An instructor who not only has passion but cares for his students is one deserving of recognition. Engineering and Geology instructor Rob Livingston is such an individual.
Nominated for recognition in February 2024 by Dean of Arts & Sciences Dr. Martin Fashbaugh, Livingston was an easy pick for the faculty spotlight this month. “Mr. Rob Livingston is very passionate about subjects he teaches, and he cares deeply about his students. Students have spoken glowingly of the transformative experiences they receive from taking his classes,” Fashbaugh said.
Livingston instructs a student to move the fake dirt on the self-constructed stream lab to demonstrate how water flow will affect it.
Livingston has been an instructor at Gillette College for over thirteen years. Before coming to the institution, he owned Hottshotts Photography, was a mining engineer for Rio Tinto, and was an explorationist for Northern Geophysical. His past career experiences have molded him into the teacher he is today. Explaining geological engineering has become experimental in his classroom due to his construction of a stream table, where the students can physically move the “earth” to reshape it to see how water flow is affected. It is the hands-on experience Livingston provides to his students that makes him an impactful instructor.
Livingston holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from South Dakota Mines (formerly South Dakota School of Mines and Technology).
