchers to translate tagging and migration research into visitor exhibits, and an innovative, climate‑conscious conservation project to repair and replicate portions of “Miss Blue,” a whale skeleton on campus. Hicken said the restoration will use a bone‑repair putty developed in collaboration with a UC San Diego researcher that is made from ground shrimp shells and will use 3‑D printing of replicas with recycled hospital trays from a local company.

Hicken highlighted the center’s partnership with the Amah Mutsun Band and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust to provide lab space and co‑develop stewardship projects at the coastal campus. Chairman Valentin Lopez of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust said the long relationship with UCSC provides tribal members access to research resources, library access and collaboration opportunities and helps restore identity and trust in the community.

Chancellor Lareve (UCSC) and other regents praised the work and urged replication of the center’s engagement model across campuses. The committee heard multiple requests that other UC campuses consider similar community‑engaged translation of research into public‑facing solutions.