Addressing climate change and sustainability issues has become one of the central factors for young people’s career choices. In fact, according to a recent report from Deloitte , over 40% of Gen Z said they have, or would, switch jobs due to climate concerns, while another report from The Guardian found that 76% of Gen Z acknowledge that addressing the climate crisis is their top societal concern.
Jacky Kinson, former IDEA intern and project manager, and current mechanical engineer at CDM Smith, is no exception. Jacky’s path from student to professional in the energy sector was forged through district energy.
Throughout her college career at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), Jacky became fascinated with the energy industry and the ways she could make an impact on her own campus. Jacky’s involvement in UNH’s sustainability fellowship program, which focused on thermal energy storage options, ended up leading her to an internship with IDEA. Following her graduation in 2018, Jacky accepted a full-time position at IDEA and quickly made an impact during her time here.
Opportunity of a Lifetime: Building Clean Energy Technology at CDM Smith
Recently, the IDEA team had the opportunity to chat with Jacky about her journey so far and her aspirations for the future of her career. With a background in engineering and a passion for sustainability, Jacky always knew that she wanted to work directly on the projects IDEA members were designing, building and implementing to help cities and campuses decarbonize.
In 2020, Jacky decided to make the leap to CDM Smith - an engineering and construction firm that provides services and solutions in water, environment, transportation, energy and facilities. A particular CDM project that provided pipeline-quality renewable natural gas from organic waste processing facilities and biogas processing systems caught her eye. “I read an article about a CHP biogas project that was written by CDM Smith and I knew I wanted to work on similarly interesting projects,” she said.
Supporting Geothermal Network Projects
Since joining CDM Smith, Jacky has had the opportunity to take part in several impactful projects, many of which incorporate geothermal energy.
In conjunction with Eversource, an electric and natural gas utility company based in Boston, CDM Smith was involved in the design and deployment of one of the first geo-exchange thermal energy network pilots by a utility company, as allowed under Massachusetts law.
The project, located in Framingham, integrates a geo-exchange borehole field with connected customer buildings through an ambient loop thermal distribution network to provide heating and cooling. The initial phase will include in-building heat pumps located in approximately forty (40) residential, commercial and government buildings in one area of Framingham. Part of the purpose is to conduct testing and monitoring of the system to better understand future opportunities for replication as part of an orderly transition for the natural gas systems in the Commonwealth. The initial scope involves drilling the boreholes, installing thermal piping network in city rights of way and interconnecting and retrofitting HVAC systems in customer buildings.
Additionally, in August 2022, CDM Smith was selected to support National Grid’s geothermal district energy project at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. CDM Smith and National Grid broke ground on this project in April 2023. It is designed to provide sustainable heating and cooling to low-income residents, homeowners, university offices and commercial buildings in Lowell.
Jacky’s involvement in these projects has enabled her to participate in ground-breaking activities, linking her personal mission to mitigate climate change and leveraging her engineering and project management background. “From evaluating sites for district-level geothermal on a pilot project scale to demonstrating how to scale these systems by testing for feasibility and customer acceptance, I felt like I was fulfilling my career goals by working on a project with clean energy and making a positive impact on the world of renewable energy,” Jacky acknowledged.
It All Starts on College Campuses
In early 2024, IDEA held their annual CampusEnergy conference in San Francisco where academic, industry and healthcare institutions from around the world came together to share experiences on a wide range of technologies being utilized in district energy applications to achieve carbon reduction targets.
Not only did the event demonstrate how college and university campuses are relying on district energy systems to adapt and reduce carbon emissions, but it also provided insight into how students are eager to influence institutional energy and environmental objectives. Whether on college campuses or through programs like IDEA’s Young Professionals Group, young people across the globe are interested in advancing and accelerating the energy transition and seeking opportunities to merge career aspirations with personal convictions. The district energy industry allows young professionals to influence change at a community or even a city scale. That is a powerful combination.
Since 1909, IDEA has provided a platform for exchange, education and collaboration, especially among world-class campus energy systems with large geo-exchange systems like Princeton University, Oberlin College and Ball State University. In February 2025, Tufts University and UMASS Chan Medical Center will host the 38th Annual Campus Energy Conference in Boston, MA and we will pleased to welcome young professionals, like Jacky, who have made the transition full circle from classroom and campus sustainability group to implementing innovative projects on a professional level.
IDEA applauds Jacky Kinson for sharing her journey from the University of New Hampshire and for being willing to mentor others on how to get involved and make a difference. While classrooms are the center of academic learning on campus, it is critical for students to look outside the classroom and take a moment to learn about and join in on what their universities are doing to advance decarbonization and the energy transition. Take a note from Jacky’s playbook and “reach out, get involved and ask questions to your peers and networks.”