The Hydrous is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization on a mission to inspire ocean empathy and marine stewardship. Through science-based experiences, multidisciplinary partnerships, and scalable solutions like virtual reality, we’re making the ocean accessible so that all people may explore, understand, and engage with beautiful and threatened ocean environments. We need the ocean and the ocean needs us!
We are an international community of scientists, divers, designers, filmmakers, and technologists who love the ocean.
In addition to designing and creating immersive experiences and dynamic educational resources using scalable technologies, The Hydrous consults on projects and initiatives which seek to connect people with the ocean, bring human elements to science, and facilitate collaborations between a multidisciplinary community of ocean lovers and advocates to form global partnerships.
Andrea is a participatory science enthusiast and an environmental scientist passionate about working to increase access to ocean education and coastal monitoring. Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, she completed her undergraduate degree and masters degree in the Earth Systems program at Stanford University. She is a NAUI Divemaster and Instructor, and is thrilled to work to guide even more individuals in their experience with the underwater world. Andrea has worked on field research across Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Hawaii, California, and the South Pacific, and has built content for youth summer programs that work with ocean and diving education. She currently based in Washington, DC working on water quality monitoring and notification systems for recreational water across the United States.
Andrea Celeste Contreras
Board Member
The founder of Meridian Treehouse, Wesley Della Volla is a visionary, innovator, and immersive experience pioneer. Whether transforming National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium into the largest, permanent virtual reality theater in the world or winning Emmy, National Press Photographers Association, and Webby awards for his innovative storytelling, Wesley pushes the boundaries of what is possible. He also shares his expertise at the intersection of education and entertainment as an adjunct lecturer in Georgetown University’s Environmental Studies Department, as the 2023 Robert and Mabel Ruhl at the University of Oregon, Resident Immersive Experience Innovator at the Harvard University Innovation Lab, and the publisher of “An Introduction To Learning In The Metaverse” practitioners guide.
Wesley Della Volla
Board Member
DR. Kristina Woolsey
Board Chair
SlY Lee
Co-Founder & Board Member
Dr. Erika Woolsey is a marine biologist, National Geographic Explorer, XR Creator, Visiting Scholar at the Stanford University Virtual Human Interaction Lab, and Chief Scientist & CEO of The Hydrous. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Dr. Woolsey conducted her PhD research in coral reef ecology on the Great Barrier Reef with James Cook University and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, earned her Masters of Applied Science in Coastal Management from the University of Sydney, and studied biology and art history at Duke University. She was an Ocean Design Fellow and Lecturer at Stanford University with the d.school and the Center for Ocean Solutions in 2018 and 2019, and was honored by the Explorers Club in 2023 as one of fifty people changing the world.
Dr. Erika Woolsey
Chief Scientist & CEO
Nora has extensive knowledge of marine and terrestrial systems and possesses excellent program management skills. She is a Co-Founder of the Hydrous, earned her BS in Environmental Science and Biology from Loyola Marymount University, and holds a Masters of Science from James Cook University, where she researched the effects of plastic pollution on coral reefs. Her publication “Microplastic ingestion by scleractinian corals“, published in Marine Biology, is ranked in the top 5% of all research outputs. Nora has recently executed the world’s largest software conferences for a Fortune 500 company in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment. She is an avid volunteer in the Bay Area and has a passion for teaching, diving, and ocean optimism.
NORA Hall
Co-Founder & Ambassador
Dr. Géraldine Fauville is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Education, Communication and Learning, University of Gothenburg, Sweden. With a double background in marine biology and in education and IT, her research focuses on how immersive media can contribute to marine education and promote ocean and environmental literacies. In her current research, she investigates the use of underwater virtual reality for marine education. Previously, she was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University, in charge of the research on environmental education.
DR. GÉRALDINE FAUVILLE
Research Advisor
Native to the Greater Seattle Area of Washington state, Celine is a marine conservation ecologist and MSc. graduate student researcher currently based on the central coast of California. She earned her BSc. in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she worked extensively as a cold-water research diver, contributing data to long-term projects aimed at exploring mechanisms of kelp forest resiliency and ecosystem dynamics. Her current research interests pivot around the influence of substrates on selective settlement in larval marine invertebrates. She is actively involved with various community outreach initiatives revolving around marine conservation and science education. With the Hydrous, her contributions were extensive on both the Coral Collections and AR Reef projects and she continues to serve on the Hydrous Advisory Board.
Celine de Jong
Marine Science Advisor
Shayle Matsuda, Ph.D., is coral microbial ecologist and a David H. Smith Conservation Research Postdoctoral Fellow in Shedd Aquarium’s Daniel P. Haerther Center for Conservation and Research. His research focuses on studying the effects of climate change on reef-building corals and developing scalable solutions to increase resilience through the lens of the microbiome. He completed his PhD at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa and the Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology, his MSc at San Francisco State University and the California Academy of Sciences, and his BA at the University of California Santa Cruz, and is an avid science communicator and advocate for DEIJ in STEM. He is a member of the Brain Trust for the national Inclusive Science Communication Symposium and serves on the Broadening Participation Committee at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology.
Dr. Shayle Matsuda
Research Advisor
Dr. Danny Pimentel is an Assistant Professor of Immersive Media Psychology & an Environment Initiative Fellow at the University of Oregon. His research explores how augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) can inspire prosocial and pro-environmental attitude and behavior change. His work has been published in reputed academic journals and conferences, including Nature Scientific Reports, The Journal for Nature Conservation, and IEEEVR, among others. Danny also serves as the lead XR Specialist of Yellow Wood Immersive where he develops AR/VR content. His sea turtle conservation game “Project SHELL” received grant funding and support from The Sea Turtle Conservancy, National Geographic, and Meta’s Launch Pad program, with other experiences yielding multiple awards from Games for Change. As an Official Lens Creator for Snapchat, his wildlife conservation experience was nominated for “Best AR Lens” in the Environmental and Social Good category at Lens Fest ’21.
DR. DANNY PIMENTEL
Research Advisor
Danni Washington is a full time, dedicated marine science communicator, a part time educational “mermaid” and an unstoppable rising media star. She brilliantly educates and entertains standing at the intersection of science and the public at large. Having been the first African American woman to host her own science television series, Danni has been featured on several networks including Discovery, Science Channel, FOX, CBS and many more.
She is a host of season 1 of "The Genius Generation", a new podcast focused on young people behind an incredible invention, entrepreneurial pursuit or discovery using science. Previously, Danni was a featured correspondent for the weekly nationally syndicated CBS series “Mission Unstoppable “ hosted and executive produced by Miranda Cosgrove and Geena Davis. Danni has also hosted "Xploration Nature Knows Best" on Fox and Amazon Prime, a STEM educational TV series that featured the latest advancements in bio-inspired technology and design. Danni has also worked on other significant STEM shows including “Science the $#!* Out Of It” for Facebook Watch , “Strange Evidence” on the Science Channel, “Untamed Science” for Pearson Publishing and “Ocean GEMS”.
A Miami native of Jamaican descent, Danni graduated from The University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric with a degree in Marine Science/Biology. At age 21 she co-founded along with her mom, Big Blue & You a non profit dedicated to inspiring and educating youth about marine science education through the arts and media. She also served for four years as a naturalist at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Biscayne Nature Center where she helped educate thousands of South Florida children about local marine ecosystems. Her new book for children 8 to 12, “Bold Women In Science” tells the inspiring stories of 15 women who changed the course of science. In 2018, Danni was the spokesperson/host for the USA Science & Engineering Festival which hosted over 300,000 attendees, she recently amazed the audience with her on-stage talents as the Celebrity Host for the Indianapolis Prize and is currently serving as a judge for the Tom Ford Plastic Innovation Prize 2021. Danni is a proud Board Member of the North American Association of Environmental Education. When she is not hosting, traveling or on location for a production, Danni is an avid scuba diver, passionate curly girl, stand up paddle boarding enthusiast, social media influencer and as her alter ego, the “Mocha Mermaid”, Danni makes appearances all over the world educating people of all ages about conservation and the magnificence of our ocean.
Danni Washington
Media Advisor & Resident Mermaid
Andrea Murchie is a designer and business strategist who is passionate about environmental conservation. She is a certified Divemaster and has been exploring the ocean for over 13 years. Andrea has a Master of Fine Art, focused in Industrial Design, and a Master of Business Administration in Design Strategy. Most of Andrea’s work appears at the intersection of design, education, and ocean conservation. She has previously worked with The Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Hydrous, The Nature Conservancy, and The Bodega Marine Laboratory.
Andrea Murchie
Designer & Strategy Advisor
Jason McGuigan is the Head of Virtual Reality at Lenovo. He is responsible for the organization’s current and future strategy for developing VR solutions across hardware, software, and partnerships. His focus is on driving enterprises to scale their adoption of VR in training, collaboration, and metaverse presence. Jason has over 20 years of experience in immersive and traditional media leadership and technology. He is a regular speaker, thought leader, and advocate in the VR/AR space and has presented at industry conferences across the globe as well as unique venues such as Skywalker Ranch and NASA.
JASON MCGUIGAN
Immersive Technology Advisor
Amy graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s degree in Science, Technology, and Society. During her time at Stanford, she worked as an Education Partnership Fellow at the Haas Center for Public Service. Amy also worked with a number of non-profit organizations focused on promoting education equity. As a Bay Area native, she grew up fostering a deep love and appreciation for the ocean!
Amy Wentzel
Education Coordinator & COO