Statement of Purpose, By Miss.

Xiaodan Shen, for Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles

My experience of developing logical approaches to theory and my deep engagement with practical
applications has offered robust preparation for graduate study at UCLA, where I would like to focus
on circuits and embedded systems in my research. I would be particularly interested in working in
Prof. Mani B Srivastava's Networked and Embedded Systems Laboratory, given his group's
contributions to low-power energy-aware (LEAP) embedded systems. This would enable me to
expand on my work in real-time operating embedded systems and circuits. After this period
postgraduate study, I aim to devote myself to professional practice in low-power and real-time
embedded systems design with knowledge that I will accumulate by research work in Prof.
Srivastava's lab and study in diversified courses, such as "M202B distributed embedded systems"
and "209S special topics in embedded computing systems".
In order to improve my basic professional skills for my graduate study in the field, I applied my
theoretical knowledge into practice in Electric Circuit Design Lab with high grades in math, physics
and electric circuits. During the course project, I designed and assembled an intelligent line-tracking
car that took advantage of the interplay of LEDs and photoresistors to control the motors and keep
the car travelling along a specific route. After one week's struggle on Protel, I finally succeeded in
deploying all electronic components on a 8cm*5cm circuit board with a concise circuit design and
enough remaining room for mechanical components' installment, which reduced the overall weight
of the car and enabled it run both quickly and smoothly in the final test.
To further equip myself for advanced study in UCLA and future career in embedded systems, I took
the course Microcomputer Systems: Design and Application, and developed my first embedded
system of a real-time velocimeter on the 80C51 single-chip microcontroller. I used the HD7279A
keyboard management chip to select different modes, displaying test results live on an LCD screen.
Working long hours in the lab to optimize the design and spending my free time at electronics
market looking for devices, enabled me to produce outstanding results: My coding made full use of
the matrix and therefore saved a lot of memory, helping me rank second among my peers in the final
evaluation. Through this course project, I mastered the methodologies and technologies for design of
embedded systems, realized the link between software platforms and hardware and had an idea of the
principle of real-time communication, which prepared me with necessary theoretical knowledge and
practical skills for advanced study in UCLA.
I have also pre-adapted myself to graduate research work by doing regular work in Prof. Qing Yang's
lab, helping graduate students with research on nanowire-based ultraviolet light emitting diodes. My
responsibility was to fabricate appropriate nanowires and undertake basic tests for optoelectronic
properties. I rapidly acquired the sophisticated skills I needed to make useful contributions to this
research, to the extent that I was third author on the submitted paper entitled "High efficiency single
Ag nanowire/p-GaN substrate Schottky junction-based ultraviolet light emitting diodes". This lab
experience acquainted me with the procedure of science research and equipped me with basic
professional operation skills, which qualified me a competent graduate student in lab.
For the purpose to prepare better for pursuing advanced study in UCLA, I attended three months'
summer 2014 internship in the University of Alberta with funding from the China Scholarship
Council. My project aimed to design, optimize, assemble and test an optical system for optical dipole

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Statement of Purpose, By Miss. Xiaodan Shen, for Department of Electrical Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles

traps. After fully exploring the principle of optical dipole trapping, I focused two 1064-nm
right-angled laser beams to create a high-precision trapping system. Simulations on MATLAB and
Origin allowed me to determine optical device parameters, after which I independently assembled
the relevant hardware. The test results matched my theory-based predictions; the beam waist was
20-micrometers pointed to an ideal outcome. Through accomplishing internship tasks independently,
I strengthened my research and practical ability and proved that I was capable to make meaningful
contributions in lab.
Another important developmental outcome of this project was the confidence and courage I acquired
through the profound friendship I established with my supervisor, Prof. Lindsay LeBlanc. She
though highly of my performance in public presentation of my summer internship research and rated
my work as outstanding in the final evaluation sheet. During summer, we often ate lunch together
chatting about interesting things happening around us and once spent the whole afternoon together
playing baseball. By being friends with my supervisor and other graduate students, I gradually
improved my spoken English and communication skills with people from different cultures, which is
very important for me to study and work well in UCLA, a multi-cultural university.
Besides academic and practical preparation for embedded systems field, I tried my best to be a
versatile graduate student by developing my interdisciplinary flexibility and team-working skills.
Taking part in the 6th National Energy Saving and Pollution Reducing Competition, I led teammates
from the Department of Energy Engineering to apply energy engineering principles to optical design
and ultimately helped my team won the third prize in the final. As part of my work in the course
Optoelectronics, I presented a comprehensive course project with my teammates and got the first
place in class presentation.
Obsessed by the power of embedded systems and fully prepared for advanced study, I am desired to
further explore this exciting field in Electrical Engineering, UCLA, holding a faith to contribute to
professional practice in low-power and real-time embedded systems design.

Signature: Xiaodan Shen

Date: 11/25/2014

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