Our People
J.T. Pynne – Alumni Spotlight
Where are you now and what are you doing?
After graduating from the University of Georgia with my field work mostly at Ichauway, I took a short break from academia and worked as the Private Lands Program Manager for the Georgia Wildlife Federation (GWF). After a couple of years there, I applied to a few professorship positions and was lucky to land an Assistant Professor role at the Environmental Science Department of Emory University.
With GWF, I worked to expand their outreach with longleaf pine and performed many other duties. I worked closely with the other members of the nonprofit to serve on many state-wide wildlife committees, even working to develop the State Small Mammal Working Group.
Currently, I’m teaching ecology and conservation courses to bright minds at Emory. I get to design some of my own courses, like restoration ecology, but also get to reshape some older, established classes. Most of my classes involve a field-based, experiential learning component where I teach students how to study ecology in the wild. I even do a soil lab, where I get to continue my Ichauway passion for digging holes (pocket gopher research for the win).
What is one way your work is having a positive impact on natural resources and conservation?
As a professor of environmental science, I have to draw on my background of wildlife, forestry, and natural resources, while looking forward to environmental justice and climate future impacts. It’s really invigorating, and also terrifyingly imposter syndrome-inducing, to be interacting with such a vibrant community of students at Emory. I serve as a conduit for the students’ engagement in field research, ecological, and conservation concepts, and anything wildlife-related for the entire department.
How did your time at Ichauway help prepare you for your current job or career?
Working with the Wildlife Ecology Lab at Ichauway helped me in so many ways. Not just remote living, revolving interpersonal relationships, field hardships, and an amazing sense of community, but Ichauway was really a fuel cell for continued passion. Ichauway is a great place to become a naturalist. That naturalist nature is what landed me my current professorship. The department was lacking an ecologist with field experience and local knowledge on the flora and fauna of Georgia. Without my background working alongside the other labs, I wouldn’t have the foundational ecological knowledge needed to instruct higher ed students.
What is one fond memory you have of your time at Ichauway?
What I enjoyed most about Ichauway was the diversity. So many weird people all get to come together and collaborate on ideas, fun, and skills that you might never ordinarily find in the same room. I have so many fond memories from the standard “almost dying on the Flint” to the classic “almost dying from heat exhaustion” at the Dog Days 5k. I, of course, also have some not-so-fond memories, like having to take steroids so many times for poison oak/ivy.
All that is great, but my fondest memories are hyper-specific to my research and will only truly make sense to someone who has experienced it: the elation when you break through the soil plug and into a pocket gopher tunnel system. These creatures are notoriously difficult to capture, have fully plugged tunnels that are insanely difficult to keep track of, and are incredibly aggressive despite their potato size. After digging for hours, you might have to completely abandon the mound system because you simply cannot find tunnel access. However, the glee and euphoria from breaking through the plug will stay with me forever.
J.T. Pynne
Where are you now and what are you doing?
After graduating from the University of Georgia with my field work mostly at Ichauway, I took a short break from academia and worked as the Private Lands Program Manager for the Georgia Wildlife Federation (GWF). After a couple of years there, I applied to a few professorship positions and was lucky to land an Assistant Professor role at the Environmental Science Department of Emory University.
With GWF, I worked to expand their outreach with longleaf pine and performed many other duties. I worked closely with the other members of the nonprofit to serve on many state-wide wildlife committees, even working to develop the State Small Mammal Working Group.
Currently, I’m teaching ecology and conservation courses to bright minds at Emory. I get to design some of my own courses, like restoration ecology, but also get to reshape some older, established classes. Most of my classes involve a field-based, experiential learning component where I teach students how to study ecology in the wild. I even do a soil lab, where I get to continue my Ichauway passion for digging holes (pocket gopher research for the win).
What is one way your work is having a positive impact on natural resources and conservation?
As a professor of environmental science, I have to draw on my background of wildlife, forestry, and natural resources, while looking forward to environmental justice and climate future impacts. It’s really invigorating, and also terrifyingly imposter syndrome-inducing, to be interacting with such a vibrant community of students at Emory. I serve as a conduit for the students’ engagement in field research, ecological, and conservation concepts, and anything wildlife-related for the entire department.
How did your time at Ichauway help prepare you for your current job or career?
Working with the Wildlife Ecology Lab at Ichauway helped me in so many ways. Not just remote living, revolving interpersonal relationships, field hardships, and an amazing sense of community, but Ichauway was really a fuel cell for continued passion. Ichauway is a great place to become a naturalist. That naturalist nature is what landed me my current professorship. The department was lacking an ecologist with field experience and local knowledge on the flora and fauna of Georgia. Without my background working alongside the other labs, I wouldn’t have the foundational ecological knowledge needed to instruct higher ed students.
What is one fond memory you have of your time at Ichauway?
What I enjoyed most about Ichauway was the diversity. So many weird people all get to come together and collaborate on ideas, fun, and skills that you might never ordinarily find in the same room. I have so many fond memories from the standard “almost dying on the Flint” to the classic “almost dying from heat exhaustion” at the Dog Days 5k. I, of course, also have some not-so-fond memories, like having to take steroids so many times for poison oak/ivy.
All that is great, but my fondest memories are hyper-specific to my research and will only truly make sense to someone who has experienced it: the elation when you break through the soil plug and into a pocket gopher tunnel system. These creatures are notoriously difficult to capture, have fully plugged tunnels that are insanely difficult to keep track of, and are incredibly aggressive despite their potato size. After digging for hours, you might have to completely abandon the mound system because you simply cannot find tunnel access. However, the glee and euphoria from breaking through the plug will stay with me forever.