statement of purpose civil engineering

Sample SOP: Civil Engineering - PhD

In this essay I outline my academic and extra-curricular accomplishments. Also discussed are my career objectives and the motivation to pursue the graduate program in Civil Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The undergraduate curriculum in Chemical Engineering at IIT, Kharagpur, introduced me to a wide gamut of subjects, both in and outside the field. Various courses like Mass Transfer, Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics and Transport Phenomena have provided me with a strong footing in the theoretical concepts of Chemical Engineering.

It was the field of Environmental Technology which particularly captured my interest. The desire to delve deeper into this subject persuaded me to take elective courses in Industrial (Air) Pollution Control, Non-conventional Energy Engineering and Environmental Earth Sciences. While offering both depth and breadth across this field, these courses put into perspective the importance and relevance of Chemical Engineering and the application of its fundamentals to environment related problems. I came to realize that although traditionally Environmental Studies has been under the domain of Civil Engineering, the increasing complexity and magnitude of Environmental problems have resulted in a growing need for the services of disciplines other than Civil Engineering.

During the eight week Summer Training at the Development Consultants Ltd.,I was assigned to the Cement Cell, where I received a detailed knowledge of the cement manufacturing processes. As an Industrial Intern, I was assigned a project on Cement Plant Design (1800 TPD), which encompassed Raw-Mix Design and Capacity Calculations for various equipment. Here, I got aquainted with the Pollution and Energy Conservation problems faced by the Cement Industry and devoted a significant portion of my project to the pollution abatement methods.

My final year dissertation was on the Manufacture of Phosphoric acid from rock phosphate using Sulfuric acid (Design of 100 tpd Plant). This covered the design of Reactor, Extractor (for acid purification) and Evaporator (for acid concentration). As a natural outcome of my interest in Pollution control, adequate emphasis was provided to waste gases and waste water treatment which involved off-gas scrubbing (venturi design) and discharge method details, gypsum disposal methods, disposal of fluosilicic acid as waste material and the incorporation of all these in the Plant Layout/flow-sheet.

At IIT, Kharagpur, I have received the best possible undergraduate education in Chemical Engineering in India. Throughout, my scholastic records and achievements have been outstanding. I have consistently ranked in the top 2% of the students of my class, in school, and consider the high point of my achievements as being ranked in the top 1% of more than one lakh students who wrote the Joint Entrance Examination for admission to one of the six Indian Institutes of Technology.

Throughout my school and undergraduate education, I have been a keen participant in extra-curricular activities. Getting elected as the School Pupil Leader ( Head Girl) helped me hone my organizational and interpersonal skills. At IIT, I have been involved in the Annual cultural Fest as Head of the Control Tent Team. I have also taken active part in dramatics and made my contribution to the Technology Dramatics Society (English chapter) at IIT, as its member and later as the Governor. I was also the member of the NSS at IIT where I had the opportunity to be involved in it's Literacy and Health & Nutrition Programs. I continue to be a member of the Helpage Society of India, which provides palliative care to the terminally ill cancer patients.

The years of undergraduate education have been an enriching experience - both academically and otherwise, and I am determined to maintain the high levels of excellence throughout my career.

My immediate degree objective is an M.S in environmental engineering – a rapidly evolving field with an immense potential for research. I wish to follow it up with a Ph.D, to pursue a career in research and experience the excitement and satisfaction of being at the forefront of this vast expanding field.

An extremely distinguished faculty, a milieu replete with academic activity, and a graduate program which blends high quality course work and research facilities at the cutting edge of every sub-field are the factors which have motivated me to choose the University of Massachusetts, Amherst for graduate studies. I believe the program offered will help me acquire the versatility needed to reach my full potential as an engineer.

It would, therefore, be a privilege to be able to secure admission to pursue graduate studies, with adequate financial assistance at U.Massachusetts, Amherst. I am confident that I will match the high standards set by your university.

Biotechnology SOP MS 1

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE - Master of science in Biotechnology

Harini

“Education is a companion which no future can depress, no crime can destroy, no enemy can alienate it and no nepotism can enslave”

It is this maxim that urged me to think higher right from my young age. Science has always been a fascination and more of a miracle to me from my childhood. It was during my schooling I happened to attend a two-day workshop on life science, this is where my mind-boggling miracles gained life. The world of “Cloned Dollies” and the termed coined “Biotechnology” further kindled my puerile passion and turned out my interests and curiosities into realities. At the adolescent age all I knew was “Biotechnology was not just a tool that benefits an individual, but also the entire community and society at large. I want to be a part of the existing race to create a more scientifically advanced tomorrow and I envision graduate studies as a path towards my advancement in this direction.

The relentless hard work coupled with self-confidence rewarded me with a distinction of 92.98% in my Higher Secondary examinations. Especially my grade of 98.4% in Physics and Chemistry opened up the doors for me to secure admission in the program, Bachelor of Technology in Industrial Biotechnology at Anna University- College Name. The College is known for its infrastructure in Biological science. During my period of study here, I excelled in courses like Biochemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, Microbiology, Immunology, Bioprocess Principles and Engineering, Bio and Chemical Thermodynamics, Enzyme Engineering. This provided a firm foundation and took me a step closer towards the field of Industrial Biotechnology to fulfill my goal. The fascinations and promises held out by various areas in Biochemistry, Genetic Engineering and Molecular Biology captivated me. I volunteered to take part in Seminars and Symposia in and outside College on different topic such as “DNA microchips”,” Neural disorders-Alzheimer's disease” and “edible vaccine”, where I could bring out my presentation and oratorical skills in my reports and speech. I remain indebted to my professors who have fostered in me a flair and flamboyance for higher education and an achievement of 80.4% aggregate.

In the due course, I did my first project on “Effluent treatment on paper and pulp industries using microbes”. In my third year I had an opportunity to work for Dr.xxx, Assistant professor in the Center for Plant Molecular Biology, Tamilnadu Agricultural University as an intern where I worked on “Immunological Techniques”,” plant tissue culture “ and “transformation” that gave me good practical skills .our college created opportunities for industrial visits to reputed biotechnology centers like “Genie” Bangalore, “Biocon” Bangalore, “Center for DNA finger printing and diagnostics (CDFD),”Shantha Biotechnics” both located in Hyderabad. This motivated me to do my final year project on “Gene transfer techniques” under Dr.xxxx, Scientist in Central Leather Research Institute (CLRI). The project paved way to sharpen my technical skills in the field of molecular biology.

Today Biotechnology is a ubiquitous presence across the globe; therefore to keep abreast, I read journals like “Advanced Biotechnology” and “Nature”. Life in college had a mélange of few extra curricular activities like skits, literary works and sports.

“A leader is one who seeks best for those he serves”. I am no different. I led my project group during the third year and also represented the college tennis team. I was an active member of the Indian society of technical education (ISTE) for a couple of years. I have served as the community service director of my college Rotract club and have organized several charity events.

I believe that the knowledge I have gained is little and there is much more to learn and relearn. So with the knowledge I posses and desire to learn more, along with my leadership abilities, make graduate study a natural choice for me. I am sure that a M.S in your university will definitely widen the horizons of my knowledge and help me attain a milestone in my career.

I am a stern believer of attitude, quality, and hard work. I promise to attain meteoric heights and bring glory to your institution, if I am given a chance.

Harini

Sample Statement of Purpose – Physics

Sample Statement of Purpose – Physics

At an age of eight, I came across an article in a children’s news paper on how to use simple devices to setup a circuit which I believed to be fascinating. Without knowing anything about soldering, I wired the circuit as appeared in the paper and tightened the terminals instead of soldering. The circuit was simple, with the use of only a 2SC828 transistor, LED and a 1 kΩ resistor, and at this point I was not exactly sure of what this device was capable to output. But when a conducting material was placed in between the terminals of this circuit, the LED was turned ON. With this insight, I was fervent to construct some other simple circuits published in the same news paper but I was never in a position to understand how the transistor, the miniature three-legged component was able to result in such an output. Two years later, I realized that the transistor is a switch and it will pass current through collector to emitter when a positive current is applied to the base terminal. It was my first scientific investigation. At that time I had no knowledge about semiconductors and theories behind the Transistors. But with time I learned about semiconductor devices and progressed as to attain the belief that physics is the subject which links to give the ultimate understanding of such phenomena.

After completing my primary education (General Certificate of Education- Ordinary Level) I

decided to follow Pure Mathematics, Applied Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics for my G.C.E Advanced Level (General Certificate of Education - Advanced Level) which is similar to high school level within the UK education system. This confronted me with a wide scope of view covering diverse corners of science, but intriguingly, Physics was the subject where most of my interest was focused. As our country has a free education system, the opportunity to enter into a state university is highly scant. But I was fortunate enough to be among the top 5% of the student population who are granted such fortune at the successful completion of G.C.E. Advanced Level. Moreover, I was able to enter into a bachelor’s degree program in science at the University of Colombo, which is well-known as the best university within the country, specifically in the case of physics.

The time period elapsed between my high school and university entry enabled me to follow a

course in Aeronautical Engineering at the Asian Aviation Centre-Sri Lanka affiliated to Kingston University UK and also was able to obtain an opportunity to train at the “Aeronautical and Engineering Wing” of the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF-Katunayaka Base). During this tenure I observed how simple theories of physics were applicable in a practical context and this itself, made me more and more attracted to this practical science.

In the first two years of my undergraduate studies at the University of Colombo I followed courses in Physics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics. And with my first two-year performance, I was offered to follow a major in Physics. The course offered me a great deal of insight into Physics with a strong mathematical background. As my forth year research project, I selected the experimental designing of a robot arm, based on my sound knowledge of electronics and physics. The title of my research project was “Designing and constructing of a Mechanical Electrode Arm for Electro deposition of Multi-Layer Thin Films” and accordingly I constructed a mechanical device that works as a robot, consisting of two degrees of freedom enabling it to move in a Cartesian workspace. It was an automated device which was controlled by PIC 16F877A microcontroller. Fabrication of thin films using electro deposition requires different times ranging from minutes to hours and sometimes even days, depending on the desired thickness, the number of layers and the composition of the layered structures. An automated deposition mechanism helps such growth processes reducing the human involvement and thus saving the time and money. I have submitted a scientific paper on the above research to the committee of the 25th Technical Sessions of the IPSL (Institute of Physics Sri Lanka) and it is currently under review.

As I have obtained a 1st Class Honors with a GPA of 3.77 on a scale of 4.00, in B.Sc Special in Physics, I got an opportunity to work as a Temporary Assistance Lecturer at the Department of Physics at the University of Colombo itself and my current work involves conducting and evaluating laboratory sessions for 1st & 2nd year undergraduates. Additionally, I am the Instructor in-charge of “Electronic and Computational Physics” laboratory course for the 1st & 2nd year students and I was able to gain the experiences of designing, coordinating, and overseeing the laboratory sessions during the last few months. This was an immense opening for me to gain more experience which would help me in holding a Teaching Assistant position in my future graduate studies. Honestly, it is the entire scope which is governed by physics which has aroused my interest towards this science so far, no matter whether it is theoretical or experimental. However, I hope to concentrate more on “Condense matter”,” Solid State Physics” or ”Nano Science” in my future graduate studies because I believe that these will be the areas in which most of my potential could be wholly unleashed. While doing my undergraduate studies I hope to complete the “Advanced Technician Diploma in Engineering” and “Engineering Council Graduate Diploma” conducted by the “City and Guilds (UK)”.

While in university, I actively participated in sports, especially in “Rowing” in which the University of Colombo were the consecutive champions for a number of years and I was also

honored with university colors for my achievements in the above facet. I won the overall 2nd

place in the “Men’s Pair” event and 3rd place in the “Men’s Scull” event at the 23rd Sri Lanka Rowing National Championship Regatta 2007. Additionally, I was part of the champion team at the “Tenaga Uniten Rowing Regatta at Malaysia in 2006”, bringing great honor to my institute as well as my motherland. Moreover, I gained an enormous experience as a University Captain (in 2008) and FISA level-1 Coach of Rowing, which could not have been attained simply via an academic carrier. I had also taken part in long distance running events and obtained 3rd place (Distance 10.5 km) at the “Road race 2007-University of Colombo”, further justifying my competence in a diverse range of fields. I like to spend my leisure time involved in rowing, hiking, playing cricket and meditating….etc, because I’m a strong believer in poising both mental and physical fitness.

I wish to do my higher studies in Physics with the intension to obtain a Ph.D and later to engage in research and teaching as a carrier. Having obtained the advices from my professors, seniors and colleagues about my choice of Universities, I have applied to .............................. University as it is reputed for research facilities and resources. The department web site also revealed a very strong faculty involved in extensive research in the area of Physics, especially in “Nanoscience and Material Physics”. This has strengthened my resolve to study at ......................... University. Thereby I believe that I will have an opportunity to serve and support my nation as a payback for the free education that the country has given to me.