Statement of Purpose-UIUC

Yashika Agarwalla M.S. in Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Fall 2013 The whole idea that scarcity of water would stir up the Third World War itself speaks volumes about environment’s need to be preserved. My interest to pursue master’s in Environmental Engineering first took shape in my third semester while working on my seminar on “Green Buildings”. As an undergraduate at the Civil Engineering Department of Nirma University, I was introduced to a wide gamut of subjects but it was environmental engineering that enraptured me the most! What encourages me the most to take up this field is that in the face of today’s deteriorating environment, relentless efforts are to be made to preserve its tranquility. With the increasing awareness of the importance of environmental protection, environmental control is developing into a new industry with a promising prospect. But, it is only through master’s would I be able to specialize into this field. With the desire to delve deeper into this timely important subject, I took up “Sustainable Building Technologies” as an elective during my 7th semester which only continued to strengthen my passion to take up this field. This course brought me in close association with the available & other evolving green technologies. Talking in civil diction, a good technical career can only be built upon a firm academic foundation fostered by world class education, pragmatic and comprehensive learning and enriching peer collaboration. The environmental engineering course at Nirma University touched upon various aspects. But now while entering into a graduate program I wish to streamline into the field of Environmental fluid mechanics & hydrology. The Environmental Engineering graduate program with specialization in Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering offered at University of Illionois, Urbana Champaign would provide me with the ample resources and a conducive environment to hone myself and acquire the knowledge, tools and fundamentals necessary to be a successful environmental academician and consultant. An MS Degree from University of Illinois’s premiere setup could be a key step towards my aim to be a successful environmental consultant in my country India. Marred by a rapid development spree over the last decade, India faces serious environmental issues, the aspect am interested the most is flood prevention , impact of changing meteorology on hydrology & sustainable use of water. Coming from Assam, a flood prone area of India, I have witnessed massive catastrophes and losses of life and property each year. I aspire to bring a positive difference in the lives of my people through my knowledge. Articulating about my research work, my paper on ‘Impact of the changing Urban Meteorology on Human Thermal Comfort in Ahmedabad ’in association with Indian Meteorological Department , Ahmedabad under my professor, Mr. Anurag Kandya was presented at the International Conference on Urban Climate 8 , Dublin , Ireland in August 2012. This task helped me improve my analyzing skills & got me to the grassroots of environment phenomenon influencing climatic conditions & also helped me build on Excel skills. As a part of my 7th undergraduate thesis, I’ve taken up the topic of ‘A Time Series Comparative Analysis of Human Thermal Comfort of the Megacities of India Using Bio-meteorological Indices’ in the context of emerging urbanization trends. On the basis of former paper, this study has been extended to Indian megacities all four having undergone massive urbanization in the past. I have established the changing trends in temperature using Man Kendall Test and have used trends in Thom and Sipel & Passel Indices to associate effect of relative humidity and wind speed respectively on temperature. The trends observed were then linked with the urbanization trends of the city. Another achievement came my way when another module of my former work on “The Changing Climate of Ahmedabad City: A Scientific Perspective Based on Multivariate Analysis” in the form of a poster was presented at the Third National Conference on Climate Change 3-4 November, 2012 organized by the Indian Climate Research Network (ICRN). At UIUC, Professor Megan Konar’s work on analyzing

how climate change is anticipated to dramatically alter rainfall and crop yield patterns, and trade pattern in particular, seems very insightful as it would help my work discover new levels under his expert guidance.

Yashika Agarwalla M.S. in Environmental Hydrology and Hydraulic Engineering, Fall 2013

During my third year of under-graduation, my work on “Air Pollution Management through Innovations in Construction Technology- A Case Study of Using Semiconductors (TiO2) in Cement for Reducing Tropospheric NOx Concentration” was one the very few potential projects to receive extensive funding from the university. Through this project we aimed to devise a self-cleaning mechanism in cement to reduce NOx in the environment. Added on, my inspiration to take up environment engineering as an educational goal was further strengthened when my idea on “Innovations in White Cement” was awarded amongst “Ten Best Concept Notes” in India by Birla White Cement. With due interest in building energy consumption which account to almost 40% of energy consumptions , another aspect of my research was on Simulating the Impact of Various Constructional Schemes on the Air-Conditioning Load of a Building which has received acceptance at the 5th International Congress on Environmental Research. As a part of this research I got my hands on a building energy simulation software, e-Quest. This project was based on reducing the energy loads of a building by inculcating sustainable technologies within it. Having embarked upon as a novice researcher, I then decided to gain exposure into the industry & thus took up a month’s internship at Oil & Natural Gas Corporation under the aegis of Mr. Arun Kumar Mittal, Deputy General Manager, Civil Department, Nazira, Assam Asset. During this tenure, I learnt about its organizational structure and for the first time came to terms with the actual world of tendering. As a trainee, I had taken up the job of planning out the activities of “Resurfacing & strengthening of roads within the colony”. To get a glimpse of the environmental scenario, I studied the water supply system there. My morale was further boosted by the personalized certificate from my mentor on account of my diligence & soft skills. I have always had an inclination towards serving the society, a testimony to this was Medibeep, a cofounded initiative to provide free vaccination alerts through SMS. As the Vision & Strategy Head, I helped Medibeep spread through its partnered organization Lioness Club of Brahmaputra Valley in the north-eastern states of India. This project had received appreciation from Gujarat’s Hon’ble Chief Minister Mr. Narendra Modi. Moreover, this initiative was also internationally appreciated at the Global Initiatives Symposium, 2012, Taiwan. Apart from building a portfolio in research at an undergraduate level, I continued achieving distinction in academics and thus maintained a record of being amongst the top five students in my batch. Also, I did not just restrict myself to this geek side, while at Nirma University; I received several accolades in public speaking, folk & western dance. Another aspect that I have always kept improving is my interest for sketching in which I have received formal training of four years. Having stated my purpose to seek admission & enlisted the efforts made in the same direction , I will make full use of the education imparted by experienced faculty at your esteemed university, advanced research facilities and an inspiring academic climate. I would take it as a matter of extreme pride, if granted a financial assistance of any sort; either in the form of a Teaching or Research Assistant at the university. While continuing to deepen my theoretical knowledge, I will endeavor to acquire latest information on environmental science and technology. In addition, I will continue to improve my experimental skills, including the skills of operating new instruments. All those efforts are designed for just one purpose – to develop myself into a leading environmental specialist who can make important contributions to the country’s fledgling cause of environmental engineering as a researcher or a consultant. Sincerely Yashika Agarwalla