The world welive in is so fluidic that things change at a very rapid pace. The lesson wehave learned from the evolution has become more and more relevant with theadvancement of technology and market dynamics.
The challenges thrown by markethave been successfully overcome by industry and society by innovating and integratingnewer technologies complementing the current environment. I have always beenfascinated by the fact that 118 elements can combine to produce such anassortment of materials with such diverse properties and specifications. Thedesire to decode this enigma has imbibed in me a spirit to delve deeper intothe world of chemicals. Born in a family of chemical engineers, the ambienceinculcated in me an innate desire to be a chemical engineer. It is oftensaid the journey of exploring the realm of knowledge and probing into theunknown is infinite. However to me the desire to fulfil ambitions and the joyfrom discoveries prevailed over any sense of hardship. My undergraduate studiesbrought me face to face to a wide range of subjects in chemical engineering.
Istrived to understand the principles underlying each chemical phenomenon andhow each principle was derived. This drove me to understand the textbooksthoroughly and supplement my classroom education with information from theinternet, the library and other sources. This way of learning allowed me tobecome familiar not only with the core courses like mass transfer operations,heat transfer operations, chemical reaction engineering, process calculations,solid fluid mechanical operations, petroleum refinery technology, etc.
but alsowith courses not offered to students majoring in chemical engineering such ascomputational fluid dynamics, polymer technology, advance process simulation,etc. I believe that the most importanttask as an undergraduate was to lay a firm groundwork in terms of basicknowledge and experimental techniques. I have acquired a lot of knowledge onvarious chemical equipment during project and industrial training. I had theopportunity to be a member of IICHE(Indian Institute of ChemicalEngineers), helping in organising and managing IICHESCON 2017 in ourcollege. This national conference exposed us to works of renowned professorsand my interaction with them helped me learn new approaches in Science andTechnology. Furthermore, I attended a simulation workshop at the Institute ofChemical Technology (ICT),Mumbai where using DWSIM, an open source chemical process simulator, we saw theunification and a more systematic view of theoretical concepts in variousthermodynamic models and unit operations.
The desire toforge ahead in this field by doing cutting edge research has motivated me topursue graduate studies. My summer internship at Gharda Chemicals contributedimmensely to my knowledge of analytical chemistry. Working as an intern at thequality assurance department, I had the opportunity to analyse the samples usingGas Chromatography, High performance liquid Chromatography and Spectroscopies.I was really amazed to know how it worked and by the use of spectroscopy foranalysing the matter. It was a great experience to see the synergy ofcomplementary techniques providing deeper insights into chemical composition ofmaterials. Chemicalengineering requires a great deal of interdisciplinary abilities in order to besuccessful. I gathered first-hand experience of working on my B.E project whichis based on hydrodynamics of packed bed.
The main aim of this project is to determinethe efficiency and pressure drop across the column. In the course of theproject, we encountered many challenging problems. To illustrate a few, we couldnot ascertain the factors that caused channeling in the column. My analysispointed towards the improper distribution of the liquid might be responsiblefor this and my hypothesis proved to be right when we made an alternativearrangement for liquid distribution. Whileundergraduate study is instrumental in equipping a student with ground rules ofthe subject, it only provides a broad appreciation of the field. I feel thatdedicated research is essential to gain comprehensive knowledge of a subject.Graduate study provides the perfect environment to pursue research and thusgain a better perspective of the subject. Having gainedan in-depth conceptual understanding and vital exposure to the industry, thisis the opportune time for me to pursue graduate studies in Chemical Engineeringat Carnegie Mellon University.
The program, with its rich curriculum includingcourses like Process Systems Modeling, Analysis & Modeling of Transport Phenomenawill enhance my domain knowledge. Also, the state-of-the-art researchfacilities for Catalysis and Surface Science and Energy Science and Engineeringare something which I hope to leverage. The research work of Prof.Myung S. Jhonin Nanotechnology and Data Storage Systems and that of Prof.
Lorenz T. Bieglerin development of large scale nonlinear programming methods for optimization ofsystems, are eminently compatible with my interests. I am acutelyinterested in chemical engineering as a lifelong career and I am determined todevelop myself into a well-trained chemical engineer. Yet I am clearly aware ofthe immense efforts I have to make in order to fulfil this aspiration. Ibelieve your university could be the nucleus to accomplish my goals.
Yourgraduate program blends high quality course work and state of the art researchfacilities. I believe the programs offered will help me acquire the versatilityneeded to reach my full potential as a chemical engineer. I am fully convincedthat my potential will be groomed to a well-designed capacity to produceresearch of high quality under the expert guidance of distinguished faculty atCarnegie Mellon University.
On my part, Iwill put in every effort to excel academically and believe to make significantcontribution to the field. I hope the Admissions Committee is convinced of mystature and gives a favourable response to my application. I look forward tobeing a part of the fall 2018 class.
