On Saturday, April 17, at the foot of HIgh Street, Washington College christened the “Callinectes,” its new research vessel. Named after Maryland’s famous blue crab species, Callinectes sapidus, the 46-foot fiberglass boat was designed for teaching and research on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. It was built by Chesapeake Boats in Crisfield, Md., with generous grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education. Callinectes can carry 35 passengers and is fully equipped with the latest electronics and environmental instrumentation, including trawls, sonar, acoustic seabed classification systems, magnetometers and positioning systems.
“This vessel will provide college undergraduates, faculty and research scientists a platform for exploring the nation’s largest estuary,” says John Seidel, Director of the Center for Environment & Society and chair of the sociology and anthropology departments at Washington College. It also will serve high-school teachers and students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs, he adds.
The christening ceremony included remarks from former U.S. Congressman Wayne Gilchrest and the Maryland director of the Chesapeake Bay Commission, Matthew P. Mullin. Washington College First Lady Sarah Tipson shared the christening honors with Elizabeth Seidel, director of the Archeology Laboratory.
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