The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum’s (SBMM) inaugural Girls in Ocean Science (GiOS) Conference will be 9 a.m.-4 p..m., Saturday, Sept. 11 at SBMM, 113 Harbor Way, Ste. 190 at the Santa Barbara Harbor. The hands-on conference will connect leading female scientists with 30 high school students.
Because women continue to be the minority in many fields of science, the conference and speakers will be encouraging the young women to consider pursuing science-based fields of study. The cost to attend the conference is $20 for SBMM members and $30 for non-members, but scholarships are available. Visit https://sbmm.org/girls-in-ocean-science-scholarship-application-2/_.
The conference goal is to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused; foster learning, inspiration and wonder; provoke conversations that matter; and build awareness around he array of career opportunities in maritime and marine sciences.
Participants will spend the day conducting research in labs and at sea aboard the Double Dolphin. During the conference, female experts will share their lives, careers and interests with local high-school students. Young women who love science or are just beginning to show an interest will gain insight and potential mentors who can educate and guide them in pursuit of a possible future in ocean sciences.
Marine scientists are reporting that the oceans are warming and these warming seas are having a profound effect on oceanic processes and marine life. Today’s loss of ocean biodiversity is staggering. There is an urgent need to provide opportunities for young women in the community to learn about maritime and marine science careers so they can feel educated and empowered to help reverse this trend.
Through Girls in Ocean Science, participating student scientists will communicate the importance of marine ecology education and introduce students to the unique oceanographic conditions that make the Santa Barbara Channel so productive and diverse with wildlife.
Participating scientists who will be interacting with the students at the GiOS Conference include:
• Holly Lohuis, marine biologist, naturalist, educator, GiOS committee chair, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum education committee, and Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Futures Society.
• Penny Owens, education and community outreach director, Santa Barbara ChannelKeeper.
• Lindsey Peavey Reeves, West Coast Region Sanctuary Soundscape Monitoring Project coordinator, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Conservation Science Division, and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
• Erin Jaco, research associate, Vantuna Research Group.
• Zoe Scholz, research assistant, Vantuna Research Group.
For more more, visit sbmm.org/santa-barbara-event/girls-in-ocean-science-conference/ or contact Lis Perry, lperry@sbmm.org or 805-456-8741. For corporate partnership opportunities, contact Martha Donelan, mdonelan@sbmm.org or 805-456-8744.
Register online at sbmm.org/girls-in-ocean-science-conference-2021/. For more about the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, visit sbmm.org or call 805-962-8404.