Dr. Erika Woolsey & the Hydrous

October 4, 2020

Tyler takes a trip to the deep with the Hydrous

Coral reef ecologist, National Geographic Explorer, Co-Founder of the Hydrous, and Teaching Fellow at the Stanford d.school, and the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, meet Dr. Erika Woolsey, one of the most-forward thinking guests we've ever had on the American Shoreline Podcast.  On this episode, Peter and Tyler explore Erika's wide-ranging work as a scientist, designer and innovator, including her non-profit -- called the Hydrous -- that focuses on harnessing innovative technology to create immersive, beautiful visualizations, 3D photogrammetry, and virtual reality to engage the public on important ocean conservation issues.

Show Transcription
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Peter Ravella & Tyler Buckingham

Peter and Tyler joined forces in 2015 and from the first meeting began discussing a project that would become Coastal News Today and the American Shoreline Podcast Network. At the time, Peter and Tyler were coastal consultants for Pete’s firm, PAR Consulting, LLC. In that role, they worked with coastal communities in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, engaged in grant writing, coastal project development, shoreline erosion and land use planning, permitting, and financial planning for communities undertaking big beach restoration projects. Between and among their consulting tasks, they kept talking and kept building the idea of CNT & ASPN. In almost every arena they worked, public engagement played a central role. They spent thousands of hours talking with coastal stakeholders, like business owners, hotel operators, condo managers, watermen, property owners, enviros, surfers, and fishermen. They dived deep into the value, meaning, and responsibility for the American shoreline, segment-by-segment. Common threads emerged, themes were revealed, differences uncovered. There was a big conversation going on along the American shoreline! But, no place to have it. That's where CNT and ASPN were born.