I, Pranav S. Gandhi will graduate in May 2013 with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering from S V National Institute of Technology, Surat; an Institution of National Importance established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. I am applying for admission and consideration for teaching and/or research assistant-ship to the M.S Program in Structural Engineering offered by the <> Department of Civil Engineering at <> University, for Fall 2013.
The philosophy behind the construction of tall, super- tall and mega- tall buildings is what basically inspired me to consider a career in Structural Engineering. I was in high school when I first came to know of the tallest man-made structure to have ever been ushered into reality, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and I instinctively knew what career path I had to take. This decision of mine only got confirmed when I had the unique chance of attending an expert lecture on the unique aspects and indigenous features of structural design of the Burj Khalifa at Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, delivered by William F. Baker himself. The desire to carve out a career in the field of Civil Engineering prompted me to take the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) in 2009 for admission to the premier National Institutes of Technology. I was ranked within the top 3.2% of nearly a million candidates who took the examination that year. I was ranked second in my batch in terms of aggregate score in Science + Math in my 10th grade board examinations and received a Scholar's Badge in both 10th and 12th grade for excellence in academics.
Structural engineering is the amalgamation of the fields I find most interesting, exciting, and intellectually stimulating, namely Engineering, Physics, and Mathematics. I have worked diligently for the past four years to increase my understanding and mastery of these subjects, and have greatly enjoyed the process. I have always wanted to pursue a career in Civil Structural Engineering, and I believe a Graduate degree in the same would greatly help me realize my short term as well as long term goals. Further, my interactions with a few resource persons and professionals from eminent structural engineering consultancy firms in India as well as with professors from the premier Indian Institutes of Technology have been a great source of inspiration and have only served to strengthen my resolve of pursuing a successful career in the very field and strive to contribute with whatever I can, both academically as well as professionally, to the best of my abilities.
During my last three years of undergraduate study, I have been exposed to a variety of subjects pertaining to structural engineering and mechanics, including 'Fluid Mechanics', 'Solid Mechanics', 'Structural Analysis' and 'Design of Steel Structures'. Subjects like 'Design of Industrial Structures' and 'Computer Aided Design of Structures' have been my electives. The topic of my final year seminar presentation was based on structural systems for tall buildings with emphasis on response under lateral loads. Also I'm well within the top 20% of my class.
Further, my final year undergraduate research project is based on an indigenous method to solve indeterminate structures, developed by my project guide Dr. <>. The method goes by the name of 'Relative Deformation Co-efficient Approach', which is basically a classical method of structural analysis. As a part of the project, I have formulated codes and a user input-output interface in MATLAB to solve indeterminate beams and frames. A review paper I wrote on the same as a co-author has been accepted for presentation at the 3rd International Joint Conference on Advances in Engineering and Technology - Advances in Civil Engineering 2012 (AET - ACE 2012), organized by the Association of Civil and Environmental Engineers (ACEE). This paper is presently, also under consideration for publication in the ACEE International Journal on Civil and Environmental Engineering.
During May-July 2012 following the completion of my third year of undergraduate study, I was a summer research intern in the Department of Applied Mechanics at Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. I was involved in the numerical simulation of wave effects on a cylinder placed at different depths from the free surface. I subsequently wrote a research paper based on my findings, which was presented and included in the proceedings of the 39th National Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power at SVNIT, Surat, India. Though the topic of my research project wasn't a mainstream civil engineering one, it nevertheless exposed me to meshing techniques and numerical methods in engineering including the Finite Element Method, which is an indispensable tool in the analysis of a variety of structural engineering problems.
Initially I want to study subjects related to numerical methods, advanced mechanics of materials and finite element analysis. I also aim to gain thorough grounding in subjects pertinent to structural behavior and design, advanced dynamics and control and damage mechanics of solids and structures.
I would like to pursue my masters' degree in the <> Department of Civil Engineering at <> University particularly because of the diverse research interests of its faculty members belonging to the Structural Engineering Division. Research interests of <>, <>, <>, <> and <> have filled me with intrigue and excitement on the prospects of executing my research interests under their mentor-ship. Also, as the department is replete with advanced structures and materials testing laboratories such as the <> Structural and Materials Testing laboratory and computing and simulation facilities, I would like to be given a chance to pursue my graduate degree and research interests in such an environment.
I am interested in specific topics spanning across Design and Analysis of Structural Systems, Probabilistic and Stochastic Methods and Smart Structural Systems. My specific interests include seismic and wind performance of structures, wind engineering, performance based design, composite materials and structures, structural reliability, vibrations, probabilistic hazard analysis, risk and life-cycle analysis, structural optimization and analysis of high performance materials and energy dissipating devices. I am particularly very much interested in the design and analysis of tall buildings and structures incorporating composite construction, performance based design, optimization and smart structural systems.
To keep abreast of the latest trends and developments, I regularly follow the CTBUH journal, the journal of Engineering Structures, journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics and the journal of Composite Structures. I am also a student member of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).
Upon successful completion of my Masters' degree, I would prefer gaining a few years of work experience in the R&D division of a structural design and consultancy firm. I believe one cannot do justice to a doctoral degree in the field of Structural Engineering without having had some actual field experience. My long term goals include a Doctoral Degree and teaching and/or research work at a university or a research institution.
In the end, I would just like to state that if given an opportunity to study at the university, I would work with utmost dedication and commitment. I am an inquisitive, hard working and persevering, self-driven and self-motivated individual and shall strive to put the best foot forward in all my endeavors.
