Graduate / SOP for doctorate admission in US universities - feedback [4]

Please give suggestions, corrections, omissions comments to improve the draft of my SOP

I, Mr. Johny Walker, am applying for the PhD in Acoustics at the ########university. My decision to pursue a graduate degree from ######## university is driven by my wish to be part of an excellent academic institution. ##### university provides me with research in Acoustics with good reputation, and I offer my dedication, creativity, enthusiasm and all my talents for research.

My interest in Mechanical Engineering dates back since my childhood days. My father works in Sugar factory. During my school days, I often visited the factory. I have seen it in working condition and in maintenance condition as well. Gigantic machines such as boilers, turbines, crushing mills, big gears started developing the interest in me. My early interest in mechanical field further instigated me to opt for Bachelor of Mechanical engineering at University of Delhi, which has a reputation as a leading center for research and is rated among the top ten universities in India.

During the last year of my bachelor's degree I had an opportunity to work on a project titled 'Noise reduction in hair dryer'. This work was carried at Greaves India Ltd, Delhi. Target given was 8 dB reduction of noise in the hair dryer. Initially we were hesitant to accept the project since the topic of noise was very new to us and problem was very complex. But our supervisor, Dr. C. B. Mishra who was retired professor of Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi encouraged us to take up the work. We accepted the challenge. At the end of the project, with the able guidance of our supervisor and our hard work, we were able to achieve the target. This work taught us how to systematically approach the problem using the theoretical knowledge. We developed analytical models for evaluating effect of coupler radial misalignment and dynamic characteristics of rotor assembly. We measured the noise on the assembly and identified troubling frequency ranges by using FFT as a tool. After this work, I started liking the area of noise and vibration.

Immediately after completion of my Bachelor's degree, I joined an automotive component manufacturing company. But soon I realized that working area was not interesting to me. Although, I did not like the field, I learned many things from this job such as working under pressure, handling of manpower and other resources, work and time management etc. To follow my interests and likings I left the job. I started preparing for GATE exam which is the all India entrance exam for admission to postgraduate programs with scholarship. With the percentile score of 96.76, I got admission to Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi which is India's one of the top ten engineering institutes. Courses that I took during M. Tech. such as Mechanical Vibrations, Finite Elements Methods, Dynamics of Machinery, Advanced Mathematics, Modeling and simulation helped me to become theoretically sound in my field of interest. Fortunately in second year, I had a golden opportunity to work on project 'Car noise Synthesis'. Out of many aspirants, I was selected to work on this project. I could pass the stringent criteria of selection not only because I stood first in the class but also I had completed my bachelor's project in the field of noise. The project work was carried at Merrill Institute of Technology, Germany. Since this was the first attempt to synthesize a car noise, it required a lot of dedication and patience to complete the work. In this work, pre-recorded noise signals of five vehicles were analyzed with the help of spectrogram using MATLAB. Three different components of noise namely tonal components, broadband noise and impact noise were identified in each sound. Each component is then separately modeled and synthesized using MATLAB. Synthesized sounds were validated by conducting listening test. These validated synthesized sounds were used to create the virtual railway sounds for more pleasant listening. At the end of the work this project was evaluated as one of the few best projects in the department. This work was also published in International conference 'Acoustics'08 congress' at Paris.

After my Master's degree, I moved to an automobile company, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. It is having one of the best R&D centers in India. Presently I am working in Noise, Vibration and Harshness group of the R&D. I am responsible for design analysis, FE evaluation and Testing for noise and vibration of various components, assemblies and sub-assemblies. Types of analyses that I perform include modal, frequency response, and acoustic FEM and BEM analysis. I have also calculated and measured the transmission loss of muffler which is helpful in improving the sound quality of muffler.

After graduation, I was not completely satisfied of the knowledge I had gained to pursue a career in noise and vibration field. Therefore, I decided to go for Master's degree. During my masters degree I targeted courses related to vibration. Now after two years of experience in automotive industry, I am very much convinced that I have to refine my knowledge and skills and dedicate myself to research in acoustics. I intend to focus my research on the areas of Numerical Acoustics, Vibroacoustics, Aeroacoustics. I am well aware of the considerable dedication, commitment and focus required to earn a doctorate degree. However, I care significantly about the discipline I've chosen and I know that I am consistent and am able to commit to a difficult task for a long time. My long term goal is to have a career in research and teaching. A doctorate program is my next step towards the achievement of my goals.

The ######### is one of the best graduate schools in the world with a strong orientation towards research. I am very impressed by the ongoing research in Acoustics. The eminent faculty and the individualized nature of the doctoral program will definitely bring out the best in me. I hope you will take a favorable decision regarding my admission to the doctorate program with financial aid and I look forward to joining the ########