Clean Water - Something to Think About

[Chris Fultz]

At the IRI Talent Show, one of the California teams did a skit about 'water'. Many of you may have seen it there, or somewhere else. It involves several people (and this time a horse) using the same cup of water to brush their teeth, and then a final student drinking the cup of liquid. When people see it, some laugh, some are offended, some wonder who these kids' parents are, and many of us sort of 'gag' as the cup is emptied.

So, what is the point to this post?

The cup of water that the last student drank was full of toothpaste and had already been through about 5 mouths. Despite this, it was still probably cleaner than the water that much of the worlds population has available to them on any given day. (I could try to impress you with a percentage, but I would be making a guess. I just know that it is very high.)

There is plenty of water to go around, but a great deal of it is not safe for human consumption. Some of it is not safe but is still consumed, leading to sickness, disease and even death.

As students who are interested in science, technology and engineering, this is just one of the worlds' problems you can try to solve. Deka is working on a solution, and so are other companies. There may be multiple ways to create clean water for the world.

This is just an example of one area where you all have the opportunity to really make the world a better place. Engineers solve problems, engineers find solutions to big issues. You are taking the right steps now thru your involvement with FIRST - learning how to work on teams, how when one of learns something new and then shares it we all benefit, how to get excited when someone else wins - keep it up!

I have great faith in our future.