Duke University Personal Statement

519 Words3 Pages

To the selection committee of Duke University,

When I first began my studies in Physics, I knew I wanted to use my education to impact my community. This initially led me into teaching Physics at High Schools after earning a teaching degree. Recently, a dear friend and mentor of mine passed away after a long and difficult battle with pancreatic cancer. Losing him inspired me to use my knowledge of Physics to develop better methods for treating cancer and or pursue other areas of Biophysics in order to advance current medicine. At my undergraduate institution I was prepared in the basic theories behind Physical phenomena. My time there gave me a wide perspective of Physics, from Computational, to Astrophysics and Quantum. While the institution I studied at was cost-effective, it lacked the proper facilities to carry out progressive research. After graduating, I …show more content…

The first summer I spent in the Department of Chemical Engineering, and the second summer in the Department of Physics. The professor I worked with from the Department of Chemical Engineering is now involved in cancer research at Penn, and remains a close contact. In the second summer, I worked on research centered on Biomedical Optics, specifically Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy. The research I was involved in during these summers allowed me to work with advanced lab technology. My research did not end with my summers at Penn. While teaching High School Physics, I sought to teach innovative lessons on material related to Biophysics. I developed a curriculum for teaching medical imaging in the Physics classroom and am going to present my work at an NSTA conference. I also was a recipient of the Vernier Engineering award, which was awarded to me based on an innovative and creative engineering lesson I planned. My past 3 years of teaching have helped me sharpen my mind and prepared me for my graduate studies to