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Can a Career in Chemistry be Rewarding and Gratifying?
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Rhonda Smerchanski of Border Chemical Company Ltd certainly thinks so! Rhonda has had a lifelong interest in science. An interest which Rhonda claims she inherited from her father, a mining engineer, who liked to conduct chemistry experiments in the kitchen of their Winnipeg home. Rhonda knew in grade twelve that she wanted to obtain a degree in chemistry, but it wasn’t until she was in her second year of university that she realized her real passion was for organic chemistry. She attributes her fascination with organic chemistry to two professors who were enthusiastic about the subject and encouraged Rhonda’s interest in it. She obtained her Masters degree in organic chemistry at the University of Manitoba in 1975.
Immediately after completing university, Rhonda joined her father at Border Chemical - their family business - where she still works to this day. Her first job there was at the plant site for the manufacturing of sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid produced by Border Chemical is sold mainly to the pulp and paper mills, but it is also used in hide tanning, fat saponification for the manufacturing of soap, and in the mining industry.
Rhonda recognizes that her study of chemistry in university gave her the knowledge and tools she needs for her career in addition to teaching her how to approach and solve a problem. Of course she doesn’t always know everything that her job requires, but studying chemistry has given Rhonda the discipline to not only pick up a book and learn what she needs to know regarding a particular problem but to be able to understand discussions in adjacent disciplines. She has the following advice for a student contemplating a degree in chemistry: "be determined, have confidence in yourself, don’t be afraid of hard work."
Rhonda’s career has afforded her many opportunities. For instance, she has had the chance to travel and spend time in places like Korea, Japan and Europe. She has found her career very satisfying... so much so that she can’t even name anything she doesn’t love about her work! She says that one of the best things her job has to offer is variety. Her job is dynamic which means that she always has to be in a position to react to a new situation or overcome a difficulty. She is always looking for the opportunity to develop new products that fit in with the company.
In addition to being involved in the day to day management and long term planning of Border Chemical, Rhonda is also involved with the mining exploration and development company Gossan Resources. Gossan plans to explore and develop titanium, chromium, and magnesium deposits in Manitoba. Titanium has many uses such as in paints, plastics, golf clubs, and paper. Scientists have also discovered that titanium can be used in a ceramic tile glaze which causes the organic material on the surface of a tile covered with the glaze to degrade when it is exposed to ultraviolet light. This self-sterilizing tile may soon find its way into hospitals, kitchens, and bathrooms. The future prospects for magnesium and chromium also look good. For example, magnesium has properties which make it better than aluminum to build automobile parts, and chromium can be used to make an inexpensive master alloy with nickel and iron to be incorporated into steel.
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