(Surface Science)

Univ. of Washington

My interest in science dates back to my early childhood.I have always excelled in

physical sciences and have received numerous awards in mathematics in high school.

At age 16, I attended National Taiwan University (NTU), majoring physics. Four

years of extensive study in physics and current work in surface science inspired me

to undertake a greater challenge in pursuing a doctorate degree in physics. My

aspiration to be a research scientist also makes graduate study an absolute

necessity.

As an undergraduate student, I specialized in physics, mathematics, and computer

science. In my junior year I studied computational physics in Applied Mathematics

III, during which I developed a 2-dimensional Ising model with the finite size

effect as a course project. In addition to being elated by my computer simulated

phase transition phenomena, I was also pleased with the computed values of the

critical exponents which closely agreed with theoretical values. During the two-

year course on the fundamentals of experimental physics, I diligently studied the

techniques of operating experimental equipment, such as the epitaxy systems,

lithography, and computer controlled data acquisition interfaces. I enjoyed these

hand-on experiences immensely. My current duty, as a research assistant, is to set

up diamond film growth kinetics experiments which is designed to verify whether the

mechanism of H atoms destroying C-H bonds in diamond film growth is the bottle-neck

reaction to diamond film formation. The results will give valuable insights and

better enhance the research efforts of another group here at IAMS. In the mean

time, I am learning about the scanning probe microscopy, charged particle optics,

energy analyzers and many instruments used in surface science through the seminars

held in my group.

In order to be knowledgeable in the breadth of physics, I attended workshops and

symposiums in different fields. In the symposium on Symmetries in Subatomic

Physics, I worked as an interpreter and edited the article "Conceptual Beginnings

of Various Symmetries in the Twentieth Century Physics" from Prof. C. N. Frank

Yang's speech and translated it into Chinese. Keeping an open mind to get

experiences not only in academics, I actively participated in extracurricular

activities while attending NTU. In senior, I was a part-time teaching assistant

grading exams and answering questions in the courses, A Journey to Subatomic World

and From Quarks to Black Holes. I also have a part-time position as the bulletin

board system administrator for the Physical Society of ROC. I am currently

construct their WWW homepage of IAMS (http: //www.sinica.edu.tw/as/intro/atom.html)

to improve information exchange and science education in Taiwan.

Accumulating these valuable experiences, I am preparing myself for a career in

scientific research. Being exposed to surface science, I am interested in

mesoscopic systems and nanostructure materials. I plan to concentrate on condensed

matter physics. Having carefully read the content of the graduate studies and on-

going research programs at University of Washington at Seattle, I believe that UW

is the best place for me to be. I am confident that my diverse research experiences

together with a firm commitment to physics have merited me to be qualified to

undertake graduate study at University of Washington at Seattle.