Writing Contest Winners 2014-2015
Honorable Mention, Grades 6-8
Maureen Shea
Grade 6, St. Mary of the Hills School, Milton
Mrs. Etienne, Teacher
Chemists are Cool!
What would we do if we didn't have any clean water? Well luckily we don't have to think about that, thanks to MWRA for making sure our water is clean and clear. MWRA stands for: Massachusetts Water Resources Authority. A lot of people work at MWRA and their job selection is very diverse. Many different jobs are available at MWRA. Out of all the many jobs, I think being a chemist is where it's at. You don't think so? Well maybe I can convince you into thinking otherwise.
Picture this: you get up from your cozy bed and get changed. Your day has already begun and it's time to head to work. Your job is a chemist at Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, or MWRA. Your job is quite interesting for it requires science, math, and technology skills. To start off your day at work, you use some of those science skills. Being a chemist, your work sometimes varies with what's going on with the water. You could be taking samples of water to test if it’s clean, or you could be removing bad things from the water. Still doing science, you need to be using technology.
Chemists use technology all the time. Whether it’s testing something out with a machine, or using the web. As you find something in the water that you're not sure about, you always have to research it. When removing bad things from the water, machines really do come in handy sometimes. When taking samples, for a neater approach, you use a computer to record down your data.
Now you're back in your office, and are working very hard. You are hunched over a computer looking at the screen. You are recording data down about a new chemical found in the water. You are about to do an experiment to hopefully get rid of the chemicals. But you need the perfect amount of chemicals to do so. This is where math comes in.
You are pouring the water in a measurement cup. You take your time and add the measurements of both the chemicals and water. This is an example of how math is used when you work as a chemist. When you do math as a water chemist, it mostly means to do measuring. After a long day at work, your busy but exciting day has finally come to an end. You walk outside and take your car back to your house. You made new discoveries today and you are worn out. It's time to sleep so you can be prepared for tomorrow's new discoveries.
Now I don't know about you, but to me a chemist isn't as boring as I thought it would be. Now here are some reasons to become a chemist. I think that a chemist is an amazing job because it has math, science, and technology (a little bit for everyone). It also is never boring because you find out something new everyday. And lastly, you get to help the world by making the water safer for people to drink. Though there are many jobs that are amazing, this is why I think that being a chemist is awesome. Do you agree with me on that? Maybe not, but hopefully I opened you to another interesting job.
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