Sample SOP – Chemical Engineering
First Draft
Statement of Purpose: Penn State
I pursued a winter internship with Yojana Intermediates Pvt. Ltd. As a Logistics intern, the plant in which I worked was the assembly point between where the chemicals were manufactured and where they were to be delivered delivered. I was responsible for the on-field in-bound logistics and out-bound logistics. Additionally, I ran weekly audits and quality checks of the entire warehouse, which included maintaining a standard quality of the products. I presented a comprehensive report on the key performance factors like lower production time and faster delivery of the product to the customers. Through this internship, I learned the crucial role logistics play in the efficient functioning of any industry. I understood how inventory control, optimization of resources and operations research are implemented
Adding to that I did an internship in Vinati organics Ltd. as an engineering trainee. My responsibilities were assisting in managing the logistics of import and export of chemicals such as Isobutyl Benzene (IBB), 2-Acrylamido 2 Methyl propane Sulfonic Acid (ATBS), and Isobutylene (IB). Acquiring of shipping bill and bill of entry at the docs, where the containers are loaded and unloaded on the vessel. I was occasionally responsible for the supervision of stuffing and de-stuffing of the containers with the required chemicals.
Receiving an opportunity to engage in such professional endeavour to advancing my knowledge in my chosen domain through graduate studies. Following graduation, I would like to work as a supply chain analyst at companies like Logitech, XPO Logistics, and DHL and be engaged in managing supply chains, analysing data and strategizing ways to optimize sales and services; leading to an increase in profits. In the long term, I wish to start a business that will focus on consulting various companies and firms, shaping their supply chain network, audit and detained reports of Inventory control improving warehouse logistics, for the sole purpose of minimizing costs and maximizing profit.
My theoretical understanding of the domain of Chemical Engineering was developed during my undergrad education. Computer programming and Numerical methods and structured programming approach got me interested in differential and integral calculus, Computer programming in C++, control structures, developing, expressing and debugging algorithms. I was also introduced to Scilab in my practicals, which helped me strengthened my knowledge in programming and designing and simulation software such as AutoCAD, AutoCAD Plant 3D, DWSIM. Through Engineering Economics, I was introduced to Demand and supply analysis, cost accounting, economic growth and Process Optimization based on economic evaluation. Another course, Operations research (the most crucial in helping build my foundation for pursuing industrial engineering), acquainted me with linear and dynamic programming, simulations, optimization using methods such as simplex, dual simplex and decision-making concepts. To gain knowledge beyond the classroom, I am currently enrolled in an online course, Supply chain management, on Coursera.
My undergrad education gave me an opportunity to do various projects. Being conscientious about our usage of products like Aerol Graphite, Pressol Graphite powder are some of the dry lubricants and how it could be detrimental to the environment, I worked on the manufacturing of ‘Bio Lubricant: Polyalkylene Glycol’ in the final year. My team and I designed and fabricated a manufacturing unit process for producing Polyalkylene Glycol that replaced the already existing chemically hazardous lubricants with equally efficient and economical bio-lubricants. Designing an efficient and economically viable manufacturing process to produce this lubricant was challenging. We are currently testing processes and reinforced raw materials, correspondingly running tests for the optimum parameters for the manufacturing process, to select the most optimum material and processes.
Moreover, I led two projects (which entered in a national level competition) which involved the designing and fabrication of an industry standard plate-type heat exchanger and a cooling tower. The plate-type heat exchanger could be used in the dairy industry, built using stainless steel plates, silicone gel gasket along with rubber gasket and a wooden framework to maintain the pressure on the plates, could help reduce heat of the milk. The cooling tower was aimed at reducing the temperature of water to be used in chemical industries. Selecting materials within our budgetary constraints which do not compromise on efficiency was challenging. Both machines were successfully tested. The plate-type heat exchanger is currently being used to teach the heat transfer phenomenon by our college department.
An opportunity to intern at Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited, I learned about the Manufacturing of Ammonia produced as a raw material for the manufacturing of chemicals like Sulphuric acid, Phosphoric acid, and Nitric acid. Here, I worked on a report and conducted investigation of various catalysts using the catalysis process and contact process for Ammonia. This internship taught me about the processes, quality checks and safety measures that are necessary in a Chemical company along with its recent adaptation to automation, also I came to know that even established companies give importance to research as there is always scope for improvement. They also gave me a glimpse of the daily challenges that a chemical manufacturing company faces. Moreover, my association with public relations sector at Procam Internationals, which organizes the international TATA Mumbai, Marathon, saw me taking up a freelance job. Appointed as the media centre manager, I coordinated various sectors such as fabrication, technical, human resources etc. in order to have a smooth flow of all the conferences and meetings held in the Media-centre. This elevated my interpersonal and critical thinking skills. During the pandemic, I pursued a virtual internship at Pi-Infocomm where, as a trainee engineer, I was trained to use software such as AutoCAD and AutoCAD Plant 3D. After the training period, I became proficient in designing chemical equipment and pipeline layout diagrams.
. Contributing to the wellbeing of the society, I taught underprivileged kids subjects like English and Mathematics. During the pandemic, I was part of the Ideation team of a Non-Governmental Organization, “U&I” to come up with ways to provide education to children. Moreover, believing in the importance of maintain mental health, I was a member of “The Tie club – college well-being,” a mental health initiative. Here, I organised various activities like online meet-ups and discussions with professionals. Moreover, my membership with the “Indian institute of chemical engineers,” a technical committee, saw me participating in debates and technical events. Two of my projects entered in competitions organised by them. I was also the winner of the regional finals of the Quiz competition organized by the Indian Institute of technology, Bombay and, as the marketing and event management head for my university’s sports department, organised a national level 8 km dream run through the scenic parts of Mumbai.
A master’s in Industrial engineering from Penn state University will help me to attain the required skills. I am immensely interested in courses like Operational research, Computational foundation of smart systems and applied scholastic Processes. I have read a few publications of professor Uday V. Shanbhag, the one that most fascinated me was his contribution to the Solution of Stochastic Optimization and Variation Problems in Imperfect Information Regimes. Professor Terry Friesz’s research on the bi-level model of dynamic traffic signal control with continuum approximation, intrigued me the most and I am looking forward in learning more about it. I am also keen on expanding my horizons as a student, thus I am interested to join student bodies such as the Engineering club and THON which aims to conquer paediatric cancer.
Be it my professional, personal, or the time I spend in the society I always pause and look back and try to find a different perspective which makes me an outside the box person, a person who doesn’t run away from taking ownership of his work and help in any way possible. My attitude in all aspects of life is to not be scared to make mistakes but at the same time be a constant learner at each of those mistakes. The culture at __________ is what resonates with what I am and academic interests, I am sure, the quality knowledge and the impeccable guidance I will gain at ____________ will mould me to be in the learning mode all my life, thus opening a way for constant growth as a person and as a professional and to fulfil my belief to give back to society more than what I take from it.
Final Draft
Statement of Purpose: Penn State
Back in my school days, I was completely gripped by television shows like ‘How it’s made’ and ‘Food tech’ that showcased the transportation of raw materials from manufacturing units to processing plants through a meticulously streamlined supply chain and logistics network, which seeded my interest in Industrial engineering. My penchant for this field only grew with time and the recent COVID-19-induced lockdown helped me gauge the significance of a robust supply chain in sustaining businesses, economies, and human lives in the event of wide-scale disruptions in the transportation of raw materials, intermediaries, and semi-finished and finished goods. In the contemporary scenario, it is imperative for businesses to develop a robust and agile supply chain, by devising novel strategies and implementing dynamic methodologies to counter any black swan events. My relevant experience and growing affinity for supply chain management propel me to pursue a Master’s in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University.
Following graduation, I want to work as an Industrial Engineer or Supply Chain Analyst at companies like Logitech, XPO Logistics, and DHL, focusing on optimizing critical processes in global supply chain management through point to point data analysis. In the long term, I wish to start a consultancy focusing on providing holistic supply chain solutions to organizations, enabling them to streamline their existing supply chain networks, audit inventory control reports, improve warehouse logistics, and play a decisive role in minimizing the production costs and profits. My choice of pursuing a Master’s program will help me actualize my career goals amidst the emerging industrial scenario in India. Through its policy and regulatory initiatives, the government of India has embarked upon a massive drive to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and make India a ‘manufacturing hub’ in the global arena. Hence, I foresee an enormous scope in the field of Industrial Engineering. Through my graduate studies, I wish to gain thorough knowledge about the latest concepts and further implement them to improve the current industrial scenario.
My proclivity for Industrial Engineering was amplified through a winter internship with Yojana Intermediates, a chemical manufacturing company situated in Lothe. As a Logistics intern, I worked at the assembly point where finished goods are shipped out to distributors or retailers. Assisting my supervisor, I oversaw the transportation logistics and ensured timely delivery of the finished products (chemicals). I also played an active role in inspecting the goods’ packaging, aligning the goods for quality check, and ensuring that the goods met the customer requirements and safety standards. With a background in chemical engineering, I also audited the raw material inventory every week, furnished a detailed report on the same, and presented it to my manager, facilitating the company in maintaining a lean, efficient and responsive supply chain. With due guidance from the Plant manager, I contributed to the important aspects of the supply chain, such as warehouse and inventory management, quality control and optimization of key performance indicators, and streamlining processes, leading to reduced costs and overall performance improvement.
Subsequently, I interned at Vinati Organics Ltd. as an engineering trainee. This role involved working under the Logistics head’s guidance in managing the logistics of import and export of chemicals, such as Isobutyl Benzene (IBB)and Isobutylene (IB) routed from the company’s manufacturing plants. Using an Excel sheet, I maintained a record trail of associated activities comprising shipping bills, bill of entry, and container loading, to provide a real-time operation analysis to the management. Frequent coordination with various functional heads honed my communication skills. This internship imparted an in-depth understanding of the supply chain’s administrative aspects and affirmed my interest in pursuing a supply chain career.
A keen interest in developing environmentally sustainable solutions inspired me to work on the manufacturing of ‘Bio Lubricant: Polyalkylene Glycol’ as part of my final year project. As a team effort, we are designing and fabricating a manufacturing process to replace the use of existing hazardous lubricants with their eco-friendly variants. This project aims to deliver an efficient and economically viable lubricants’ manufacturing process, which, in addition to being bio-friendly, is equally effective and economical compared to the conventional one. We are currently manufacturing with different processes, selecting the most efficient and cost-effective solution and reinforcing raw materials, i.e., combining various materials with required properties in our processes, and subsequently running tests to optimize the requisite process parameters while selecting the most optimum materials and methods. Based on thermodynamic feasibility and the calculation via energy balance, we are constantly optimizing unit processes used to create the manufacturing process’s building blocks. Working on this project made me realize the scope, finer nuances, and manifold benefits of process optimization in businesses, from economic to environmental perspectives.
The robust foundation for the master’s degree laid during my undergrad education. Studying Computer programming, Numerical methods, and structured programming approach introduced me to differential and integral calculus, programming in C++, control structures, developing, expressing, and debugging algorithms. Using Scilab during practicals enhanced my understanding of programming, designing, and simulation software such as AutoCAD, AutoCAD Plant 3D, and DWSIM. Engineering Economics introduced me to Demand and supply analysis, cost accounting, economic growth, and Process Optimization based on economic evaluation. Operations research familiarized me with linear and dynamic programming, simulations, methods such as simplex, dual-simplex, and decision-making concepts and affirmed my interest in industrial engineering. To augment my knowledgebase, I have currently enrolled for an online course, Supply chain management, on Coursera.
Keen on contributing beyond the realm of academics, I actively engaged in extracurricular activities. As part of a social endeavor, I taught subjects like English and Mathematics to underprivileged kids. With the pandemic derailing education, I engaged with the Ideation team of a Non-Governmental Organization, “U&I” to come up with innovative approaches to educate children during the pandemic. As a firm believer in mental well being, I served as a member of “The Tie club – college well-being,” a mental health initiative. Here, I organized various activities like online meet-ups and discussions with professionals. Moreover, my membership with the “Indian institute of chemical engineers,” a technical committee, saw me participating in debates and technical events. Two of my projects qualified for competitions organized by the committee. I also won the regional finals of the Quiz competition organized by the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay. Working as the marketing and event management head for my university’s sports department, I organized a national level 8 km dream run in Mumbai.
While the wide-range applicability of industrial engineering fascinates me, I am now keen to develop an integrated understanding of the supply chain’s functional, business, and technical aspects to service businesses and industries sustainably and seamlessly. A master’s in Industrial engineering from Penn State University will help me achieve my stated objectives. I am particularly interested in courses like Operational research, Computational foundation of smart systems, and Applied Scholastic Processes, to gain a specialized understanding of delivering process improvements using technological interventions. I have read a few publications by ProfessorUday V. Shanbhag, and the one that most fascinates me is based on the Solution of Stochastic Optimization and Variation Problems in Imperfect Information Regimes. Professor Terry Friesz’s research on the bi-level model of dynamic traffic signal control with continuum approximation inspires me, and I look forward to learning more about the research outcome. I am also keen on expanding my horizons as a student by serving student bodies such as the Engineering club and THON, which aim to conquer paediatric cancer.
Be it in my professional, personal, or social endeavors, I have always exhibited out-of-the-box thinking and a proactive approach, which are crucial for addressing the challenges prevailing in today’s uncertain business environment. I am confident that the rich academic setting at ____________ university will mold me into a competent professional and enable me to emerge as a valuable alumnus for the institution in the ensuing future.
