2005 Essay Contest Finalist

Entry by Ellen Wiitala

Volcanology: My Dream Job

Have you ever wanted an amazing adventure, scary but fascinating at the same time? Have you ever wanted to see something explode, or have you ever wanted to make a new discovery? I have wanted all of those things. I think I have finally found a job that has all of those features – volcanology.

What is volcanology? It is an earth science study of volcanoes. In a way, volcanologists are like a space shuttle crew of specialists; each with different but equally important jobs. There are five different types of scientists on a volcanology team: the classic volcanologist, the geochemist, the geophysicist, the experimental volcanologist, and the computer analyst. Classic volcanologists take samples of lava, collect and sample volcanic rocks, and also make maps of volcanic areas and structures. This is the kind of volcanologist I would like to be mostly because I can’t imagine very many things as exciting as sampling real lava. I’m also really interested in rocks and I like to make maps in school.

Another thing I like about classic volcanologists are that they are sort of like detectives, they have to examine every piece of evidence and then try to reproduce the eruption. In a way, it’s like putting a complex puzzle together, but harder because you have to find the pieces first. The tools they use are a rock hammer, shovel and compass. Occasionally, they wear a silvery heat resistant suit and bring long polls for sampling lava.

I’m interested in places where volcanoes are. I have been to Hawaii and I really liked it. Also Alaska, Costa Rica and Italy (all of which I have never gone to) sound like extremely fascinating places to me. I’m taking Italian right now and in Italy there are several volcanoes including Vesuvius the famous volcano that buried the people of Pompeii. Did you know that the very first volcanological observatory was created there?

Another thing I like to do is write. After I retire I could write a fantastic book about volcanology, and inspire kids to become volcanologists, too. I could also teach classes to kids about volcanoes, the different types of structures, magma, eruptions, and things relating to the sort.

I also like to predict things. I live on Lake Superior (in Marquette, MI). I like to predict the lake temperature, or if we’ll get a record snowfall for the winter, and so I think predicting when a volcano will erupt would be very exciting. I also like helping people, so predicting when a volcano will eruption would help people quite a bit. It would give them a heads up on if they need to evacuate and prepare for an eruption.

In conclusion, when the mysterious essence from the depths of the earth starts leaking out or shooting out, why not find a job that can explain it? Why not try to find a job to explain our earth from core to crust? I’ve found the job: volcanology!