Sample cover letter for Internship position at Purdue University

XYZ / Applying for a Research Internship, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue U.

Statement of Purpose

My fascination with solid mechanics started way back in high school, as a laboratory exercise

to calculate the Young’s Modulus of a wire using Searle’s apparatus. A comprehensive

understanding of fundamental principles in physics guided my unravelling instincts,

especially for solid mechanics. To nurture my curiosity, I joined IIT Bombay to pursue my

bachelors in Mechanical Engineering, after qualifying the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), one of

the toughest entrance examinations in the country with an acceptance rate of 2%.

As a freshman, I was oblivious to the implications of stresses and strains in real life. It was

during ME 201 (Solid Mechanics), a course taught by Prof. ABC that I was introduced to

concepts of stress analysis and the need for good and optimised design. I felt motivated to

learn further and took up ME 202 (Strength of Materials), a course taught by Prof. PQR, which was the advanced version of ME 201. This course gave me an insight to the

more advanced topics in the field like unsymmetrical bending, theory of elasticity and photo

elasticity, deflections in beams etc. The mechanical engineering courses that I have taken at

IIT Bombay have increased my understanding of solid mechanics to a whole new level. The

amalgamation of knowledge gained from academic coursework; has promoted understanding

of the concepts I deal with.

My basic research interests are non-linear vibrations and dynamics, fracture mechanics and

structural integrity. At Purdue University, I am interested in taking up the linear and nonlinear

vibrations, dynamics and acoustics research being done in the ABCDEF. Prof. MNOP work on ‘Some paper' and ‘Some other paper’ was very interesting to read. I

am also an admirer of Prof. FGH research on computational fracture mechanics

and structural integrity. The research being done by Prof. UVW group on

understanding the nonlinear dynamics of human posture to determine whether or not a

subject may suffer from neuromuscular disorders has also fascinated me very much.

I believe that Purdue University is the ideal institution to support my academic pursuits. A

Research Internship in Purdue University would not only help me learn new techniques in

non-linear vibrations and dynamics but also provide me with an opportunity to contribute

positively to the Purdue University scientific community while also giving myself a good

exposure to help me pursue Master’s and Doctoral studies after my graduation. Pursuing my

research internship from Purdue University will ensure me with a learning experience to

kick-start my foray into research.