Erika Woolsey, Stanford/The Hydrous

Moss Landing Marine Labs Seminar Series - April 18th, 2019

Hosted by The Fisheries and Conservation Biology Lab

MLML Seminar Room, 4pm

Open to the public

Erika is a marine biologist, National Geographic Explorer, and Ocean Design Fellow at the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (the d.school) in partnership with the Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions. She studied biology and art history at Duke University and conducted her Masters and Ph.D. research on the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, where she lived and worked for seven years. Erika is CEO and co-founder of The Hydrous, a non-profit devoted to translating marine science into public understanding, and is Executive Producer of ‘Immerse,’ a virtual dive on the coral reefs of Palau.

Abstract:

How can we care about something we never see? Virtual reality (VR) can simulate places that are unreachable to most (like the ocean or outer space) and is a promising medium for science learning and generating empathy towards complex issues. In this seminar, Dr. Erika Woolsey will discuss the power of immersive experiences, especially related to threatened ocean environments, and share her VR/360 film ‘Immerse.'