Building the Smithsonian's Sant Ocean Hall--like any major exhibition--was a major undertaking. Over the course of five years, it required hundreds of people with a vast array of skills and backgrounds. Many of these people worked on one aspect of the exhibit, such as the whale model, the fabrication, or the writing.

One group of people, however, shaped the project form start to finish. The Ocean Hall Core Team directed the content of the exhibit, coordinated selection of all specimens, and approved all design and text. They shaped the Ocean Hall exhibit.

Dr. Michael Vecchione is a zoologist, who represented the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on the Core Team. Because of his background in Biological Oceanography, he brought a broad oceanographic perspective to the team.