Over a billion people do not have access to clean water, and less than 10% of the world's population receives treated water. I find it intriguing; In addition to being essential for preserving life, water contributes to our lifestyle in many ways, from the generation of industrial steam and electricity to the foods we eat. Today, chemical engineers face the challenge of ensuring water purification and finding solutions to the waste of this precious resource. I am particularly interested in the process of purifying water from underground aquifers and surface sources, such as lakes and rivers, to produce safe drinking water. The reason this industry has attracted so much interest is because I come from Somalia, a country where clean water is so difficult to obtain. Chemical engineering consolidates mathematics and chemistry, which is one of the main reasons I was first attracted to study it. Mathematics helped me approach problems in an analytical and rigorous way, formulating theories and applying them to solve them. Me especially...