I am glad to have the opportunity to introduce myself and present my interests, goals, and plans. I'll appreciate any your remarks and suggestions.

Hopefully, the attached resume includes everything in my career, such as professional experience, education, publications, research funds, graduate student supervision, teaching activities, professional memberships, editorships and reviewers of journals, and honors. Actually, I think that I am among the leading experts in my research fields in China, and an successful teachers esteemed by my students, especially graduate students. In my life, as a middle-aged married man with a 12 year old daughter, I am devoted to my family, and love my wife and my daughter. I lead a happy family life. As you knew, all happy families are similar, so that further description is unnecessary. In short, I am lucky both in career and in life, and I am trying my best to keep my luck.

My personal interests are concentrated on reading of various topics, such as literatures, history, philosophy, and economics. In fact, I like all materials that make me think, and I dislike anyone or anything that forces people to obey or to believe. I regard Bertrand Russell's writing style as perfect, although I do not support all his opinions. My favorite thinker is Friedrich von Hayek, and I studied his books The Road to Serfdom and The Fatal Conceit again and again. As for American writers, I like David Thoreau best, especially his Civil Disobedience and Walden, both in style and in content. In addition to reading, I play badminton and Chinese chess, but I am not sure if I am a good player. Last but not least, I enjoy traveling with my family. Last year, we spent more than a month in Canada, and had a wonderful time.

My goals of visiting UCSD are definite. Via the train program, I am going to improve my spoken English, especially presentation in English, so that I can lecture some courses in English for Chinese students after my returning. Taking this chance to visit USA, I am also going to attend ASME 2003 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (November 16-21, Washington), and give two presentations respectively in Symposium on Nonlinear Dynamics in Mechanical Systems and Symposium on the Vibration and Control of Mechanical Systems there. If possible, I would like to meet some professors in my field here.

The academic plan seems excrescent for me, since I have little free time. I take 5 courses, namely, Core 107, Intermediate Pronunciation/Fluency, Advanced Idioms/Slang, Advanced Oral Presentations, and Teaching Seminar. After about 20 years' teaching, it is not easy to become a student again. I also want to spare some time in weekends to write a textbook in English for Chinese student, which is contracted by a publisher to finish before the end of next year. I have no plans to travel unless my wife and my daughter get the visa to USA and join me here. I knew the old saying, "All work no play makes Jack a dull boy", but I have on alternative. Perhaps I have to return China. I am applying a research fund, and I’ll have to present an oral defense if I am fortunate enough to be selected as an official candidate.

Telling the truth, I presently undergo a great pressure. To improve pronunciation and fluency is a different task beyond a native speaker's image. Meanwhile, I have to respond to my graduates' any requests, correct and return proofs of accepted journal papers in time, revised the submitted manuscripts following the reviewers' opinions, and so on, which are duties that cannot be delayed. I have to finish two research fund applications because both of them are due at the end of next March. Besides, I feel a bit guilty for my absence from my family, and write emails respectively to my wife and my daughter everyday. What is worse, I have to spend two hours on the way from my homestay place to UCSD everyday. Anyway, I'll manage.

As written in Matthew, "Enter through the narrow gate; The gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life." Now I am trying hard to enter through the narrow gate, with the belief that there is a brave new world after it.