Jonathan Smith
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SRES program:MREM Educational background:Bachelor of Business Administration from Bishop’s Work history:Oil and gas industry |
Q: What brought you to SRES?
A: I spent my early career working out west, for large oil and gas companies. After that, I spent some time working for an oil field services company. But it became clear to me that I wanted to align my career with my thoughts and morals—mainly around issues of energy use and consumption. I decided to pursue a MREM degree from SRES. I didn’t have a science background going into the program, but that hasn’t held me back.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m focused on energy issues. I’ve been spending time reading about co-generation (generating heat and electricity at the same time). I’m also interested in district heating, which uses one source of steam to heat multiple buildings. Ultimately, I plan to research environmental education with an emphasis on energy efficiency education.
Q: How is the MREM program helping you pursue your passion?
A: I was able to spend my summer internship working on energy issues at Clean Nova Scotia. I think it’s great that a lot of our case studies and project work are geographically relevant and focus on current issues. It’s given me the opportunity to spend time looking at important municipal, regional and national issues.
Q: What’s student life like outside of class?
A: Everyone’s very active. There’s always stuff going on—from hiking and ultimate Frisbee to water polo and rock climbing.