California State University Maritime Academy (Cal Maritime) is proud to be part of a new project supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). This two-year effort, led by Stanford University, aims to develop an innovative Oceanic Humanities Program, with Cal Maritime helping to show how to integrate humanities scholarship with ocean science and maritime practice.

The project is led by Stanford University’s Margaret Cohen, the Andrew B. Hammond Professor of French Language, Literature, and Civilization, in the Department of English in the Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, and Fiorenza Micheli, the David and Lucile Packard Professor of Marine Science in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. Professor Colin Dewey, who leads the Department of Culture and Communication at Cal Maritime, is a key contributor to the initiative and will help bridge the humanities with ocean science and applied maritime studies.

Cal Maritime brings expertise in STEM-focused, practical, experiential learning. As part of the collaboration, Cohen and Micheli will visit Cal Maritime to meet faculty, students, and institutional leaders, deepening their understanding of the unique culture and pedagogy at CSUM. This exchange will help shape an adaptable, interdisciplinary curriculum suitable for diverse academic environments, from major research universities to specialized institutions like Cal Maritime.

A member of the Cal Maritime faculty since 2013 with over 30 years of experience in the maritime industry, Dewey was recently honored by election as a Fellow of The Nautical Institute. Dewey’s commitment to advancing maritime education and professional development is well established; his expertise helps ensure that practical maritime knowledge and humanities scholarship are seamlessly connected.

Cal Maritime brings expertise in STEM-focused, practical, experiential learning. As part of the collaboration, Cohen and Micheli will visit Cal Maritime to meet faculty, students, and institutional leaders, deepening their understanding of the unique culture and pedagogy at CSUM. This exchange will help shape an adaptable, interdisciplinary curriculum suitable for diverse academic environments, from major research universities to specialized institutions like Cal Maritime.

Cal Maritime’s involvement highlights its pivotal role in bridging the humanities with ocean science and applied maritime studies. The NEH review panel recognized the “enthusiastic institutional support both from the Stanford administration as well as their partner, California State University Maritime Academy.” The panel further noted that “With the creation of a first-of-its-kind program in oceanic humanities, the project will have a significant impact by attracting a wider audience of students and other scholars to the study of the humanities. Partnering with Cal Maritime provides an additional opportunity to widen the intellectual scope of the program.”