Chemical Engineering: Personal Statement Of Purpose

ACADEMIC STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Over a casual dinner-table conversation a few years ago with a chemical engineer, my curiosity about his profession led to quite an engaging discussion between us. Quite frankly, I was amazed by the several innovations which the Chemical Engineering fraternity has bought about over the years and which have really changed the lives of so many people across the globe. For example, he told me the dramatic change in the gasoline production levels which came about due to the Houdry Process in 1934. It set me thinking on what a remarkable opportunity I had to channelize my love of chemistry & physics to pursue my higher education in the field of chemical engineering & make a career in this field.
Once in college, I

I have had the good fortune of interacting with some of the best minds in the country and some of the most talented professors. I have always enjoyed the academic life-the experience of taking classes, learning from interesting books and participating in lab-sessions, discussions and group assignments. AICHE’s centennial celebration committee published a list of 30 ground-breaking Chemical Engineering books. When I saw this list, I was amazed to find that I had read a few of these books in my undergraduate curriculum. Therefore, I set about to find and read the remaining books, a mission which I believe will achieve its culmination in my graduate studies. Aside from core curriculum, I have trained myself in problem solving and computational skills by taking courses on subjects such as Python Programming, MATLAB, Data Analysis and Scientific Computing through Massive Online Open Courses(MOOCs). I have enjoyed the experience of taking lessons in a virtual classroom and I noticed how professors from prominent universities such as CMU use data visualization tools, simulation software and research journals as aids while

Stephen Newman’s lab in the Department of Chemistry, University of Ottawa as a MITACS research intern. I worked on a project in Process design and development titled ‘Multistep Chemical Synthesis with Continuous Recycling of Waste products’. I designed a reaction-separation system with recycle at a microfluidic scale and developed a mathematical model for the system. I devised a scheme of organic synthesis and carried out the test reaction at various flow rates. This internship has not as much advanced my knowledge of chemical engineering as it has given me an exposure to independent research - how to plan your own experiments, what are the essential questions to be asked of every experiment and how to analyse its results. The hands-on experience of working with new machines and setting up systems of my own was something I cherish to this