MacKenzie Boyd is a master’s student in Geography at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with interests in energy geography, infrastructure, and public policy. Her research examines how energy investments reshape places, communities, and regional development, with a focus on small modular reactor deployment in the Tennessee Valley. She uses GIS and spatial analysis to evaluate siting, infrastructure, and community impacts. MacKenzie is also pursuing a graduate certificate in Energy Policy through the Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs and works at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where she supports programs within the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility.