STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

I vehemently believe that keeping an explorative attitude and a wide-open mindset is a key to a
constant learning process. As a child, I always felt the melancholy of the fact that structures such as
buildings, roads, dams, and slopes could fail upon the resources invested in their construction and the
adverse environmental effect it may bring to societies. My curiosity led me to comprehend that these
failures are generated from two main causes — Inappropriate use of structural materials and improper
foundation conditions. With less interest in the former, I was intrigued to widen my knowledge on
the earth on which foundations are based and their contribution to supporting structures.

This instinct led me to read Geological Engineering for my first degree. My first rock engineering
class galvanized my interest in geotechnical engineering in my second year. I was exposed to the
various ways in which rocks allow us to achieve amazing engineering successes like building
spectacular dams, underground storage facilities as well as mining deep sustainably. By the end of
the course, I had also come to realize why rocks could fail whether in loaded or unloaded conditions
due to the existence of certain planes of weakness which affects their strength and engineering
behaviors. I was inspired to carry on with studying other properties of rocks and their surficial
weathered products (soils) to enhance me in my geotechnical engineering career.

This broad appreciation of both soils and rocks made me hopeful in pursuing geomechanics and
geotechnics in graduate studies. Courses such as soil mechanics, engineering geology, foundation
engineering, and geotechnical engineering also underscored my fervor to gain a sound understanding
of the behavior of soils and rocks in designing and constructing sustainable engineering works. I have
also taken few opportunities to develop myself through analytical, experimental and numerical based
approaches. My undergraduate research was impactful in the geophysics field of geotechnical
engineering where I did a comparative study of the three common geoelectric resistivity arrays. Due
to the incessant quest for knowledge and my relentless passion for research, I was retained as a
Teaching and Research Assistant in my department. Currently, I am helping my supervisor to
investigate the geologic formation of an area using both the resistivity and seismic methods. This is
to validate the existence of soft material beyond the fresh rock which was encountered at its
approximated depth during a drilling activity in the area. I believe this will help me improve my
analytical skills as a prerequisite asset for graduate studies.

In graduate studies, it is my goal to develop my interest in understanding the behavior of soils and
rock foundations under cyclic and dynamic loads, the stability of earth slopes, designing methods to
accommodate natural and manmade slopes and soil dynamics. I would want to develop a numerical
simulation that mimics stress distribution and rock deformation, the stability of earth slopes and the
effects of groundwater on ground support systems. I would try and compare the findings with the
analytical approach and experimental models to create a holistic design. Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute's Civil and Environmental Engineering program offers me a very good opportunity to realize
this goal because of the advanced research facilities and an appreciable number of faculty conducting
coursework and applied research in geotechnical engineering.

Towards this, I choose to pursue an MSc. in Civil and Environmental Engineering with my major in
Geotechnical Engineering. Having decided that I will engage in the pursuit of a career in research, I
am fully aware of the kind of dedication, resilience and resolve that it calls for. I feel that I am
adequately prepared, both in having the technical qualifications and the right mindset for master's
level research work. I look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute