Royer, Computer Science, University of Maryland
Statement of Objectives
As a Chinese graduate student of Computer Science, I am writing in support of my application for acceptance into your Ph.D. program in Computer Engineering. I wish to pursue advanced inter-disciplinary research in this ever-challenging and promising field, especially in the area of Artificial Intelligence and its applications in expert systems, control systems, and machine intelligence.
I anticipate completing my Master's studies next year at (university name), one of the top engineering schools in China. Majoring in Computer Application, I have focused my studies on fuzzy logic and its applications in various intelligent systems. I followed a traditional undergraduate curriculum for my minor, but my graduate studies have been challenging and rewarding. As a chief member of the research project "Approximate Reasoning on Vague Set," which is supported by National High Performance Computing Fund and (name) Science Research Fund, I conducted extensive research work in this field, from knowledge representation and reasoning to applications in fuzzy control, fuzzy decision-making and fuzzy expert systems. These works have been and continue to be published in several leading academic journals in China, as listed in the Publications.
Throughout my graduate study, I have maintained that the Fuzzy Set theory, together with other theories (such as the Rough Set theory and the Probabilistic theory), plays a fundamental role in intelligent systems, such as expert systems and robotics. Although these systems look quite different at first, if studied by their abstract model, many common features can be seen.
Nevertheless, different systems have different concentrations; and some look-alike parameters -- such as threshold value, certainty factor, weight factor -- are really case-dependent. In addition, they require significantly different methods to determine them. Due to the broad applications of these systems, I believe the progress we make will help shape the future of mankind. I would like to be at the forefront of such progress.
The success of my graduate studies is built upon the solid grounding I gained in my previous work and educational experiences. Although I pursued Computer Application as my minor in my undergraduate studies, I studied with diligence and creativity, mastering most of the major courses in computer science.
Upon graduation in 1992, I returned to my hometown and attained a position with Xiangfan Municipal Traffic Bureau. As a computer engineer, I was in charge of the development and maintenance of several Management Information Systems (MIS). One of them was the Transportation License MIS, which is a large database system managing more than 50,000 licenses issued to the drivers in a central Chinese city and its suburbs. I fully developed the system myself, an achievement for which I am quite proud. Now, whenever I take a bus home, I enjoy a sense of satisfaction knowing that our software helps so many people. I think of my software as my child. I made it, and feel pride to see it is helpful to others.
While working for the Bureau as a computer engineer, I also acted as a teacher, training other staff to master basic computer skills and operate the newly developed software. Most of my students are in their 30s or 40s. Teaching can be challenging, but I found that using analogies often makes things easier. By way of example, I once used the hierarchy of the Bureau itself to describe the computer architecture. They grasped the idea so well that sometimes they jokingly called the Chief-Director 'CPU.' As for me, they just called me 'Server.'
While they all mastered the skills successfully, I also found it interesting to discover that computer systems and human beings share so many things in common. Intuition and understanding of "the human experience" can make understanding computer systems and problem solving easier, especially in the field of AI. I use such ideas throughout my research.
To build AI systems that have human-level intelligence is a long-term goal of human beings. I believe that an interdisciplinary approach is needed to get close to our goal. I think that I have acquired the necessary theoretical framework and sufficient practical experience for further studies. I want to pursue an academic career on the cutting-edge of Computer Science, especially in the field of AI. This is why I am now applying for Ph.D. studies at your university in one – or a combination of-- the following areas: artificial intelligence, expert systems, control systems, and machine intelligence.
The Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at (univeristy name) is well known for excellence in these fields, complete with an accomplished faculty and modern research resources. I am glad to see that research in Artificial Intelligence at (university name) is conducted in many areas, such as Applied Artificial Intelligence, Intelligent Systems-Neural Nets, and Fuzzy Logic. With your institution's emphasis on interdisciplinary research, I am sure my already extensive and productive research records will be greatly enriched should I study under your seasoned guidance. Such experience should adequately prepare me for a research or teaching career at a Chinese university, where I plan to take a permanent position.
