The Smeal School of Business-Fall 2017

Graduate Application

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
-Amey Vidvans

I am an MS candidate in the Industrial Engineering Department here at Penn State. I have

always been intrigued by mathematics and its applications. As a teenager, I was determined to
succeed in mathematics and eventually emerged as one of the best students in Physics and Math in
high school. I consistently ranked as one of the top students in state talent search examinations. Due to
my exceptional performance in the national engineering entrance examination, I secured a seat at the
reputed National Institute of Technology, Surat (SVNIT) for an undergraduate degree in Production
Engineering. Here I was also introduced to the world of operations research through subjects like
Quantitative Methods in Production Management, Production Planning and Operations Management
and Industrial Engineering. I finished as one of the top students in the course and was awarded the
Bronze Medal for academic excellence at the annual convocation in 2012.I honed my skills in
technical report writing and presentation through projects, case studies and seminar talks. Thus, I
established a solid foundation for further education.

Right after graduation from NIT, I was employed as a Welding Engineer at Godrej & Boyce
Mfg Co. Apart from taking part in manufacturing activities on the shop floor, I also used to assist in
the planning side of the department which broadened my scope. As part of my duties, I developed a
tool in Excel, that could estimate the number of consumables required for a project from the number
of joints, their dimensions and accumulated knowledge. This was very well received by the
management of my department. I got a comprehensive view of the manufacturing end of a complex
supply chain extending from India, the Middle East to Europe. While working, I was selected through
a nationwide entrance exam for a graduate program in Physical Metallurgy at one of the nations top
engineering schools, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT) on a scholarship from the Ministry
of Human Resources Development, Government of India. Apart from learning about metallurgical
science, I took courses in mathematical modelling, numerical methods, and graph theory to whet my
appetite for Mathematics. Although most of my research was on the application of metallurgical
principles, I developed a keen interest in application of computational tools, particularly in my
material thermodynamics course where I researched and learnt the CALPHAD approach to phase
diagram calculation. Through the course, Discrete Mathematics I was introduced to fascinating
verticals like probability, graph theory, and its applications to optimization. My thesis at IIT resulted
in a journal article in Acta Biomaterialia, a leading journal in biomaterials which demonstrates my
research aptitude and skill in compiling manuscripts. Thus, this experience moulded me in the use of
computational tools to arrive at solutions which is at the heart of supply chain research.

As I graduated from IIT, I was offered the position of Jr Manager at Steel Authority of India,
a public sector undertaking of the Government of India in the Dalli-Rajahara Iron Ore Mines. As the
shift-in-charge of the crushing and screening plant, I could appreciate the immense role played by
Operations Research since a major part of the business was dependent on logistics and inventory
management. Operations Research was also used to determine which blocks to mine next to maximize
profit while minimizing effort. Our plant was the starting point of a complex global supply chain,
which meant that the pressure to achieve targets was tremendous. Working in such a fast-paced
environment ignited my interest in improving efficiency of business processes through effective use
of mathematical modelling, data analysis and optimization since innovation in business processes is
what keeps enterprises growing. I realized that my skills would be better utilized on the design &
decision making end of the business rather than on the operational end which is just application of a
The Smeal School of Business-Fall 2017
Graduate Application

few tools. My choice of courses at Penn State has been driven by these objectives. I have taken
relevant coursework in optimization, data analytics, and supply chain engineering. Some of the most
useful courses I have taken at Penn State were SCIS 525 Supply Chain Optimization with Dr Terry
Harrison, IE 570 with Dr Arunachalam Ravindran and IE 550 Manufacturing Systems with Dr Sanjay
Joshi. These subjects taught me to apply classroom knowledge to solve business or industrial
problems. For example, a transportation network could be represented as a directed graph and solved
as such. Moreover, I have also learnt to apply these techniques to improve business processes through
projects. Even though my entire academic career is in the engineering domain, I believe that
engineering and its principles play a huge role in designing and optimizing Supply Chains. For
example, in my current research, I am working on machine vision algorithms which use a lot of
optimization routines. Similarly, linear algebra is an integral part of many pattern recognition
algorithms. Considering the importance of improving processes and economy in the modern world, I
believe there is tremendous scope in this field. Professor Ravindran very rightly says in his book
Supply Chain Engineering that business competence depends on supply chain competence. I possess
the right mix of mathematical skills through my educational pursuit and domain experience in the
supply chain field through professional experience. As a testament to my diligence, I have excelled in
every academic endeavour, which is evident from my track record. This has been a pillar of my
confidence in conducting world class research. It also demonstrates my adaptability and ability to
succeed in competitive environments.

As a student at IIT, I contested the student elections and was elected to the Student Senate
from my residential hostel. I also served as the member of the dining committee. Some
responsibilities of the position were procurement of supplies, planning of menus and quality control.
This improved my communication skills and taught me how to work as a team to achieve a common
goal. In addition, I frequently volunteer at football games to raise money for AID (Association for
Indias Development) and for the Red Cross Society here at Penn State.

My experiences have inspired me to pursue a career in supply chain and information systems.
The Smeal School of Business with its excellent faculty and legacy in supply chain research is the
perfect place for me to pursue a PhD. The Pennsylvania State University is also one of the leading
universities as a whole in supply chain education. Moreover, I appreciate the diversity in the State
College community and how accepting it is of people of diverse origins. Apart from this I am
currently working as a TA in the Smeal College of Business with Professor Suresh Muthulingam for
the course SCM 450W. So, I am familiar with the working culture of the School of Business and will
not take long to fit in. Post completion of my PhD, I hope to stay in academia back in India at my
alma mater or work for the Reserve Bank of India, Indias Central Bank. I am inspired by one of
Indias most famous economists, Dr Raghuram Rajan, who incidentally was also an engineer before
switching to management. I would like to work in an area that utilizes my modelling, data analysis
and optimization skills, preferably on the reverse logistics of e-commerce, product postponement. One
of the most interesting presentations I have attended at Penn State was by Dr Chris Parker in the IE
department on Penny Auctions and how data analytics was used to extract valuable insights. I hope to
be involved in such research. I hope to be considered for the PhD program at Smeal School of
Business with an emphasis in Supply Chain and Information Systems.