Statement of Purpose

Is that a laser dad!? I quipped on my first visit to my fathers research lab. Most certainly son! he answered sensing my curiosity and interest, and you would be able to make one yourself when you grow up. I marvelled at the piece of scientific invention and waited for the day I could contribute to the world with my own scientific discovery. Many of my childhood fantasies from the day were filled with my passionate desire to make a magic machine. I inherited my interest in science and research from my father. His zeal and dedication for his profession inspired me to see learning and work in a new light. After securing 99 percentile in a nation wide engineering entrance examination I was left to choose the specialization I wanted to graduate in. It was my first step to realise my dreams and I chose mechanics for my under graduation. Taking the plunge in to the world of Mechanics I studied all domains with great interest, but Fluid Mechanics was what intrigued me. It is everywhere - from microbiological beings to aircrafts and space machines - a world where the man does not understand Fluid mechanics, there will be no flight, no ships, no food; nothing at all ! In order to gain research experience in the area of fluid dynamics and to see from close how the work was carried out, I took a five months training at Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on study of supersonic flows under the guidance of Dr. Gaurav Singhal, Senior Research Scientist. As a part of the training, I worked on two projects. My first project was Study of differential ejector. The objective was to obtain the optimal entrainment of low pressure gas flow by injecting the motive gas at an appropriate pressure and angle of injection. I also carried out detailed flow analysis to estimate the various thermodynamic properties and Mach number in the mixing zone along with the optimum length of mixing between two consecutive motive gas injections preventing occurrence of a shock as a part of the project. The predictions made were validated using Fluent 6.1. The second project titled Supersonic free expanding jet exhausting from a nozzle described the design and development of contour geometries of a Laval Nozzle and a free expanding supersonic jet using the method of characteristics. A detailed numerical and computational flow analysis of under expanded, over expanded and ideally expanded jets for varying stagnation pressures at the inlet was done. The predictions made were validated using Fluent 6.1. The project helped me develop numerical and parallel computing skills on compressible flows. During my stay at DRDO, I got an opportunity to closely observe application of what all i had learned in varied types of systems, ranging from high power lasers to automotive engineering and aerodynamics to fluid power and pneumatics. The learning from my projects and the results obtained motivated me to author two research papers. The first research paper is Application of method of characteristics and computational analysis of a free expanding supersonic jet for International Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power (FMFP), 16-18 December 2010, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India. The second research paper is titled Studies on

differential ejector for International Conference on Emerging Trends in Mechanical Engineering (ICETME), 24-26 February 2011, Thapar University, India. I am also pursuing work on a project titled Modelling of solids friction for fluidized densephase pneumatic conveying under the guidance of Dr. S.S. Mallick, Assistant Professor, Thapar University, India. Working on the research papers has reinstated the learnings of my projects as well as provided me with an opportunity to share my findings with other experts of the field.

I had two job offers in hand after the campus placements; one as a system engineer for ABC COMPANY and the other as a GET at Yamaha Motor Pvt. Ltd in the RnD Department and I took up the latter as Research has always held a special place for me from the perspective of career growth. I joined Yamaha Motor Pvt Ltd in June 2011 and since then I have assisted in the completion of a project based on _____________ and currently working on a project ____________. I have a firm belief that formal education and training are a vital step in the process of learning. With this view I have undertaken a professional course on Pro-E Wildfire 4.0 conducted by Cadd Center Training services, Patiala, India. I completed six weeks summer training at Thapar University under the guidance of Professor Ajay Batish and worked on a project The design and fabrication of a screw jack cum puller. Apart from fluid dynamics, I also have a keen interest in the automobile industry and took six weeks summer training at Amtek Auto Limited, India, where I worked on the Fly Wheel production line of Nissan XH5. Years at engineering institute gave me an opportunity to hone other facets of my personality too. I have pursued my interest in music and showcased my skills as a singer and guitarist at various inter-university events. It has brought me recognition at the university level and at DRDO during my internship. I have been an active member of Fine Arts and Photography Society wherein I have organised and participated in seminars/exhibitions. As an individual I am aware of my responsibilities towards my country and society. To fulfil my sense of duty I have been an active participant of National Service Scheme under which as part of the youth program I have taught village children and participated in a blood donation camp. A Masters degree in the area of fluid dynamics would equip me with a higher level of understanding on this important subject for its application in the critical areas of applied research. This in turn would quench my thirst for learning and enable me to contribute to greater heights in a definite way in leading areas of applied research as I strongly believe that right learning is the beginning to the actualisation of all big dreams. I intend to do my graduate studies from your prestigious university and acquire the versatility needed to reach my full potential as an engineer and give the necessary thrust to my growth as a proffesional. The state of art research facilities, repository of knowledge and cross cultural learning environment at the North Carolina State University will surely make my learning and experience richer and would stay with me for a lifetime.