Graduate / SOP: A brief description of you, your background, and interest in mechanical engineering... [3]

Statement of Purpose, which should include the following information:
- A brief description of you, your background, and interest in mechanical engineering
- An explanation as to your motivation for selecting XXX University and your chosen degree program
- The names of specific faculty you are interested in working with and why (MS and PhD only)
- Any other information you think will assist our admissions committee in reviewing your application

Sop Application for Phd In Mechanical Engineering

I remember reading an incident during the inauguration of Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taiwan. When the delegates were taken on a tour of the structure, one of them exclaimed 'This just feels like a normal building!' One of the engineers replied, "Well, that was the difficult part". To me, this anecdote summarises everything that engineering stand for-overcoming challenges, affecting lives, and doing it all with flamboyance.

As a child, I was always intrigued by the working of mechanical equipments around me. I used to spend a lot of time trying to explore and figure out their principles. Things began to fall in place in secondary school, when I began learning basic physics. I can still recollect the inclination I had in solving mechanics problems from the book on Physics by "Halliday Resnick and Walker". It was then that I decided that my future lay in Mechanical Engineering.

In the four years of my undergraduate study, I was exposed to diverse topics, but I must admit that mechanical design had really fascinated me, specially the subject Theory of Machines. It was clear that I had to practically implement the principles to get a deeper understanding of the subject.

I went beyond the four walls of the classroom during my undergraduate course being an active member of the robotics community in my college. I along with four other colleagues participated in a variety of technical fests which hosted design competitions namely 'robotwars' and design and fabrication of all terrain robots. We faced several hurdles in relation to the design of the kinematic linkages, the necessary Motor Torque, and the Suspension Design. This got me more involved and helped in getting a crisp understanding of the fundamentals.

Taking my enthusiasm one step further I undertook my final year under graduate project work to design and build a wirelessly controlled fire extinguishing robot which could aid the firemen in their fire fighting operations. The aim was to reduce the threat to the fire-fighter's life. The project was a success and received recognition from the Government of XXX in terms of a sponsorship.

By then, with all the experience, I had made up my mind that I need to get a deeper understanding of dynamics and related subjects and how to apply it in industry. By scoring a rank of 390/82000 in the GATE Entrance Examination I secured an admission at the Indian Institute of Technology,XXX, an institute recognized for its contribution in the areas of Vibration and Control.

My final Year Master's Thesis dealt with studying the Rail dynamics. My work was to model the rubber components of the suspension mathematically and study its effects on the dynamics and comfort. Furthermore the effects of having an active steering system on the creep forces developed during cornering were also studied. The project was funded by the Indian Railways.

My experience in Dynamics landed me a job at XXX R&D, where I am working as a Multibody Dynamist. At XXX we have contributed significantly in the field of brake Dynamics. As per the regulation needs, we managed to conceptualize and develop a mechanism which works as a combined braking systems (CBS) in case of Scooters and Motorcycles and get it commercialized on all XX vehicles by 2018. I have filled patents on different CBS mechanisms, one which includes changing the brake biasing as a function of Rider Input force. Besides braking, I also worked in studying the in-plane and out of plane behavior of a motorcycle, to accomplish this I also worked with tyre manufacture XXX along with TNO Netherlands for obtaining tyre properties.

My ultimate goal after graduation was to go for a PhD in the area of vibrations and control, but before that I wanted to get a feel of the research in industry. I decided to work in a well established Automotive R&D, so that I could sharpen my research skills. Though the industry was very supportive, it has its limits depending on the markets they target, moreover in developing countries the industries focus is on lower cost and better margins than on research for better technology.

My dream is to create an impact, something special that will not only bring happiness to me but to everyone around. I am in pursuit of a university which can help me get my fundamentals stronger and has an objective for conducting research, working in tandem with the industry towards its implementation. A perfect example is Dr. Steven Swanson, a PhD alumnus from XXX who went ahead to be a Nasa Astronaut contributing significantly to the Space Program.

After carefully looking at the work that is being done at the XXX Laboratory, I find a strong connection between the subjects and my past experience. For instance, the multi-domain analysis which involves studying the thermal effects on mechanical instabilities of the rotor is very interesting. I am also eager in applying control theory to tackle such instability problem. I believe that working under the team of Dr.XXX will help me acquire the versatility needed to reach my full potential as a researcher.

Throughout my academic and industrial experience, I have realized that there is an immense opportunity in India in the area of research and development. However, with the outstanding facilities and research faculty available in XXX, I will be in a better position to contribute to the pool of knowledge by filling better patents.