Colorado State University

Q: What is one thing you are looking forward to this year as the interim head of HDNR?

A: The faculty and staff are going through a curriculum revision to update and modernize the undergraduate degrees, so it will be exciting to be a part of that process. The branding, marketing, and communication to promote the new curriculum will be key because a lot of what this department has to offer is not often well known. So, I think HDNR has an opportunity to recruit and showcase to prospective students how our programs can lead to careers in conservation, sustainability, and natural resources.

Q: What is your experience in the social science of natural resources, which HDNR specializes in?

A: In many ways, HDNR is a home for me in terms of my native field of expertise and interests. All of my degrees are in interdisciplinary social science especially applied to the forestry context. When I first arrived at CSU in 2000, I immediately made connections with folks in this department. My graduate students have taken classes in HDNR and I’ve coauthored papers with a few faculty too, so there was a lot of complementarity in my native expertise, collaboration with colleagues, and being a proponent of a department that has social science. I think it is unique to Warner College Natural Resources. If you look around at other colleges, they have social scientists, but in terms of depth, breadth, and history, Warner College is one of the longest-standing legacies of that. I feel like I can bring a lot to the table working with colleagues to advance social science ideas on the research level and the educational programming.

Q: How important are HDNR skills in the natural resource industry?

A: Certainly, all professional organizations and agencies want the biophysical and natural resource management skills from their employees, but a lot of those “soft skills” are some of the most high-demand, high-valued skills. The individuals trained in the biophysical sciences have to eventually deal with people, right? Whether that is their own team, or more and more now, it is community partners, or rights holders, which is where HDNR really shines.

Q: Why have you worked in higher education?

A: My parents were immigrants to the U.S. from China after World War II. Higher education opened so many doors for them to lead prosperous, fulfilling lives. In particular, my family’s journey wouldn’t be where it is without public land grant universities. My parents met at the University of Illinois. My dad was a soil science and agronomy professor at Washington State University and the University of Minnesota. I myself have graduate degrees from public land grants, the University of Minnesota, and Oregon State. To be at CSU is just a natural fit for me to help people create their pathways to prosperous, meaningful lives, wherever they’re from or whatever their backgrounds.

Q: What spurred you to your career?

A: After I obtained my undergraduate in political science and was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do, I visited my father at the University of Minnesota where he was a department head. He told me to look at the graduate catalog and the book literally fell open to the Department of Forest Resources and among the programs that were being advertised was forest policy and administration. I had no idea there was a profession in forestry and natural resources, so I read more, and it was the uniting of political science policy analysis to forest environments, forest management, and problems facing sustainable forestry. Due to my upbringing in Washington, I already was aware of the Endangered Species Act, the spotted owl controversies, and other topics like water quality. After researching the field further, I knew I had found my calling. I met with an advisor, developed a research project, secured funding, and embarked on my new path.