How did you decide on your major?
To me, chemistry feels like a very practical application of physics in the real world. We use chemistry on a daily basis whether we know it or not. Cooking, eating, drawing, smelling; the materials behind the cars we drive, the structures we build, the computers we use and the microprocessors and fuel cells that power modern technology – the fingerprints associated with the practical application of chemistry can be found in all these things and more.
The fusion of chemistry as a science with engineering as the ability to practically apply this science was something that was very appealing to me. That’s why I chose Chemical Engineering as my major course of study.
Where did you go to school and why did you choose that school?
I chose the University of Utah because of their reputation as a research oriented university as well as for their robust engineering department. They are also the only university in the state of Utah that has a fully operational nuclear reactor, equipped with a clean room and radiochemical laboratory .
The nuclear and environmental applications of Chemical Engineering were of special interest to me and my choice to attend the University of Utah allowed me the opportunity to work as a Laboratory Technician with the school’s Nuclear Engineering program http://www.nuclear.utah.edu/.
Tell us about your current job.
I currently work in EnergySolutions’ Regulatory Compliance group. I am responsible for monitoring weather data and ensuring that our Clive facility’s environmental monitoring program is run in compliance with State and Federal regulations. The people I work with are responsible for regularly sampling groundwater wells, the air for particulate matter, radon, thoron and gamma emissions, and soil monitoring stations at our Clive facility. You can take a virtual tour of the Clive facility at http://www.energysolutions.com/.
I also get to help develop models that monitor air quality and emissions associated with our operations as well as participate in permit modification requests.
What do you like about what you do now?
First and most important, I love the people I get a regular opportunity to work and associate with. They are wonderful people who are diligent in the jobs they perform and take pride in the work they do and I’m humbled that I get to do it with them.
Second, as an individual who was born, raised and educated in the state of Utah, I am grateful to work for the portion of this company that has been tasked with the safe and responsible clean-up of contaminated facilities and sites all over the United States. A lot of entities out there talk about the need to take care of and ensure the health of our environment. Very few of them put their time and energy where their mouth is. The company I work for doesn’t just talk; it acts.
Third: My job is the perfect blend of what most would consider a desk job with a field job. Three or four days a week I have the opportunity to work in downtown Salt Lake while the other two to three days I get to work in the field at our Clive facility.
What education or career advice do you have for someone planning to study the same major you chose?
Find out what your talents are and what it is you love to do – then do that. Invest in a broad and diversified high school and college education so that you are sure to discover what it is that you enjoy and are good at.
If you do this, you will never have to go to work a day in your life. You’ll want to!
