The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.
--My Motto
While I was still as freshman in 1991, I took part in a project in which a milling machine design done by Germans with CAD technology twenty years before was closely duplicated. Staring at the German blueprints, I was struck dumbfounded by the technological gap between the world's leading industrial countries and my motherland. That experience has been goading me to delve deeper and deeper into research of Mechanical Engineering ever since. I felt then that it was my responsibility to help close the gap. Over seven years has passed, and I am glad to say that I have done my share to my country's technological progress in my field. But to actually help put my country at a technological par with that of the West, I must receiver advanced education in a Western university. For that, I am now applying for Ph. D. studies in your distinguished program.
Born into a family of academics, I was regarded as a gifted boy in my childhood, as I kept bugging my parents for books of history, nature and science to read when my friends were still engrossed in cartoons and bedtime stories. Watching my intellectual growth closely, my parents always obliged my request.
On the strength of my performance in the National University Entrance Examinations, I gained acceptance in 1990 into the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Huadong Institute of Technology (HDIT), a significant cradle of engineering talents based in Shanghai, the country's economic capital. But I did not confine myself to taking courses in my department. In order to satisfy my curiosity in modern science and science and enrich my knowledge, I learned not only the fundamentals of Mechanical Science such as mechanics, metals, process and materials, but also some other courses like Discrete Mathematics. Advanced Algebra, Group Theory etc by auditing them in other departments. My overall GPA was consistently among the top 5% and I received consecutive scholarships for all four years, including Excellent Undergraduate Scholarship of HDIT, the highest honor conferred only to the most distinguished and promising student in an overall evaluation.
Thanks to my strong academic record in my undergraduate studies, I won admission into the Maser's Program of Mechanical Engineering at the Zhejiang University (ZJU), currently the country's largest higher-learning institution. I was waived the normally mandatory Admission Test. Focusing my research on Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing, I achieved an overall GPA that was undisputably the best in my class of 30 students. In recognition of my achievements, I was awarded the Guanghua Scholarship, the highest scholarship at ZJU, in two consecutive academic years (1995,1996).
Shortly after my enrollment at ZJU, I was assigned as a research assistant to Professor XXX, Vice President of ZJU in the university's CAD Center. Because of my apparent academic strengths, I was encouraged to independently engage in solving the two-dimension irregular shape layout problem in terms of the application of mathematical model of optimization. Through nearly one year hardworking, I came up with three kinds of two-phase heuristic algorithms and a new geometrically-based algorithm.
In October, 1995, our research team began to take part in a project Integrated CAD/CAM System for Sheet Metal, part of the country's strategic high-tech development program, dubbed the 863 Program. I first developed the Flat Parts Layout Tool on the basis of my layout algorithms. I then developed a 3D Parts Unfolding Tool, which can convert the part initial 3-D model to 2-D pattern automatically by focusing on the research of anti-process of unfolding: bending process and creating a library of parametric typical shapes. Finally, we developed a software package Inte-SheetMetal, using AutoCAD as the graphic interface and C++ as the main programming language.
While I was doing the above project, I finished my Master's thesis: "Research and Implementation of Sheet Metal Part Unfolding and Optimal Layout", which proposed a new approach of obtaining 2-D pattern from 3-D design model and generating certain layout schemes for process planning and manufacturing.
Since my graduation in July1997, I have been working as a Research Engineer by the Engineering Design Research Laboratory, CERIS. The primary goal of research conducted in this lab is to develop Engineering Design methodologies and techniques to permit rapid, accurate, conservative design and fabrication of present-day mechanical products.
As a member of the lab's staff, I have participated in the GaoHua-601 Project, a large project supported by the China National Ministry of Machine Building Industry. Its goal is to develop many rapid-prototyping systems that will produce prototype parts from concept models as soon as possible. Perhaps because I was familiar with the fatal drawback of conventional CAD/CAM systems, I witched my interest to emphasizing "How to improve the information exchange between design and manufacturing processes?" and thus chose the subproject: "Feature Based Technology in Injection Molding Design."
Based on the RPDS (Rapid Product Design System ) other researchers have developed within the Pro/Engineer software environment, I modified the basic data structure of part model and proposed a novel Unified Structure Model (USM). Characterized by its geometric feature parameters and non-geometric feature parameters such as material, process etc., this model provides an efficient framework to maintain the whole product development process. Currently, I am developing a special feature "Definition & Recognition" based on the USM with the help of two members of our research team. In general, I have been developing most of the core models and responsible for integrating all the models into a prototype system. Through these experiences, I have learned the most valuable lessons in my study and work: diligence, team spirit and creativity are the three necessities for successful research work, and I am now confident that I can embark on research work in a new field.
As the world awaits the onset of the 21st century, mechanical engineering is playing an ever-increasing role in serving global needs. As mechanical engineers, we should be able to conceive, plan, design, and direct the manufacture, distribution, and operation of a wide variety of devices, machines and systems for energy conversion, aerospace applications, environmental control, and many other applications. In doing all or any of this, we are necessarily involved in computer-aided design and manufacturing, product development, theoretical and applied research.
The Mechanical Engineering Department of University of XXX, known for its meticulous work ethics and stimulating academic atmosphere, is the place I have long admired. I am sure that my enterprising spirit, under the seasoned guidance of your distinguished faculty, will translate into knowledge and expertise beneficial to both United States and China.
My degree objective is Ph. D, and my major academic interest lies in the following areas: 1) CAD/CAM/CAPP, 2) Computer Graphics & Simulation, 3) Feature-based Design, 4) Design Optimization, 5) Sheet Metal Production, 6) Die and mould Design & Manufacturing. There are several reasons I am confident that I can do well in the courses and research work relating to these areas. Firstly, I have been involved in Mechanical Engineering for about eight years and gained a lot of tremendous experiences in such diverse such as automation and computer. Furthermore, through the "work and study" experiences, I have accumulated lots of practical and theoretical knowledge, not only from books but also from actual work in my interested fields. Finally, I know that I am a quicker learner, and I tend to assimilate new materials in relative ease and speed. This will equip me well to meet the rigorous academic challenge posed in your curriculum.
If I am lucky enough to be admitted and financially supported by your esteemed university, I would like to spend three to four years pursuing my Ph.D. in the above areas. After completion of the studies, I will return to my motherland and contribute my learning to improving my country's mechanical industry.
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