Cypress Hansen
Connecting People with Nature and Science
Studying microplastic, larval ecology, and comb jellies as a marine biologist was thought-provoking and fascinating work. But when I got to share my research stories with lab visitors, watching their faces light up with curiosity — those were always the best days of my week.
In the years following this realization, I pivoted towards science communication. I taught children marine science, guided my own nature tours on foot and by bike, wrote science news stories for local and national outlets, published my illustrations and photography, and communicated science for the Smithsonian, San Diego Natural History Museum, and other institutions.
Today, I am the owner and operator of North Star Naturalist, providing immersive outdoor tours for curious locals and visitors in San Diego County. I am also a freelance science writer, a commissions-based illustrator, and an outdoor educator for Title 1 school children.
I am a Certified Interpretive Guide with a B.S. in Marine Science from Eckerd College and a Master's from the highly regarded Science Communication Program at U.C. Santa Cruz.
Past and present lives...
Telling the story of the Owl Limpets, a keystone species on California's coast, during a public tidepool tour with North Star Naturalist.
Exploring the heart and soul of California—the Chaparral ecosystem—during a guided hike with North Star Naturalist.
Teaching children from Title 1 schools about watersheds and how to take care of them for Earth Discovery Institute.
Sharing the wonders of moths and other insects with the public for Moth Night at the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Directing film shoots for research commercials shown in the San Diego Natural History Museum's Giant Screen theater.
Reporting on a week's worth of reptile surveys for The San Diego Natural History Museum from the hills above La Paz, Baja California Sur.
Recording on a Zodiac skiff for a radio segment about humpback whale stress during the 2020 global shutdown.
Participating in a deep-sea autonomous rover dive aboard the R/V Rachel Carson with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.
Sifting through the contents of a plankton tow as a researcher with the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Getting to know coastal critters of the Monterey Peninsula as an independent tidepool tour guide.
Assisting a catch-and-release rockcod study inside Point Lobos State Marine Reserve to discern long-term success of marine protected areas.
Setting live traps for ringtail cats in the foothills of San Diego as part of a larger study aimed at preventing ringtail roadkill.