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"The important thing is not to stop questioning".
These elementary but influential pearls of wisdom offered by the prolific late scientist, Albert Einstein, embody the spirit of learning that I have inculcated in myself to gain the most out of it and it is these words that have been my guide-light and have set me off on an engrossing journey of gaining knowledge. My desire to continue this quest of acquiring knowledge, to apply it fruitfully by infusing creativity and most importantly to gain valuable experience while doing so, has inspired me to apply for graduate studies in chemical engineering at Illinois Institute of Technology.
I have always held education in high regard and have been aesthetically nurtured by it. My affinity for education is reflected in my admirable academic performance - I secured 84.83% in the Higher Secondary School Certificate examination (conducted by the State Board of Maharashtra) in the Science stream and I was amongst the few privileged (a meagre total of 80 students throughout the country) to be selected on the basis of state level merit in Common Entrance Exam (securing a rank of 334 among more than 100,000 students) into the Institute of Chemical Technology, ICT, Mumbai, India (formerly known as UDCT and UICT), a pioneering institution for Chemical Engineering in the country and a premier institution of chemical engineering in Asia. Although my academic performance in my undergraduate study at ICT is average, I have sound understanding of fundamentals of chemical engineering. This is evident that I was the only student from my college to be selected through campus interview at Zuari Industries, leading fertilizer and cement manufacturing, after clearing several rounds of technical and personal interview. I also stood third in ICT in Prof N. R. Kamath Chemical Engineering Quiz.
The four years as an undergraduate pupil at ICT has exposed me to various facets of Chemical Engineering and has provided me with a holistic understanding of several disciplines which I believe is essential today because of the emergence of inter-disciplinary research activities. My horizon has especially been broadened by the professors at ICT who are stalwarts in the field of chemical engineering. The objective, rigorous and challenging curriculum consisting of core chemical engineering subjects like Mass, Momentum and Heat Transfer, Chemical Reaction Engineering and Thermodynamics coupled with emerging fields like Environmental engineering has kindled a strong interest for research in my nascent engineering mind.
My final year home paper project titled 'Design a plant to produce 1500 TPA of methyl methacrylate from ethylene' was highlight of my undergraduate study for it involved identifying and solving the problem rather than only solving the problem. While working on this project, I had to apply different concepts of chemical engineering which I had learnt till then. I also came to know of various developments being made in multiphase reactors, separation processes so as intensify the performance of the entire plant. Besides, I have mastered various analytical and data interpretation techniques. Apart from giving me an insight into a fascinating field, it has served to orient me towards a sound research temperament. The seminar report on 'Plasma applications in Chemical Industries' presented by me has stood me in good stead.
Initially, I was selected at Zuari Industries as Graduate Engineer Trainee through campus placement at ICT. However, personal reasons prevented me from joining Zuari Industries and after completing my undergraduate studies I took up a job to financial assist my family. However, my determination to work in field of chemical engineering and with assistance of professors at ICT, I got placed at my current employer Hyca Technologies Pvt. Ltd., which designs and manufactures cavitation reactors for various chemical processes. I readily decided to take up the job as hydrodynamic cavitation (working principle of 'Hycator' reactors) has immense potential for process intensification in chemical process industries.
At HyCa Technologies, I am involved in carrying out pilot plant studies for designing of full scale industrial reactors and business development. I have successfully completed project of designing of reactor for COD reduction of 50 m3/day of effluent stream of petrochemical complex having an initial COD of 175000-200,000 ppm. This involved application of fundamental concepts of multiphase fluid dynamics and reaction engineering for scaling up the reactor using pilot plant data. Apart from this, it was an opportunity for me gain insight in pump selection and mechanical design of the reactor. Most importantly I also published an article explaining working principle of hydrodynamic cavitation reactors and its possible application in The Chemical Weekly, a chemical industry magazine, dated 31st July, 2012.
Unlike the milieu of the college, the corporate environment was very much different. The concept of learning on the job, accountability for the work at hand, conformance to in- housework flow standards has given me a greater focus. As I have been involved in both reactor-design and business development activities, working at HyCa Technologies has not only strengthened my understanding of chemical engineering concepts but also taught me how to do multi-tasking effectively.
The knowledge obtained during the undergraduate studies is just a miniscule percentage of the humungous whole. In addition, working at HyCa Technologies has made realize importance of research in chemical industry. Hence, I want to propel myself from the point of departure, trainee engineer at HyCa Technologies, to a successful future in active and meaningful research that will benefit both industry and mankind - a quintessential objective being promoted by your university through path-breaking research.
Presently my research interests are diverse. Computational Fluid Dynamics to model and design of multiphase flows equipment is an alluring and upcoming field that holds huge promise for various industrial processes, especially energy conversion process. The course in multiphase reactor design taught by Prof. Aniruddha Pandit first introduced to this topic. Learning about hydrodynamic cavitation reactors while working at Hyca Technologies has furthered my interest in this field. I would love to work under Prof. Dimitri Gidaspow on analysis of industrial fluidization using computational fluid dynamics.
Reaction Engineering is another field where my interest lies. Chemical reaction engineering had been taught at my institute by then head of department Prof. V. G. Gaikar who has ingrained in us the problem solving attitude which is very important in designing and understanding reaction systems. Working under Prof. Satish J. Parulekar to investigate and to contribute intellectually to determine optimal reactor structures for complex reaction networks is where my chemical engineering education will be put to test and will help me grow.
The thrust to develop molecularly and chemically engineered materials is what attracts me specifically. As an extension I profess my interest for research in nanotechnology. The various workshops attended as regards to nanotechnology, including those carried out in our college during the national level technical festivals and conferences, by eminent speakers, has opened my mind to newer possibilities. I see myself working under Dr. Victor Perez-Luna, if given an opportunity, on metallic nanoparticles and carry out a study on modification and stabilization of theirs surfaces so as to tailor their surface properties for enhanced performance.
Keeping in mind that I have undergone unconstrained and seamless undergraduate training at ICT and that even my interests are interdisciplinary, I have decided to not limit my choices as far as my area of research is concerned. I will work with dynamism whatsoever the field offered to me be.
After graduation, I see myself as a research scientist in a R&D department of a leading chemical industry or as an entrepreneur using my expertise for the betterment of society. With this in mind, I want to be a part of the reputed chemical engineering department at Illinois Institute of Technology. I am aware that pursuing research demands creativity, dedication and hard-work. I believe that I possess the motivation, intellectual capability and academic foundation to embark on this challenging career path. I am sure that I can make a positive contribution to the on-going research at Illinois Institute of Technology. I hope that you find me, a worthy candidate for pursuing graduate studies at your department.
Thank you,
Huzefa Calcuttawala
