基本情况：丁同学，清华大学，车辆工程，GPA 85.5，TOEFL 96，GRE 314 

录取学校：Carnegie Mellon University M.S. in Mechanical Engineering 

What I learned in my time as the Deputy Director of Economic Development is that understanding the latest technologies and potential areas for investment is key to making strategic plans for growth and enrichment. The most interesting of the new approaches to technology and innovation that I have encountered in my job is the Intelligent Plant. I have been so intrigued by it as a foundation for developing our national economic districts that I submitted a proposal to study Manufacturing Management in the US and return to my position to implement the necessary elements and realize the Intelligent Plant in China. Ultimately, my goal is to foster the growth of our country in a sustainable way as an outstanding technology innovation leader. My background in engineering, project management and economic development will support my pursuit, as well a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from your university. 

Throughout the undergraduate study of Automotive Engineering in Tsinghua University, I mastered the fundamental knowledge and skills of modern Mechanical Engineering. Hoping to build my capacity of using systematic and science-based techniques to improve decision making in technical management, I pursued a master’s degree in Management Science and Engineering in Tsinghua University. Since graduation, I have served as the Deputy Director of Economic Development in a national economic district and taken charge of laying out detailed development plans for various industries in the district and advancing relevant projects. This experience, especially as project manager, taught me to think from different angles with a rational and composed mindset, and also fostered my pioneering spirit to proactively seek innovation, which I found in the Intelligent Plant. 

Since Intelligent Plant demands the in-depth integration of internet technology with every stage of manufacturing system, including the processes of planning, design, research and development, and production, future manufacturing managers must master both sides. Thus, I expect to carry out thorough study in these two fields, by getting to know different advanced production technologies and processes, including robotics and additive manufacturing, while I simultaneously learn about the Internet of Things and Big Data. Besides, I want to develop additional skills in manufacturing management and logistics to ensure I can advise and optimize businesses we invest in. 

Considering that robotics, as a prosperous manufacturing technology, plays a fundamental role in the building of the Intelligent Plant, I want to conduct research on its role in manufacturing. Although various robotic products have been used in modern industry, more diverse industrial robots of higher performance need to be developed. I anticipate paying visits to factories to form an overall understanding of their demands of industrial robots. Then, I will focus on investigating robots, not only to make them accomplish complex tasks more accurately and swiftly, but also to make smarter communication, judgment, and cooperation when constructing a systematic network in the plant. In doing this, I will strengthen my knowledge of Mechanical Design, Automation, and Computer Science to be capable of designing operating principles of high performance, compatibility and intelligence. I also hope to be able to apply what I have learned by joining in your university’s or some enterprises’ R&D institution while studying. 

Another area which interests me is Additive Manufacturing technology, as it has already profoundly improved industries’ processing precision, automation level and technique integration level, and also been a crucial part of the Intelligent Plant. But several technical problems still exist. For instance, the forming of materials is not precise enough, some kinds of materials are still not capable to be applied, and it is also difficult to mold diverse different materials during one cycle of additive manufacturing. I want to research one of these topics using microscopic observation, physical analysis, mathematical modeling and computer simulation of the materials’ molding process under existing technology, to enhance industries’ processing precision and speed through controlling and optimizing the key elements. Meanwhile, I expect to advance my study of Materials Science, Thermodynamics and Optics, among other Mechanical Engineering studies, and also dabble in other disciplines like Chemistry and Biology, to search for new methods that integrate multi-subject knowledge and deal with varied materials. 

As a leading research university in the field of advanced production technologies and processes, the Department of Mechanical Engineering in your College of Engineering is the ideal place for me to pursue my interests. Your research in Additive Manufacturing is just in accord with my academic interest. Your cutting-edge research directions like Professor Jack Beuth’s Additive Manufacturing Mapping Method greatly attract me. I look forward to interacting with him to learn more about his research progresses in the Additive Manufacturing Lab and NextManufacturing Center, as well as his extensive product experience. Also, through conducting modeling of Additive Manufacturing, exploring its application in control system and automotive industry, and optimizing assembly for AM processes in the Lab, I will profoundly enhance both my comprehension of AM’s theories and progresses, and its practical applications. What’s more, your sustainable technology innovations like Professor Jeremy Michalek and Jay Whitacre’s researches on electrified vehicles and battery technology intrigue me. Besides from technical innovations, they have also spent great efforts in studying macro questions like product life-cycle and policy analysis, which can help people like me who wants to be a manufacturing manager to both improve technical capability and form an all-round view of industry. 

My decision to pursue a master’s degree has undergone careful consideration and I am confident that I have sound academic preparation for it. During both my undergraduate and graduate study in Tsinghua University, I expended great efforts on building my knowledge of mathematics and honing my programming skills. Above all, my experience of writing two theses demonstrates my capability of performing independent research. In 2010, I built an experiment system for a Ph.D. student’s project on electric vehicle shifting without clutch motion in our department’s Electric Vehicle Laboratory. I applied machine design on the control mechanism for shifting gears and some of the connecting components, used machine drawing to make manufacturing blueprints, and assembled the whole system by myself. For my graduate thesis, I independently researched the Distribution Network and Facility Location Optimization with Multi-stage Inventory. I optimized the facility location, distribution network and ordering batch of a multi-stage inventory system with safety stocks, and designed a nonlinear mixed-integer model. Eventually, I developed the single-stage inventory in Professor Zuojun Max Shen’s classic model into a multi-stage one, applicable to more practical cases.

What my past research experience demonstrates is my ability to balance multiple projects and conduct in-depth investigations of topics that can have an impact on the way people live. Supporting the development of the Intelligent Plant demands not only that ability but a rich set of knowledge and skills in modern manufacturing processes and internet technology, including robotics and additive manufacturing. I am confident that I have both the willpower and the strength to earn an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering at your Department, equipping myself with the capability to realize my short-term and long-term goals.