Earth hosts some magnificent creatures that rival the likes of fairytales. A vast majority of them call the ocean their home. Picture a giant squid emerging from the waves, wrapping its goliath tentacles around an unsuspecting ship, pulling it beneath the stormy waves. Although this may seem like the stuff of fiction, the giant squid could accomplish this feat with ease, spanning 43 feet in length and weighing nearly a ton! Now, picture a whale breaching these same waters, almost double the size and 100 times heavier. When its massive body hits the ocean, it creates waves the size of buildings, capsizing ships that pale in comparison to its impressive bulk. The blue whale, growing to nearly 100 feet and weighing on average 100 to 150 tons, is the largest animal ever to inhabit the earth, even the dinosaurs! Monterey Bay locals are lucky to witness these grand animals during summer, spotted by their distinctive 25 ft spouts and behemoth fins jutting through the waves. When a blue whale carcass washed up on Pescadero Beach in 1979, UCSC faculty and students recognized the opportunity to teach the public more about these otherwise fantastical beasts.

The University of California: Santa Cruz (UCSC) hosts the bones of this 87-foot-long blue whale skeleton at their Coastal campus, affectionately named Ms. Blue. Since 1985, Ms. Blue has stood as a centerpiece of the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, educating visitors on ocean life and inspiring them to dive into marine science headfirst. However, in late 2023, UCSC shared some disappointing news: structure deterioration, bone fractures, and the threat of sudden collapse prompted staff to disassemble Ms. Blue. After nearly 40 years of attracting more than a million people to the UCSC campus, this historic skeleton seemingly fell out of the public eye. However, the Seymour Center staff held firm that Ms. Blue would return. Thanks to the marvels of modern technology, the brilliant minds of Baskin Engineering UCSC students and faculty, and some local startups, the “restore-and-recovery” process has been underway!

Climate Safe Solutions: Restoring Ms. Blue

Jonathan Hicken, the Executive Director of the Seymour Center, wanted a climate-safe alternative to restore the cracks in Ms. Blue’s bones. He reached out to UCSC’s Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), drawing the attention of Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Marco Rolandi. Rolandi and a team of UCSC students, including Biomolecular Engineering student Rishima Agnihotri and Rolandi lab alumnus Alexie Barbee, set to work on creating a bone-repair putty, one that uses the very materials found in natural bone formation. Using chitosan, a material derived from crab and shrimp shells, and a combination of calcium carbonate, the team can mend the bones without perpetuating a cycle of environmental harm.

Santa Cruz’ beloved Swell Cycle, the sustainable surfboard company specializing in 3D-printed boards, is helping replace bones that are far too damaged. Swell Cycle uses recycled hospital trays to 3D-print these replacement bones based on detailed scans, effectively repurposing medical waste and reducing landfill contributions.

This project is ongoing, and we are excited to see Ms. Blue make her famed reappearance once her bones are mended! With another prosperous 40 years ahead, she will remain a beacon of marine education, reminding visitors that the giants of the ocean—once the subjects of myth and legend—are very real and worth protecting.