Rate My Professor Tamara Burback

Captain Tamara Burback is an Associate Professor in the Marine Transportation Department at California State University Maritime Academy. A 2007 alumna of the academy, she joined the faculty in 2015 after serving as a United States Coast Guard Unlimited Tonnage Master. She earned a Master of Science in environmental policy and management. During the 2023-2024 academic year, Burback served as Acting Chair of the Department of Marine Transportation under the School of Maritime Transportation, Logistics, and Management. Her commitment to teaching was honored with the Outstanding Teaching Award through the Keelhauler Awards "Rejoice" program, and she achieved tenure in June 2021.

Burback authored the fourth edition of the Master's Handbook on Ship's Business, published in 2021. In 2023, she co-authored the paper "Engagement of Students in Maritime Operations – An Exploration into Cultivating Cultural Connection Across Majors at a Maritime University," featured in the Proceedings of the International Association of Maritime Universities Conference on pages 174 through 179, alongside Margaret Ward, Fred Reiman, and Ben Hughes. This publication details a pilot program that fostered interdisciplinary maritime experiences, resulting in improved student sense of belonging, with survey data indicating a shift from 60 percent mostly disconnected to 80 percent somewhat connected participants. She integrates the open textbook American Practical Navigator - Navigation I into her undergraduate Marine Transportation course. Burback has engaged in institutional efforts such as faculty senate curriculum committee meetings, the Proteus faculty development program, presentations on education for autonomous shipping, and a 2019 team project advancing gender diversity.