Over the years, I developed a keen interest in basic sciences and mathematics. It was during my 6th grade when I realized the role science and technology played in shaping up life on this planet. Also, being inquisitive and explorative helped me in understanding science in a better way. At the completion of my 10th grade, I had set sights on my career in the field of science and technology. Having performed well at high school, I chose Chemical Engineering, a unique blend of basic sciences and mathematics, as my undergraduate major at SRM University.
Having undergone a fruitful and productive curriculum during my undergraduate studies at SRM University, I have established a solid foundation in the fundamentals of Chemical Engineering. I have undertaken courses like Chemical Process Calculations, Momentum Transfer, Heat Transfer, Mass Transfer, Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, Chemical Reaction Engineering, Transport Phenomena and Process Control. I presented a paper on "Super Critical Water Oxidation", a novel technique to treat effluents from pharmaceutical industries, at a national level students' symposium conducted by St.Peter's University, Chennai in October 2007. The paper threw light on how SCWO process can attain a removal efficiency of up to 99 % and its advantages over the other existing processes.
I underwent a two week in-plant training at Gennex Laboratories Limited, a pharmaceutical company. I was also trained in the effluent treatment section and since I had worked on a paper related to the same field, I was able to relate things easily. I attended a workshop on ASPEN conducted at Anna University, where I learnt how software packages like ASPEN can be used to design and calculate various parameters which cannot be done manually due to the involvement of highly complex calculations. I did my project at the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited (CPCL), Chennai. I was assigned to the Manufacturing LEB section where the de-asphalted oil is extracted from the residue obtained from other sections of the refinery. The main objective of the project was to reduce the energy consumption by altering the solvent feed ratio. The project also involved working out mass balances, energy balances, designing of major equipments and cost estimation. Equipments such as Extractor, double pipe heat exchanger and storage vessel were designed manually by using McCabe-Thiele method and the Kern method.
Since June 2009, I have been working as a research/project assistant at The Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai on the project titled "Biocalorimetric Studies of Protease enzyme synthesis from fungal species". The work involves isolation and characterization of fungi by solid state fermentation. It has been an exciting and a great learning experience for the past four months and I'm sure that this experience will help me in a long way in my future commitments. Apart from Bio-chemical processes, my other areas of interest in the field of Chemical Engineering include Environmental Engineering, Process Modeling and Simulation and Reaction Engineering.
Apart from academics, I have always been an active participant in Co-Curricular and Extra-Curricular activities. I have represented my school cricket team at the national level and have participated in various quiz competitions and Olympiads.
I strongly believe that with a sound technical knowledge and the desire to learn, I am placed in good stead to pursue graduate studies at your esteemed university. I am fully aware of the arduous tasks and challenges that lie ahead and I'm confident that I will match the high standards of your University. With a team of highly distinguished faculties and state-of-art research facilities, I feel Oklahoma State University is an ideal place for me to obtain a Master's degree in Chemical Engineering which will enable me to get a step closer to realizing my ultimate goal, which is to establish myself as a renowned research scholar either in the academic field or in the R & D division in a chemical industry.
Looking forward to be a part of the Chemical Engineering Graduate program at your University
Abishek Venkatakrishnan