Statementof Purpose
Statementof Purpose
Globalwarming has become a common concept among scholars, who aredesperately searching for alternative planets that can support life,in case the world becomes uninhabitable in the future. Personally, Igained an interest in the field of astrophysics and relateddisciplines during my high school days when I learned that there areefforts being applied to identify heavily bodies with similarcharacteristics as the earth. After discovering my passion in thisfield, I decided to pursue educational programs that could help mebecome a member of the scholarly teams that are trying to findanswers for many questions that people have regarding the universe.Since then, I have pursued a high level of study and gained extensiveexperience across the sector, with the objective of enhancing myunderstanding of the theory and its application in real lifepractice. However, I am convinced that a PhD program in astrophysicswill increase my level of competence, which has motivated me to makethis application.
Aftergraduating with a first class honors (61.85 marks) in the Bachelor ofScience in Applied Physical Science from India, University of Delhi,in 2012, I felt that I needed an advance level of academicqualification. To this end, I pursued a graduate course and completedit in 2014. The program, Master of Science in Physics, was offered byC.C.S University that is located in Uttar-Pradesh, where I got afirst class honors with 78.7 marks. However, I did not get anopportunity to conduct research since the course was quitecomprehensive and involving. This forced me to pursue anothermaster’s program in a U.S.-based institution of higher learning. Ijoined the Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI and Iexpect to graduate in May 2017. The three academic programs havehelped me gain the background information and skills that I need topursue a postgraduate degree in astrophysics. For example, theundergraduate education enhanced my analytical and communicationskills, besides providing me with a foundation in mathematics andchemistry.
Duringthe master’s programs, my interest in physics became more focused.A large percentage of the course work at Central Michigan Universitywas based on quantum, astrophysics, and computing where all of themare relevant to the PhD program. However, I was more interested intwo course works that I knew could make a significant contributiontowards my success in academic as well as career life. The first oneis astrophysics where I got an A grade. It helped me learn about thenature of celestial bodies as well as the application of theory. Thesecond course work is the independent study of astrophysics, whichgave me an insight into the application of the laws of physics in thestudy of astronomical observations.
Bypursuing a PhD program, I intend to achieve two major goals. First, Ipurpose to increase my skill in research. The application ofscientific evidence in real life situations is one of the key factorsused to assess the competence of modern scholars. My interest inresearch is confirmed by the two independent programs that Iaccomplished during my graduate studies. The program on quantumcomputing enabled me to find out the solution of the hydrogen atom 1Dproblem using FORTRAN code. I also wrote a 20 page research report onthe search for exoplanets, which objectives included to studyexoplanets that can potentially support life, components of thehabitable world, and the formation of the solar system. In thissemester, I will be taking a course in experimental physics, inaddition to several advanced lab experiments. The courses will giveme the foundation for a high level of research, which will increasemy capacity to make a positive contribution to different fields ofinterest, such as astronomy, space exploration, planetary science,atmospheric studies, and astrophysics.
Mysecond goal is to become a professor and play a critical role inmaking physics an exciting subject to students who find it boring.The accomplishment of this objective will help me pursue my passionfor teaching. I am a strong believer of the concept that power isgained by sharing knowledge. To this end, I purpose to continue withmy teaching profession. My passion for sharing knowledge with othersis confirmed by numerous awards that I have received in the past. Iworked as a graduate assistant at Central Michigan University between2014 and 2017 and given the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award inApril, 2016. Apart from sharing knowledge in the academic settings, Ihave been educating children from underprivileged backgrounds ondifferent dancing skills. I am a classical dance professional trainedin Bharathanatiya. I promote and popularize it as a way of expressingone’s emotions. My passion in sharing what I know with others is aclear confirmation of the fact that I intend to pursue higher levelsof education in order to advance the human understanding of differentconcepts, thus making a positive impact on people’s lives throughteaching.
Myexperiences in professional as well as personal life have taught me alot of lessons that will contribute towards my success in the PhDprogram and future endeavors. My father suffered from a severeMyasthenia Gravis, which is a neuromuscular medical condition, duringthe first semester at Central Michigan University. He got the illnessin 2013 and two years to recover. The situation depressed me and Ihad to repeat a course in quantum mechanics. I felt disturbed inmind, which limited my capacity to prepare adequately for the 2013GRE examinations. I was unable to retake to exams in the same yearsince my father had not recovered. The workload that resulted from mywork as a teaching assistant, one theory class, and three labsreduced the amount of time available to prepare adequately for GRE. Iworked hard to get myself back on track and scored grade A. I startedappreciating the significance of being industrious while undertakingmy undergraduate degree. I was among the best performing students,which helped me receive awards for first position during the 1st(2008/2009) and 2nd(2010/2011) academic years. I also received the same prize forattaining the second place in the third academic year, 2011/2012. Myfather’s condition and my reaction to it demonstrate that I am hardworking and never give up, even in tough conditions. In addition, Imanaged to overcome culture shock when I first came to the U.S. Thisdemonstrates my ability to adapt easily and the willingness to learnnew ideas.
Competentscholars appreciate the significance of sharing new discoveries andconcepts with other players in their respective fields of study. Theyaccomplish this goal through the formal platforms (such asconferences) that are organized by professional bodies. For example,I attended a national workshop on Photonics in 2010, which was anevent that brought together the legends and experts who enlightenedus through their speeches. I was specifically inspired by ProfessorAjoy Ghatak who was a doctoral graduate from the Cornell University.He is a research expert in the fields of quantum mechanics and fiberoptics. Professor Ghatak has also received several prizes (includingthe SPIE Educator award), which helped me learn that the world isalways willing to appreciate hard work. Moreover, I have been amember of the American Astronomical Society since 2016. Thismembership has given me the opportunity to learn new ideas fromexperts in the field of physics and related sciences.
Indeciding to pursue a postgraduate degree at the Central MichiganUniversity, I have been influenced by the emphasis that theinstitution puts on research and lab experiments. I am lookingforward to finding an opportunity to study exoplanets that canpotentially support life, the formation of the solar system,components of habitable world, and other aspects of astrophysics.Additionally, I hope that the program will help me learn more aboutthe dark energy that is believed to speed up the expansion of theuniverse. The supernova, which refers to the stellar explosion thathas the capacity to outshine a while galaxy, is another concept thatI expect to explore in details during my PhD program. Moreover, thecollaborative environment that has been developed by the universitywill allow me to interact with faculties, talented students, andother relevant professionals, who will contribute towards my success.The university will help me achieve my desires in two ways. First,the emphasis put on experiments will increase my ability to engage inscientific research, which will allow me to contribute to theexisting body of knowledge on the solar system and the universe atlarge. Additionally, the knowledge acquired from the universityduring the PhD program will give me a chance to increase my abilityto collaborate with others and share knowledge, which will go a longway in enhancing my teaching experience. In overall, I am confidentthat the course will facilitate the achievement of my two majorgoals, which include making physics an exciting subject andincreasing my capacity to apply scientific evidence in addressing thereal life situations through research.
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