Beth Silvy
When it comes to teaching, Beth Silvy, Ph.D., has two guiding principles: Be the professor you always wanted to have and make it so fun that students don’t realize they’re learning.
Since joining the department in 2022 as an assistant instructional professor, Silvy has woven these values throughout the five courses she teaches — three of which she completely redesigned and one she developed.
“I was able to modernize the courses, make them more applicable to this generation of students, and create career-focused content,” Silvy said.
One example is RWFM 375, Conservation of Natural Resources. In this course, students are tasked with producing a three-part video series focused on a key natural resource issue. This includes interviewing an expert on their respective topics.
“The students have gotten wildly creative with this and interviewed some amazing people,” Silvy said. “A few of them have even landed jobs with their interviewees.”
In addition to teaching, Silvy also mentors a robust cohort of undergraduate and graduate students. Currently, she oversees six undergraduate researchers.
Silvy said two of her undergraduate researchers were selected for the University Undergraduate Research Scholars Thesis Program, and one was selected for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Undergraduate Research Program.
“Giving undergraduate students the opportunity to design, conduct, analyze and present research is one of the best ways to give them a competitive advantage in the workforce while allowing them to explore what a graduate program is like,” she said.
She also worked with the Palacios Marine Agricultural Research Center to develop and manage a research-based internship program available to the department’s undergraduate, graduate and former students. Two of the program’s participants now hold full-time positions with the research center.
“The accomplishment I am most proud of is the success of my students,” Silvy said. “Every e-mail or text I receive saying ‘I got the job or the internship' brings my heart so much joy.”
Silvy said she wants to give back to students because she was fortunate enough to have a far-reaching network to support her throughout her academic journey.
“Every time I stumbled, there was someone there to encourage, motivate, or give me a good old-fashioned wake-up call,” she said. “I strive to give students the individual attention they deserve, help them grow in their academic or personal journey, and ensure that I am there for them when they need it most.”
Silvy also serves as the faculty mentor for the Texas A&M Chapter of the American Fisheries Society and is a member of RWFM’s Recruitment and Retention, Student Activities, and Undergraduate Curriculum Committees.
She earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in wildlife and fisheries sciences from Texas A&M. As a post-doctoral student at the University of Florida, Silvy was part of the team to first ever successfully culture Florida hogfish in captivity.
