Why Is Milk White?: & 200 Other Curious Chemistry Questions (2013)
9. Chemists
How do people today use chemistry and science in their jobs?
Scientists are not the only people who use science to do what they do. And chemists are not the only ones who use chemistry.
Doctors need to know a lot of science to do their job, and they apply the scientific method to find out what is wrong and how best to fix it. Cooks who know a little chemistry can predict what will happen if they substitute ingredients in a recipe. Builders who pour concrete use chemistry every day. So do the people who adjust the chemicals in swimming pools to keep the water safe.
The scientific method can be applied to solve any problem, from determining what is wrong with a car when a mechanic is asked to fix it to finding out how best to improve education in schools. Knowing some science and how to interpret scientific results is important in selecting your congresspeople when you vote and in selecting the best people to see when you are ill.
Science keeps us safe. People who design cars and bridges use science to make sure they can handle the demands put on them. Doctors who work to prevent epidemics use science to predict where they will spread and how best to stop them. The people who make policy in government need to use science to prevent air and water pollution, to decide which energy sources to promote, and to provide the best foods and education to the people they represent.