Sandu Ovidiu Dumitru

B-dul Nicolae Balcescu Nr.24, Pitesti jud.Arges, cod potal 110159

Tel.: +40751517806
E-mail: ovydyu_02@yahoo.com
6th December 2015

Dear Sir/Madam,

I wish to express my interest in the European Space Agency's Young Graduate

Trainee program, in the area of advanced concepts and applications of deep learning for
space. For a young person in my position master student with the intention of
graduating in July next year, having a mind as full of the aspirations and idealism of
youth as it is with mathematics and science a training contract with the ESA represents
a tremendous and unique chance to learn, and grow, and prepare myself for an exciting
career in research for the space sector.
I am from Piteti, a small city located 100 km away from Bucharest were I am
currently pursuing a master's degree in Integrated networks for telecommunications at the
Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications and Information Technology, University
Politehnica of Bucharest. Although my studies are focused on the field of
telecommunications, I have had great interest in artificial intelligence since I was an
undergraduate. My bachelor degree project was a sound recognition system with artificial
intelligence, which implemented a multilayer perceptron neural network on a digital
signal controller in order to identify coins based on their acoustic fingerprints. Although it
was my first contact with the field of artificial intelligence, my curiosity and interest in
this area of research helped me understand the concepts and implement them in hardware.
After graduating, I wrote a chapter in the laboratory guide for the Digital signal
processing course, at the University of Piteti, which details the steps for implementing a
neural network on a microcontroller, so it would be helpful for future students. Also, the
success of the project has determined me last summer to patent a device designed for
acoustic recognition of coins, which uses an artificial intelligence algorithm to configure
the coins which will be identified.
I have been interested in space since I was in secondary school. At that time, this
interest was focused on astronomy and it stimulated me to participate in activities related
to it. Since then I became active on an astronomical forum (www.astronomy.ro), I won a
school quiz contest about astronomy, called Magical journey through the Universe, and
even published an article about the detection of exoplanets, on the previous forum and in
an online Romanian magazine, called Vega. Therefore, my interest in space would be an
important motivational factor for working at ESA.
When I was an undergraduate I had the opportunity to go to the Fraunhofer
Institute in Stuttgart, for summer practice. The experience I had there determined me to
work in research and development. After graduating, my search for a job leaded me to
Bucharest, where I started working for a Romanian company, in two research projects.
This helped me accommodate to a multidisciplinary research environment, where
interaction with both professors and engineers is needed. I have always been a curious
and self-motivated person and I think that working in research projects is a confirmation
of these qualities.

My experience as a professional folk dancer

gave me the possibility to
interact with many people of different nationalities, during the world tours I participated
to, and the possibility to develop my team working skills. Also, the experience in the
ABSOLUTE project helped me accommodate to new ways of thinking and working on a
research project.
My life and working experience have taught me that it is good to be guided by a
purpose which you believe in. Mine is to contribute to the understanding of the place we
and our planet hold in the cosmos. Knowing someday that I have contributed to
humankind's progress would be the greatest reward for me as a member of the ESA's
ACT. I'm looking to devote my efforts to something that increases scientific knowledge
and I believe that such an ESA traineeship is an exciting and singular opportunity to do
good work, to learn and improve myself in a comprehensive way, and to prepare myself
for a career in space-related research. Participation in the ESA's Young Graduate Trainee
program would be an honor and a great first step in that direction.
Thank you for the opportunity to apply. I look hopefully forward to further
communication between us.

Yours sincerely,
Sandu |Ovidiu Dumitru