In Singapore, Chemical Engineering is always associated with the petroleum refinery industry as Singapore is one of the largest petroleum refinery hubs in the world. However, my exchange programme to the University of Calgary, Canada, has totally changed my perception of the roles which a Chemical Engineer can play in the various industries. At the university, I did two contrasting technical modules: Principles of Biochemical Engineering and Petroleum Refining and Upgrading. By doing the two modules concurrently, I was able to contrast the application of the chemical engineering concepts in the two entirely different areas. From the Biochemical Engineering module, I realized that Chemical Engineering is not just restricted to petroleum refining and I began to find interest in the biochemical aspects of Chemical Engineering.
Upon my return from my exchange programme, I applied for a self-initiated final year project with a specialisation in Biomolecular Engineering, on the topic of “Algae Powered Bioenergy”. The objective of the project was to optimize the growth of the algal cells. Through the project, I was able to see the different aspects of chemical engineering; the chemical aspect from the process of medium preparation from the chemicals, the biological aspect from cell handling and finally, the engineering aspect from designing the cultivating system. The process to completion of the project was tedious as I did not have any background in microbiology and I was working on the project without the supervision of any postgraduate students. At the end of the project, I designed the protocol for the handling and growth characterization of the algal species, Chlorella Vulgaris. I also established a standard curve to relate dry algal biomass to the optical densities of the cells, which has facilitated the research works of other researchers in the field. I believed that it was due to the skills which I have acquired from my life experiences, which enabled me to complete the project.
Through my involvement in participation in the various activities and my temporary job experience, I developed my written and verbal communication skills as I have to disseminate information accurately to the members and participants. My communication skills were further enhanced when I undertook a professional communication module in my university. From the module, I learnt about the importance of effective verbal and written communication skills as they were essential for tasks to be performed efficiently. In addition, as I had to undertake multiple roles in various club projects simultaneously, I also learnt to multi-task and be more organized.
Apart from participating in the club activities, I also enjoyed running long distances. I have since completed two major marathons, namely the Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon and the Sundown Marathon. My marathon experiences not only taught me great perseverance, they also taught me how to overcome physical challenges to achieve my goals.
I believe my life experiences so far has equipped me with the necessary skills and knowledge to take on greater challenges and I am prepared to further my knowledge in the biochemical aspects in Chemical Engineering. I hope that upon the completion of the study, I will be ready to take on the job as a Chemical Engineer in the biochemical related field. I find this profession a perfect match to my interest, values and lifestyle expectations and see it as a lifelong profession.
5 days ago
Dear Xiuling,
ReplyDeleteAt first when I looked at your post I wondered why no one had commented. I immediately went to other posts to see what the response rate was. It seemed like most posts had an average of 2 or 3 comments already. Then I wondered again what made this one comment-free.
Do you have any idea? (I hope it's not because I highlighted all the good comments you had made on the last posts!)
In any case, this is a well developed statement, one that presumes a request from a potential employer in your field. That's fine, especially if this can be put to use in the future. Certainly the first two paragraphs will be most interesting to someone in biochemical engineering.
My only reservation about this particular statement is that is sounds a bit like the application letter.
One other comment is that you should pay attention to your use of word initial capital letters in words/phrases such as an engineer and engineering. Those are not proper nouns (names) but common ones. Contrast those with words/phrases that you do capitalize properly: Principles of Biochemical Engineering, University of Calgary, Singapore Standard Chartered Marathon and Algae Powered Bioenergy.
In any case, this is a fine effort. Thank you!
Dear Brad,
ReplyDeleteI do not have any idea why my post is comment-free. Perhaps, it is less interesting as compared to the posts from the rest.
I have edited my post by inserting some sentences to add some personal touch to this personal statement and have changed the words which were captitalised wrongly. Hopefully, my post is better now.
Thank you.