Jim Lassoie, professor in the Department of Natural Resources & the Environment and teaching faculty in the International Agricultural and Rural Development (IARD) major, has dedicated his career to community-based conservation in developing countries. He attributes his research trajectory to an inherent curiosity, a fascination and appreciation of human diversity, and a commitment to foster the work of others. Over the last 44 years at Cornell, his work has inspired countless students and research projects around the globe.
Launching a career
I grew up in the suburbs of Tacoma, WA and got into hiking, skiing, and mountain climbing while in high school. I headed to the University of Washington’s College of Forestry in 1963 thinking forestry would feed my desire to be in the woods all day. I wasn’t a very committed or successful student until I found a role model as a sophomore; David Scott became my primary mentor, offering me undergraduate research experiences and accepting me as a Ph.D. student in 1968. Given my mountaineering passion I understandably started to focus on alpine plant ecology but after working at the Weyerhaeuser Research Center I became much more interested in how trees functioned relative to their ecological standing and finished a doctorate in 1975 specializing in forest tree eco-physiology. I continued such work at the University of Missouri in Columbia until I joined CALS’s Department of Natural Resources as an assistant professor in 1976.
I held an appointment as the NYS Cooperative Extension Forester, which I considered rather strange as I was about as much a forester as a plant physiologist is a farmer. I initially applied for the job fully expecting to not get it, but I did, and I grew to love its focus on educating landowners and others outside the university environment. I was able to continue my tree physiology work as an affiliate with Boyce Thompson Institute (focusing on the hot topics of the day: impacts of acid rain and air pollution on forest trees) as I developed extension and research initiatives in rural land management, forest ecology, urban forestry, property taxation, renewable energy, among others. I’ve always had undergraduate advisees but primarily focused on graduate student education until the late 1990s.
An interdisciplinary research program
When I finished my last term as department chair in 2002 the hot topics were ‘conservation and sustainable development’ and I began focusing primarily on ‘interdisciplinary studies’ (a.k.a., coupled human and natural systems or socio-environmental systems). I was able to travel and work globally including a lot of work in China with Chinese graduate students, visiting scholars, and research colleagues (1999-2016).
I’ve built and maintained a very geographically and topically diverse research program over the years. This is because much of my time and energy has been focused on supporting the specific research interests of numerous graduate and undergraduate students. It seems that I have always been more helpful assisting junior researcher identify, develop, and conduct their own projects than convincing them to work on my projects!
I’ve found that such collaborations foster a shared learning environment that enhances a student’s ability to eventually conduct independent research while keeping me excited and engaged as a life-long learner.
Over the years, I’ve also been very lucky in meeting creative, dedicated, and collaborative students and research colleagues. The vast majority of my accomplishments in research, teaching, and extension directly reflect meaningful collaborations with such folks.
Careers in environmental conservation (EC)
We need to keep in mind that ‘international conservation’ is often too narrowly defined by the outdated notion that it addresses only the protection of biodiversity and environmental resources (e.g., air, water, soil) and the promotion of parks and protected areas. The history of conservation omitted people, primarily focusing on technical biophysical aspects of management, which limited employment opportunities. That was a mistake in hindsight that is now being addressed. Consider that society has evolved to better appreciate that ‘the environment’ is interwoven into all components basic to the planet’s health and human welfare (a.k.a., sustainable development)—so, EC offers a diversity of avenues for career development; for example, opportunities for those interested in economics, business, sociology, policy, human health and nutrition, etc.
When defined broadly as an interdisciplinary applied profession I believe that the idea of ‘environmental conservation’ (EC) now offers a plethora of career opportunities.
These opportunities expand even further if you substitute the notion of ‘global’ for ‘international’. Consider for a moment the intersection of food security-human health-climate change that knows no geopolitical boundaries.
After voicing such optimism in the past I’ve often been asked “Ok, how do I get one of those cool jobs?” To which I respond “well, you have to be lucky”, quickly adding a quote from some long-dead Roman philosopher: Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
Here’s what I think is generally needed to forge a career in EC (or about anything else):
- Build technical knowledge
- Develop and practice soft skills
- Accumulate a diversity of experiences building one step at a time
- Develop and cultivate professional networks
- Seek opportunities that engage who you are and where you want to go
- Commit, work hard, be persistent, and stay positive
Simply put, you’ll get hired to do something because you know what to do and how to do it. While ‘learning by doing’ holds merit, professional career-track positions in EC (and IARD in general) now require a college degree. Your BS from a noteworthy international institution like Cornell is a grand start. However, you will find that career advancement will hinge on further education. Hence, a master’s degree will be needed. Be sure you know the difference between a professional degree like the CALS MPS in Global Development and the MS programs offered through its various graduate fields. And then there’s always the PhD and another 4-6 years in college.
Advice for students
Work to know and accept yourself.
What are your personal and professional strengths? Where did they arise and how can they be fostered and strengthened? Learn how this self-awareness positively and negatively influences your interactions with others. If possible, learn to avoid things you are not good at, but if this is not possible look for professional help to improve your life skills and coping abilities.
Seek out a diverse set of experiences inside and outside the academic environment and don’t be afraid to stretch and risk.
International travel to new locations often provides an opportunity to test our ability to confront and handle strange and potentially disrupting situations and gaining such confidence will transfer to other aspects of our personal and professional lives.
Never underestimate the power of friends and colleagues, as despite the recent political fracture, we are all “in this together!”
Realize that to get the most out of others and ourselves we need to develop good listening skills, heartfelt empathy, and a good dose of humility.
Recognize that your professional/academic and personal lives are inseparably linked and stive to find a comfortable balance.
Are you exercising regularly? Spending quality social time with friends and family? Reading for general knowledge and pleasure? Avoiding too much screen time? Work hard, play hard, and seek a realistic balance in your life.
Understand that Cornell CALS like most other academic institutions is very good at building technical skills in its student body.
Knowing about ‘things and what they do’ is important in your professional development as it fosters technical confidence, but as my department colleague Prof. Karim-Aly Kassam often notes, knowing ‘how’ is as important as knowing ‘what’. So, it is very critical that we learn how to do something, which normally demands acquiring soft skills that are difficult to teach from a book or inside a classroom.
Seek and embrace new experiences and pay as much attention to those you don’t like as you do the ones you do.
Find those that you truly enjoy (gets you up early in the morning) and are good at and satisfied by. The decision-making process is the hard part when offered multiple opportunities but never worry about what might have been had a different path been taken—you just can’t do anything about that. You have youth and energy on your side so invest both and work hard finding and pursuing your passion.
This piece was prepared by Brayden Preston, a student ambassador for communication in the International Agriculture and Rural Development major.
