Bio
Elinor Kwitney Stapylton has a Masters of Science in biomimicry from Arizona State University and Bachelor of Arts degrees in biology and environmental and urban studies from Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley, where she was raised and still resides. Elinor also holds a teaching certificate in sustainable construction methods from Earthship Biotecture in Taos, New Mexico and is a certificate recipient for sustainable design validation from I-CORPS Puerto Rico.
Elinor’s work focuses on low-cost and accessible solutions for living in reciprocity with nature through the intersection of art and citizen science. Her research spans conservation biology, plant-based ecological wastewater treatment systems, electricity-generating microbial fuel cells, native agro-ecology practices, passive heating and cooling, and sustainable construction methods for building natural disaster-resilient homes.
Publications & Thesis Works
Master's Thesis (2024) — "Accessible citizen science research & development methods for food producing, wastewater remediating, & electricity generating ecosystems for maintaining the resilience of essential services under extreme natural disaster conditions." M.S. Biomimicry, Arizona State University.
Bachelor's Thesis (2020) — "Vegetation as Sanitation: How Plant and Water Microbial Diversity Impact Greywater Treatment in Earthships." Biology & Environmental Studies, Bard College. WorldCat
Certificate (2023) — Biotecture: Earthship Ecology, Workshop and Lab Series. Earthship Biotecture Academy, Taos, NM.
Journal Publication (2020) — Boscarino, B.T. et al. incl. Stapylton, E.K. "The influence of light, substrate, and fish on the habitat preferences of the invasive bloody red shrimp." Journal of Great Lakes Research 46(2).
Journal Publication (2014) — Brown, M.E. et al. incl. Stapylton, E.T.K. "Fifteen miles on the Erie Canal: the spread of Hemimysis anomala in the New York State canal system." BioInvasions Record 3(4).
Awards, Achievements & Conferences
| Year | Award / Event |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Ecological Society of America, Salt Lake City, UT — Special Session: Ecologists as Nature-Based Solution Practitioners: Applying Adaptive Management and Design Methodologies from Biomimicry |
| 2026 | Hudson River Sloop Clearwater's Spirit of the Hudson Gala — Cover art feature: Estuary Rising |
| 2025 | Ecological Society of America, Baltimore, MD — Special Session: All the Solutions that Already Exist in Nature. How to Partner with Ecology to Implement Accessible Solutions in the Field of Biomimicry |
| 2024 | BIOCRACY - Puerto Rico LLC — Technical Co-Founder & Scientific Lead, San Juan, PR |
| 2024 | Puerto Rico Science Technology & Research Trust — Acércate al Grant & Compass Pilot program awardee |
| 2024 | PR I-CORPS Puerto Rico — Certificate recipient for sustainable design validation |
| 2020 | Alice P. Doyle Prize in Environmental Studies |
| 2019 | Hudson River Symposium — Presented: Ecosystem Response to Climate Change & Sea-level Rise |
| 2019 | Bard C2C Fellows — Sustainability Leadership Training |
| 2018 | McKeon Research Grant — Hudson River Environmental Society |
| 2018 | Dyson Foundation Scholarship |
| 2018 | Hudsonia Prize |
| 2017 | Ecological Society of America, Portland, OR — Presented: Research scientists, undergraduates and high school students collaborate to explore how fish predators are likely impacted by the newest aquatic invader to the Finger Lakes/Hudson River basin (New York, USA): An experimental and field-based approach |
| 2016–2020 | Distinguished Scientist Scholarship |