Anupam Aich BSc in Chemical Engineering (2009) Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology anupam.rajon@gmail.

com

Statement of Objectives Submitted for admission in Department of Chemical Engineering Case Western Reserve University

The deep rooted desire of the child of two college professors for becoming a research scientist has always been the driving force behind my pursuit of higher education in engineering. When I was placed in the top 12th percentile in the undergraduate admission test of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), the most prestigious and apex engineering college and research institution of my country, I got the opportunity to choose my major from a wide assortment of engineering specialities. Chemical Engineering is the field that reflects my lifelong fascination with Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology, and I decided that would be the best option for me to pursue fundamentally significant research in a diverse engineering field. During my undergraduate study, faculty members in our department were devoted to providing the students with the very basic training in topics most relevant to the fundamentals of chemical engineering which introduced me to various theoretical concepts and applied methods which are widely used in the academia as well as in the industry. Over the years I undertook courses which covered advanced thermodynamics, heat and mass transfer, fluid mechanics, chemical reaction engineering, particle technology, transport phenomena, process design, process control, computer programming, and economics. Moreover, the senior year projects which I undertook to fulfill the graduation requirement allowed me to apply the knowledge and fundamental understandings of chemical engineering processes acquired in the previous years. Both my research advisors at BUET, Dr. Iqbal Mahmud (Professor Emeritus, Ex-Vice Chancellor of BUET & Ex-Minister for the Govt. of Peoples Republic of Bangladesh), and Dr. Syeda Sultana Razia (Assoc. Professor, BUET) are among the leading figures of the countrys chemical engineering research, and they inspired me to undertake two challenging projects: a thesis project on pharmaceutical waste water treatment and a design project on phosphoric acid plants respectively. Both of these intense assignments helped me to comprehend not only basic principles and their applications, but the significance of fundamental research in our field as well. Also, multiple visits to numerous industrial facilities across the country, including Urea-Ammonia plants, Ceramic industries, Polymer Production Facilities, and Pharmaceutical industries, provided me with hands on experience in and understanding of how large scale chemical engineering operations at cutting-edge industrial complexes are conducted. Throughout my academic career, I had been in the top ten during school years and achieved Government Scholarships supporting my four years in undergraduate study for my accomplishments in middle and high school. I was also a recipient of University Merit Scholarship for academic excellence in the last two years being in the top 17% of the graduating class. My experience in conducting research while in college taught me that results are deliverable only through patient dedication rather than academic brilliance alone an important lesson that will definitely help me succeed in graduate school as well. My GRE quantitative score of 800 certainly proves my analytical and computational ability and GRE verbal and TOEFL scores exhibit my English proficiency. Fundamental research on synthesis and analysis of nanomaterials will continue to have tremendous implications in the future of research in our field, and I am deeply impressed to learn about the relevant ongoing research projects at Case Western Reserve University. I have always been fascinated about the modern technologies that have provided with the opportunity for mankind to work in nano and micro-molecular level to redesign the materials at hand in according to ones wish. This nanotechnology research has certainly initiated a new era in the modern civilization and will continue to provide the tools for greater good of mankind. The ongoing high-tech research in nanoscale material synthesis at Case Department of Chemical Engineering has prompted me to apply the

Anupam Aich BSc in Chemical Engineering (2009) Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology anupam.rajon@gmail.com

Statement of Objectives Submitted for admission in Department of Chemical Engineering Case Western Reserve University

graduate programme here. Development of methodologies based on an atmospheric-pressure microplasma by Prof. R. Mohan Sankaran and Development of multifunctional nanomaterials by Prof. Liming Dai have appealed to my interest. A natural inclination towards biological sciences has always been a reason for my research interest in biomedical related engineering research. In this modern world, biomaterial synthesis and tissue engineering have such immense potential that the ongoing research projects of Prof. Liming Dai (Development of biomaterials and bioinspirations) and Prof. Harihara Baskaran (Research in the field of cardiovascular tissue engineering and cell transport) are of great value in this field. In this era of power and energy crisis and environmental concern, it is a challenge for chemical engineers to obtain methods and processes that allow sufficient energy production and development of electrochemical devices in environmentally benign procedures. The faculties (Prof. Robert F. Savinell and Prof. Heidi B. Martin) in Case Department of Chemical Engineering have research projects regarding electrochemical devices development which are quite suited to my interest. However, I should also mention at this point that as a young researcher fresh out of college, I will be entering graduate school with an open mind regarding from which exact speciality within the department I will choose my PhD thesis project in a couple of years. The diverse research activities at this department will undoubtedly provide me the initial flexibility towards choosing my subsequent projects and motivate me to take up novel challenges. As an academic trainee in a middle school for three months from March 2009, I have conducted teaching services to the students of 9th and 10th grade in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology. Currently, I have been appointed as a full-time Assistant Teacher at Uddipan Bidyalaya (a Govt. Accredited middle school) and my professional responsibilities includes preparation of course materials, teaching and grading students in 9th and 10th grades (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology), in 8th grade (General Science), in 7th grade (Mathematics, Library Science) and in 6th grade (General Science, Agricultural Science). This certainly demonstrates my teaching capability and profound knowledge in science subjects which will help me to contribute in my research and academic training in future. Apart from my academic work, I have been involved in various organisational activities at BUET and high school and have repeatedly demonstrated my ability of being a good team member which has been acclaimed by achievement of several awards as Best Organizer and Successful Event Manager. I am currently serving as a life member of my middle school Alumni Association which is an almost 2500 member organization and am also appointed as a co-ordinator of Chemical Engineering Alumni Association for updating alumni directory of Chemical Engineers from BUET. I recently exchanged communications with Professor R. Mohan Sankaran at the Case Department of Chemical Engineering expressing my interest in his research topics related to nanoscale engineering research and he strongly encouraged me to apply. I am also excited to learn about the ongoing exclusive researches of Prof. Liming Dai, Prof. Harihara Baskaran, Prof. Robert F. Savinell and Prof. Heidi B. Martin; and I strongly believe that given the opportunity, I will be able to meaningfully contribute to these research projects currently being conducted under the supervision of various faculty members at the department, and thus become a capable independent researcher before long. I am really excited about the research facilities and unique opportunities available at the Department of Chemical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, and am eagerly looking forward to become a part of this department as a graduate student in Fall, 2010.