Making a Splash
Semra Gul, M.Sc. Syntec Corporation New Castle, Delaware
What prompted you to start volunteering with AWT? I highly believe that we have a responsibility to society, to our work, to ourselves. Water treatment is one of the most important fields and is growing in scope. Because of the changing environment and market conditions, there are always things to make it better. I think we have so many responsibilities, such as creating projects, trainings, and/or sharing our experiences. Volunteering is one of the best ways to make contributions and be part of improving the market. I have been volunteering in so many organizations back in Europe, including both professional and nonprofit organizations. After I got involved in AWT and heard about ongoing projects, I wanted to be volunteer. Although I am a bit new in the organization, I am already excited about future projects. What has been the most rewarding thing about volunteering? Being part of the solutions, helping to improve, and continuing to learn are the most rewarding things for me. I feel this since it gives me a greater purpose of my profession, that I actually use my skills and knowledge to also make a brighter future. How has volunteering improved your professional career? As part of the nature of the job, you can always learn or improve yourself when you face new problems or examine/troubleshoot different facilities and systems. Experience contributes highly to our skills and careers. AWT has many valuable members in different areas. In other words, when you volunteer, you are involved in many projects, and you have a chance to have different experiences and solve problems. The project research, brainstorming, meetings, and shared experiences are important resources for me. They not only help me to keep up to date but also help to improve myself.
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Why would you encourage others to become a volunteer? Our job requires continual learning and growing. To improve our market, we must produce new projects. Since water treatment is a wide field, we always need new volunteers to be part of the solution or to improve. Being a volunteer on projects also helps with personal career development. Tell us about a current project you or your committee is working on? I am member of the Technical Committee and Cooling Committee and just joined the Pretreatment Committee. I am one of the newer members in the organization and on the committees. The Cooling Committee is very active. Although I haven’t been involved directly in any projects, there are so many exciting ongoing projects—Biofilm 2020 Analyst article, shared Cooling Water Program, Worker Protection in the Presence of Legionella, Source Water Legionella Study, TRTM Manual, Biocide Use Surveys, Non-Chemical/Non-Traditional Water Treatment. What is a past project that your committee produced that you feel has had the greatest impact on AWT and why? I am pretty new both to the United States and AWT. My observation is that the water treatment manual is one of the most important resources for not only water treaters but also customers. How have you been able to utilize the expanded business connections you’ve made while volunteering? Although being part of AWT family has already helped for networking and expanding business connections, volunteering is one of the best ways to be in contact with the professionals. Committee meetings, projects, and research are good opportunities for expanding business connections. the Analyst Volume 27 Number 4
