Statement of Intent a part of the application for MS program in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering "He had a suspicion of plausible answers; they were so often wrong." – Arthur C. Clarke, Rendezvous with Rama. I believe that the above words of sci-fi writer Arthur Clarke have multiple connotations – to life, human nature or science. Or even computational studies. Higher ideologies aside, I am certain that I had always possessed a predilection towards fields that involved a scientific mindset – fields that required great humility along with the obvious and much needed eagerness to learn. If mere fascination for all things that flew wasn’t enough, the child in me always dreamt of doing a space-walk someday. Like for any other student, fascination became one of the key things to drive me toward majoring in science in my Higher Secondary Education. I was always interested in the physics of things- right from the time that I had made my first completely-mechanical seismograph in school to the time I made an Ornithopter in college, it was always a delight to see how a simple set of physical laws (re-write ‘governing equations’) attribute to things that become a sight to behold. I believe that for a student of science to grow, fascination gets transformed into a respect for underlying principles and concepts that define any process in nature; or as thermodynamics puts it- an irreversible process. This preference and inclination during this phase of education led me to take up what felt like the only logical pathway toward any self-made goals – Mechanical Engineering; a degree that I am still pursuing this degree at the undergraduate level at SASTRA University, Thanjavur. I believe this was the phase that transfor... ... middle of paper ... ... studies and beyond. I believe that I am not one such who is simply fascinated and hence wishes to enroll. Rather I believe to be one who is humble and who acknowledges the constant-learning process. I am very confident of my ability to apply myself toward a directed field. In the future I wish to research the flow over and flight of airships. The 2010 literature review by Li, Nahon and Sharf has given new hope to these forgotten aircrafts. I believe OSU has the ideal facilities and faculty to take me closer to my dream. Computational software gives us some quite ‘pretty looking’ results. But I am well aware of the saying that any person who has studied CFD would know – “Garbage in, garbage out”. I believe that I possess the right mindset to enter the graduate program and I assure you that given the opportunity I shall emerge out with great results.
...ing fascinating about science, one gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such trifling investments of fact."
I was recently accepted into the Exploratory Studies college at NC State, and am beyond excited to hopefully continue my academic career at NC State University. Although I am currently undecided on my major, I've shown the most interest in math and science related subjects, and hope to pursue similar avenues of study at State through the Exploratory Studies program. I am interested in exploring different career paths that I may have not yet considered, and believe that this program will provide me with the resources necessary to truly discover what I want to do for the rest of my life. Although I currently do not have any specific career objectives, I am confident that I will leave NC State prepared to build a successful career, regardless of my eventual major. I am excited at how much NC State and the Exploratory Studies college has to offer, and hope to eventually graduate with the experience and knowledge to begin a professional career.
The talk is about the importance of overcoming obstacles, enabling the dreams of others and of truly enjoying every single moment of life. The talk follows a sequence of events starting from the childhood dreams of Dr. Pausch reflecting his self-awareness as he talks about various life lessons learnt, and how one’s life is shaped and molded by various life experiences both good and bad. Dr. Pausch lists his childhood dreams and takes the audience through what he learnt from each of those in dreams in either achieving them or failing to achieve them while trying. Some of his dreams include experiencing zero gravity, publishing articles in the World Book Encyclopedia and winning stuffed animals in theme parks, which he does achieve in life and talks about the sense of accomplishment and the pride one takes in achieving something you always wanted as a child. For example when his research team submitted a proposal for the ‘Vomit Comet’ project at NASA , Dr. Pausch discovered that only students are allowed to experience zero gravity part of the program. Nevertheless he relentlessly pursues to challenge the process while ensuring innovative ...
The contemporary world is full of marvels. Technological advances have enabled mankind to fly in the heavens, instantaneously communicate with distant relatives thousands of miles away, construct buildings that are able to withstand many natural disasters, cure deadly diseases, and even travel to and study areas beyond the confines of planet Earth. While there are many factors that contributed to man’s ability to overcome what many once thought were impossible feats, it is the study of engineering that has enabled one to study the elements and leverage all that they have to offer. Mathematics lies at the heart of all science, including engineering. Without progressions in mathematical concepts, engineering principles and applications would not have advanced as quickly as they have throughout history.
. . . the truths whose discovery has cost the most effort, which at first could be grasped only by men capable of profound thought, are soon carried further and proved by methods that are no longer beyond the reach of ordinary intelligence. (Condorcet)
it is useful to recall one of Arthur C. Clarke's more famous ideas, which is
From a very young age, I have enjoyed reading a wide spectrum of topics. However, during high school, I had become preoccupied with physics during my studies and readings, and so I began to focus my attention upon the materials that further shed light on the science. The more I read, the more I became intrigued with the interrelations between matter, energy, and time and space motion illustrated through the science. Therefore, motivated to become one of Saudi Arabia’ few female physicists, upon graduating from high school I opted to major in the science that captivated me like no other....
Ever since I was a child, I have had a great interest for the automotive industry. From car trivia to novel innovations, my innate passion for the automotive industry has always made me research the minutest detail of every vehicle that interested me. Since elementary school I would draw sketches of cars which incorporated technology which were unheard of at that time; novel devices such as electrochromic windshields, HUD displays, and wind turbines which would constantly re-generate electricity for the car. While growing up, my hobbies largely consisted of constructing countless Lego and Meccano sets, and repairing my mom’s 19 year-old car. In middle school, math and science were my favorite subjects: applying science and mathematics to solve real-world problems has fascinated me and I have also taken further steps to reach my goals. By the age of thirteen I devised a scaled model of a heliostat power plant, which successfully powered a light bulb. The mathematics beyond the focus points of parabolic dishes and thermodynamics was very advanced for my age, but I took up the challenge...
My undergraduate degree at DTU has laid the groundwork for me through a well-designed curriculum that has helped me develop...
During the seventeenth century, the modern science of physics started to emerge and become a widespread tool used around the world. Many prominent people contributed to the build up of this fascinating field and managed to generally define it as the science of matter and energy and their interactions. However, as we know, physics is much more than that. It explains the world around us in every form imaginable. The study of physics is a fundamental science that helps the advancing knowledge of the natural world, technology and aids in the other sciences and in our economy. Without the field of physics, the world today would be a complete mystery, everything would be different because of the significance physics has on our life as individuals and as a society.
One of the memories of my childhood I deeply cherish is that of my first visit to my father's small scale factory.Exploring the machinery which made my goal more easier and my dad sharing his experiences about the working of machines made me to grew up grossing my interest towards them. That was the time i chose to get into the field of mechanical.As a child, I was always intrigued by the working of complex mechanisms and equipment. I used to spend a lot of time trying to explore and figure out their principle. In school
An ambition to learn and grow and having passion for engineering have prompted me to go in for graduate studies. Chasing my Dreams! While growing up at a young age I was always intrigued by objects that produced mechanical work and energy be it prime movers such as automobiles, construction and mining equipment, turbo machinery such as jet engines, space shuttles or complex mechanisms of mechanical watches, I used to spend a lot of time trying to learn and figure out their basis and propositions, it was necessary for me to explore my inner conscience to understand my fascination towards machines and their ingenuity, Mechanical engineering seemed a direct consequence of my convictions. I have always admired my father as a civil engineer and his hard work and struggles throughout his life; He has always been a role model for me. He motivated me to pursue my dreams so I decided to pursue my undergraduate study in Mechanical Engineering
At the start of my undergraduate education, I was taken aback by what I had ahead of me. Now finally out of high school, a bevy of opportunities suddenly sprang themselves upon me. I was faced with the questions of what classes to take, what to study, what to participate in, how to fend for myself, how to accomplish my goals, and countless others. After struggling with these monumental questions, I realized that, in fact, nothing had changed. I was still the same person I had always been, only now presented with much more opportunity and room to grow. Thus, rather than continuing to flounder in grandiose thought, I began to experience what only a university can offer, by embracing the infinite potential presented to me.
While I was in high school, not only was I an active volunteer in several activities such as food drives and helping those in need, in addition to community work, but also I became invested in engineering sciences due to my perceptions regarding the importance of electrical engineering to an emerging industrial country such as mine. Therefore, as I was to graduate soon, I decided to specialize in this science as a student and future professional. Fortunately, through my undergraduate studies, not only did I found the science to be highly intriguing and vast giving way access to endless disciplines, but I have also found that it is very much correlated to numerous other sciences. This observation prompted me to further delve in my studies to become one day a well-informed engineer.
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand” (Albert Einstein). Albert Einstein’s claim could be broken down into two segments; one is defining the term knowledge as being “limited to all we know” and the second defines imagination as “embracing the entire world.” His words are not meant to attack any other scientist out there, all he meant was that imagination initiates our curiosity which leads us to conduct studies that eventually reveal information that we know as knowledge. Come to think of it, all great breakthroughs in history came from these ‘Eureka’ moments instead of solely reason of logic.