申请San Jose大学Environmental Studies专业文书

Since the release of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring in the 1960’s, mankind has expanded its quest to come to grips with the competing virtues of human economic entropy and of maintaining the integrity and diversity of the natural environment. As awareness of environmental degradation has increased, so has the realization of the complexity of interconnected webs of relationships among organisms and the physical and chemical environment. With this awareness, we have also come to realize that environmental problems are not easily fixed by simply focusing on a single problem with no analysis of other issues.

This tendency to blindly solve environmental problems without understanding the full complexity of the problem was evident in the Environmental Protection Agency’ s (EPA) recent mandate that Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) be a required ingredient in gasoline formulas with the goal of increasing combustion efficiency. A fuel oxygenate, MTBE enhances the octane in gasoline and decreases carbon monoxide emission by increasing burning efficiencies. In its haste to declare MTBE as a required ingredient in gasoline, the EPA failed to consider a basic chemical property of MTBE and its long-term effects upon the environment.

Because MTBE is highly water-soluble, it dissolves in water, leading to higher concentrations of MTBE in many lakes in the California Sierra Nevada mountains and in many groundwater supplies. Hence, by addressing only one component of a system separately, the EPA failed to see the ramifications of our apparent solution. This myopic approach to environmental remediation commonly subverts our good intentions to solve environmental problems and demonstrates a lack of understanding of how inter-related systems work. It is my goal to aid in our understanding of environmental pollution on a global scale by not only researching the fate and transport of contaminants, but also by analyzing how our current philosophies and policies affect these problems. By applying an interdisciplinary approach to both the specific scientific and technical aspects of a problem and by thoroughly analyzing social and cultural factors, I believe I can more effectively in analyze the true extent of our pollution problem and help to determine an appropriate response.

In preparation for this work, my undergraduate degree in environmental studies has provided me with a solid foundation in both the sciences and state and federal environmental policy. My undergraduate emphasis in hazardous materials has given me a broad knowledge of the types of chemical releases common in both developed and undeveloped countries and their chemical and physical effects upon the environment. Through graduate and post-graduate research, I hope to further enhance this knowledge by studying the effects of chemicals commonly used in industry cycles on specific environmental compartments such as bay wetlands and partitioning to other compartments such as XXXX. In my graduate study, I would also like to expand my undergraduate study of environmental law by increasing my knowledge of the law to the area of land use and its relationship to contaminant fate and transport.

In addition to my academic background, I believe that my work experience will also play a key role in helping me find success in my graduate and post-graduate studies. For the last ten years I have held a number of management positions in business. While these positions have not specifically related to environmental work, the experience has provided me with invaluable insight into how both large and small companies operate. The perspective of business management is badly needed in the environmental field where time and again we discover that environmental compliance can best be achieved by understanding business practices and tailoring compliance measures so that companies can remain profitable and be environmentally responsible.

In addition to understanding the perspectives of business management, my work experience has provided me with other skills that will contribute to my success in the graduate program. In 1986,I founded a retail product/services company, Bay Area Audio, which specialized in commercial media center design and installation. As the company’ s president over a six-year period, I was responsible for managing all aspects of operations, including marketing and customer relations. This experience provided me with the opportunity to conduct market research to cultivate new customers, engage in media relations, grow profitability while maintaining budget accountability, and manage large groups of people. As a result of the marketing campaigns that I developed, revenues increased from $100,000 in 1986 to over $2 million in 1991. I believe the experience in market research and media relations will be particularly helpful in the environmental field since many environmental issues involve public participation.

In 1991,I sold my interest in Bay Area Audio to gain experience in the high-technology sector. Since 1991,I have held a number of management positions for computer hardware and software companies. This experience has been invaluable in providing me the opportunity to be involved in leading edge Internet software technology. As the main purpose of the Internet and internet-related software is to enhance communications, I have played a key role in developing products that provide people with one of today’ s most valuable resources - information. Working in this market has also given me the opportunity to manage large software projects involving dozens of people. Of particular relevance to my pursuit of post-graduate environmental studies, is my experience developing global scale corporate websites for companies such as Silicon Graphics, UltraTech Stepper, and Philips Semiconductors. These projects involved working closely with the particular company’ s environmental, health, and safety departments to effectively communicate health and safety information to thousands of employees. I believe that the Internet will be an invaluable tool in both the research and implementation of environmental solutions and that my experience in the computer field will prove invaluable towards this end.

In conclusion, I believe that I have much to offer San Jose State’s graduate environmental studies program. To successfully come to grips with environmental contamination, we must understand how a specific problem fits within a larger framework from both an ecological and social perspective. I believe that the combination of my educational background with my work experience will provide me with the essential tools to substantially contribute to workable and successful solutions. Given the opportunity to pursue graduate work in environmental studies, I will contribute to effectively bringing new information to light on environmental problems and their solutions, accounting for all related cultural, industrial and environmental factors. Overall, I believe that San Jose State can help me achieve my goals by providing the advanced tools and knowledge necessary to focus on environmental problems utilizing an interdisciplinary approach so as to have an overall positive net impact on protecting the environment for generations to come.

点评：

本文是一篇环境研究的PS，文章的主题明确，论证翔实，对专业的理解角度特别但很有见地。巧妙得把毕业后不连续的专业经历变为自己申请的优势，是一篇很不错的PS。

文章从结构上可以分为四部分：

第一部分：用该领域著作引出自己对Environmental Study（ES）的理解

第二部分：用EPA在San Jose导致的反面案例批判对ES的错误理解

第三部分：自己的工作经历在ES研究中所具有的优势

第四部分：自己的特点和能力将对ES带来的贡献

整篇文章，作者都在强调一个观点：ES研究中最重要的东西——对环境问题的宏观态度。一方面，这一点在ES中的确非常重要，另一方面，这个特点能够让他将自己毕业后从事的非ES研究的劣势巧妙的转化为自己最大的优势。让自己近10年的工作经历成为自己申请中一个亮点，整个构思非常巧妙。

除此之外，作者还通过第二段的专业性叙述，展现出了自己出色的专业能力。说明自己除了具备管理能力、对市场的了解和媒体关系这种Social intelligence，同时还有这个领域所需要的Engineering能力。作者在整个表述中表现得极为自信，在最后一段很好的结合自己的能力和特点将自己能够给ES研究带了贡献做出了说明。表达了进入此领域研究的信心和诚心。

本篇PS的不足之处是作者在文中使用了过多的长句，而且文章总体长度偏长（1099个单词），导致文章结尾有些仓促，不能对申请学校提出有针对性地申请原因。

译文：

自从Rachel Carson的作品Silent Spring（《宁静的春天》）于上世界60年代发表以来，人们已经将它的内涵扩展到探索到底是要高速发展当今的经济，还是要保持自然环境的完整和多样性的问题上来。随着对日益恶化的环境的关注，人们也认识到了有机体与物化环境之间那种相互联系又错综复杂的关系。有了这样的认识之后，我们也就明白了环境问题并不是仅仅单纯地靠关注某一个问题而忽视对其他方面的分析就能确定的。

这种盲目解决环境问题而不去考虑问题全局复杂性的趋势在EPA最近下达的的指令中显而易见——EPA命令石油中必须添加甲基叔丁酯(MtBE)用来满足氧化剂的要求提高氧化效率。燃料氧化时，甲基叔丁酯(MtBE)提高了汽油中的辛烷值，从而通过提高燃烧效率来减少了一氧化碳的泄露。由于匆忙宣布了甲基叔丁酯(MtBE)作为汽油的必须原料，EPA并没有考虑到甲基叔丁酯的基本化学性能和它给环境带来的长远影响。

由于甲基叔丁酯是水溶性的物质，因此能在水中溶解，从而导致加利福尼亚内华达山脉的很多湖泊中含有大量的甲基叔丁酯。由此，由于分离地满足了整个系统中的某一个成分，EPA并没有看到解决方案表面效用背后的负面影响。这种眼光短浅的解决环境单个问题的方法通常让我们好心办坏事，也显示出他们对相互关联的环境系统如何运作的理解的匮乏。我的目标就是不仅通过研究污染物的污染结果和传输过程，还要通过分析人们的观念和政策对环境问题的影响，来让人们真正理解全球性的环境污染。通过为一个问题的明确的科技环节提供多学科角度的解决方案，通过彻底分析社会文化因素，我相信我可以越来越有效地分析环境污染问题的真实程度，并帮助制定正确的应对措施。

为了准备这份事业，我在环境研究方面的学士学位让我无论在自然科学方面还是国家当局在环境方面的政策的学习上都打好了坚实的基础。我的大学侧重学习危险物质，这给了我关于发展中国家和发达国家排放的化学物质以及它们对环境造成的物化影响方面特别开阔的知识。在研究生以及研究生毕业之后的研究里，我希望进一步加强这方面的知识，通过研究在特定环境下如港湾湿地环境中一些工业常用化学物产生的影响并与其他间隔环境如xxxx相区分。在我的研究生学习中，我还想通过增加区域土地使用和污染物方面的知识来继续拓展我环境法律的大学学业。

除了我的学业背景之外，我相信我的社会工作经历对我学业的成功也是举足轻重的。在最近的十年中我曾经在数家公司担任职务。这些工作与我的环境专业并没有多大联系，但是它给了我宝贵的见识，让我知道了大小的公司是如何经营的。环境领域非常需要商业经营理念，我们会一次又一次地发现只有懂得商业实践和能够衡量适应尺度才能最好地实现环境的适应性，并让公司一直保持盈利并具备很好的环境适应能力。

除了懂得商业经营理念之外，我的工作经验还让我具备了其他技能，从而让我在硕士项目中成功。1986年，我开办了零售公司Bay Area Audio，是关于商业媒体中心设计安装方面的。由于公司的董事长已经过了六年期，因此由我掌控公司一切事务，包括市场和顾客关系业务。这个经理让我有机会研究市场拓展客户群、融入到媒体中并在实现利润增长的同时担负维持支出的责任，并管理着一个团队。我发展的市场运动是公司的收入从1986年的100,000美元增加到1991年的二百万美元。由于环境关系到公众的参与，所以我相信我在市场调研和媒体关系方面的经验将对我在环境领域的深造十分有益。

1991年，我卖掉了自己在Bay Area Audio的股份，只为在高科技领域进行深造。1991年以来，我在计算机硬件公司担任管理职务。这种经历给我提供了宝贵的机会去投身先进的因特网软件科技。因特网以及与之相关的软件的主要目的就是加强交流，因此我在为人们提供当今重要的信息资源方面也起到了重要的作用。在这样的市场中工作也让我能够管理到大型软件项目的团队。我为几个公司如Silicon Graphics, UltraTech Stepper, 和Philips Semiconductors发展全球范围内的合作型网站。这些项目的工作需要与特别的公司的环境、健康、安全部门到与公司上千员工有效地交流健康和安全信息紧密相连。我相信无论在研究方面还是环境解决方案实施方面，因特网都会是一种非常重要的工具，并且我相信我在计算机领域的经验最终证明它的弥足珍贵。

最后，我相信我可以为San Jose State研究生环境研究项目做很多事情。为了成功地理解环境污染，我们必须明白一个特定的问题是如何与一个大框架从社会生态学和社会前景相适应的。我坚信我的学历背景和社会经验将为我找出行之有效的成功解决方案提供必需的工具。如果给我这次机会，我将会全身心投入，为环境问题和项目的研究方案带来新的信息，同时关照相关的文化、工业和环境方面的因素。总之，我相信San Jose State能为我提供先进的工具，提供利用合理的方法解决环境问题的必要知识，帮助我实现自己的目标，这样就能产生全面的网络效应，从而为了下一代的生存保护我们的环境。