Step into SUNY Morrisville professor Elisa Livengood’s classroom and you’ll find yourself surrounded by oversized tanks teeming with vibrant fish, anemones, clownfish, seahorses and a world of aquatic wonder.
Here, hands-on projects and cutting-edge research aren’t just part of the curriculum — they’re the foundation of an immersive learning experience that brings marine science to life.
This engaging approach has earned Livengood the admiration of students, colleagues and industry professionals and, most recently, the 2024-25 SUNY Morrisville Distinguished Faculty Award.
This prestigious recognition celebrates her unwavering commitment to student success, both in and out of the classroom, as well as her dedication to advancing education through innovative and interdisciplinary teaching methods.
Livengood, associate professor of aquaculture & aquatic science and environmental and natural resources management, has been driving student interest in aquatic life since she joined the SUNY Morrisville faculty in 2015.
Throughout her tenure, she has championed the importance of applied learning and student-driven research in environmental science and aquaculture, equipping students with essential skills to contribute to the scientific community and explore career opportunities.
Her dynamic lab, which features several small-scale recirculating saltwater systems to study marine organisms, evolves each semester based on student-chosen projects. Some require rebuilds in preparation for different species.
“There’s always something different and new focusing on our applied learning approach,” said Livengood, of Madison.
In addition to her unique lab experiences, aquaculture & aquatic science students gain hands-on skills in the college’s cold-water trout hatchery and the controlled environment agriculture (aquaponics) greenhouse known as the Aquaculture Center.
At the Center, students are able to work with unique species like burbot, Brook trout and paddlefish. Currently, the Aquaculture Center is the only facility in the Northeast exploring the aquaculture of burbot, a new species to aquaculture, with particular conservation concern as it was recently listed as protected in the State of New York.
Students also gain valuable field experience and industry exposure through field trips, including visits to the state-run Salmon River Fish Hatchery, Oneida Fish Hatchery and South Otselic working alongside Department of Environmental Conservation professionals.
They can further expand their knowledge about diverse ecosystems through travel courses she co-teaches, which take students to Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas and a Tropical Ecology course through Florida’s Springs, the Everglades and the Upper Keys.
“Professor Livengood is an incredible teacher,” said aquaculture student Harper Callard. “She is very good about finding places for us to see other ways of working with different species, even in our own Aquaculture Center. She is so passionate about her work and helping students become passionate about aquaculture.”
Livengood actively promotes undergraduate research, particularly in her research methods course, where students engage in independent data collection and small-scale projects.
“Research can be really impactful for student learning,” Livengood said.
“I came back to do my internship with Professor Livengood and it was such a great opportunity,” said Rowan Coates, a graduate of the environmental & natural resource management program.
“I knew I really wanted to work in saltwater,” said Coates, who studied the relationship between Aiptasia anemones and the cultivation of berghia nudibranchs, an important species in the aquarium fish trade.
“To have a professor who says okay to your research ideas and who helps to guide you, I think that is really important.”
Livengood’s enthusiasm for marine environments also inspired creative approaches to wellness.
In collaboration with the Exercise Science Wellness Center, she developed “Wavy Yoga,” a unique experience that combines high-resolution coral photography, electronic dance music, breathing techniques and yoga exercises. This initiative provided students with an opportunity for relaxation and gave them valuable stress management techniques.
Throughout her tenure, Livengood has served the campus community in various capacities, including as present department chair of the Environmental and Renewable Energy Resources program and is currently working to build the campus Food Forest and Three Sisters Garden. She has received numerous grants and has significant publications in peer-reviewed journals.
Her work doesn’t end in the classroom. She also serves on the New York City Harbor School Advisory Committee and is part of the Cornell Aquaculture working group, providing aquaculture industry leadership in New York state.
A consultant on STEM curriculum development, she has designed K-12 curricula in science and in aquaculture, aquatic sciences and marine biology. She also provides extension services and outreach activities including visiting and consulting with farmers and advising the public and farmers on questions related to aquatic species husbandry and aquaculture.
Livengood earned her Ph.D. and M.S. in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida, Gainesville and her bachelor’s degree in marine biology from East Carolina University.
