Cover Letter 1 Dear committee members, I am writing to apply for the quarterly program of Numerical Methods for PDEs which begins in fall 2016 as it is being advertised on the Institute Henri Poincaré website. Respectfully, I am submitting this letter of application because I am extremely interested in continuing my studies in the field of numerical methods applied in partial differential equations, especially in your research program due to its worldwide recognition. I believe that my academic training in numerical methods, especially in finite element methods, has become me in a potential researcher in this field. Currently, I am in my third year of the Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics at the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) and I will complete my degree in July 2017. My doctoral thesis is being directed by the professors Maicon Ribeiro and Philippe Remy and it basically has as a goal to show a numerical study about stabilized mixed formulations applied to tracer injection process using hierarquical high order finite element spaces H(div, Ω) × H1(Ω) in the Darcy system and linear reconstruction gradient for advective-diffusive equation. Furthermore, during my master degree, I had the opportunity of implementing a spectral/hp finite element method applied to elliptic problems so, it gave me enough knowledge and experience to venture into other areas which I am interested in such as a posteriori error estimation and convergence of the hp-refinement of stabilized mixed formulations for Darcy flow problem. I hope to be part of your research institute because I am enthusiastic about many aspects of the numerical analysis and its applications in different problems of dynamics of fluids in porous media. If you require any additional information, I am at your entire disposition to supply it. I look forward to hearing from you. Yours sincerely,

How should the names of universities be written in a formal letter? I am helping to someone to write a motivation letter because he wants to go to a university in France for studying a subject (as an academic exchange) but I am not sure about how I should write the name of the university where he is going now. Should I write ... Universidade Estadual de Campinas or University of Campinas or State University of Campinas?

Do you prefer spending money on things (e.g. clothes, gadgets) or experiences (e.g. holidays)?? Why?

Which is the difference between Especially and Specially (in English)? In which cases do we have to use these words?Could you give me some examples?

There is nothing that we as individuals can do to prevent climate change - Part 2 In my opinion, it is impossible to revert climate change in this point due to the position adopted by the most of the countries in topics like world overpopulation, greenhouse gas emissions and the excessive exploitation of natural resources. First, the world overpopulation is a big threat because the human species takes advantage of a territory without control. In this case, we can’t do much to mitigate the effects of population growth because, although we decide not to have children, in most cases societies can’t progress with only old hand work and, on the other hand, such motivation would not prevent that in other places in our planet the populations grow and extend in its territories without obstacles.

There is nothing that we as individuals can do to prevent climate change - Part 1 Who would have thought that the most recognized movies of Hollywood would be right. I never thought that films could predict the ruthless behavior of the most of the powerful countries in what is related to climate change and its aftermath in the current and future society. Who would have thought that it would be true that the multiple economic and political interests of the people with a high purchasing power would be the reason why thousands of lives and natural resources will be lost in a not too distant future. Is here, in this moment, when it starts to be worrying the current situation of our planet, when our carelessness imminent for the care of the ozone layer, soils, rivers and vegetation begins to materialize in intense winter seasons and drought, in the apparition of new global scale illnesses, in unstable economies and new conflicts over using and controlling of the land and its natural wealth. I wonder if when we have no air to breath, when we have no water to drink, when we have no soil to sow or when we have no glaciers to admire, we will realize how much we have lost and how much our grandchildren will lose.

Which are the phrasal verbs more common in English?

I would like to know which phrasal verbs people normally use when they talk to their relatives or friends.

BOOK: A little princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett_ PART 2 Also, Sara met Ermergade, a chubby and shy girl who had troubles for learning math and French, and Lottie, a little girl who used to scream and cry in the hallways of the school when she wanted to get something or when she did not want to do something in special. They became the best friends of Sara because she helped them with their problems. Sarah's life changes drastically when Miss Minchin receives an awful message from the Capital Crewe’s lawyer. He told her that Captain lost all his fortune in a business related to mining of diamonds and then, he died due to a jungle fever which was not attended on time, leaving Sara in ruin and homeless. Without any choice, Miss Minchin decides to keep to Sara in her school but, at the same time, due to Captain Crewe did not pay the bill of the last month, she also decides to appropriate of all Sara's belongings including her velvet dresses and toys. Since then, Sara had to sleep with Becky in the attic and start to work as a maid in the school to survive. She could not continue her studies and she had to endure abuse and criticism both Miss Minchin and Lavinia, a spiteful classmate who felt jealous of her. In my opinion, this book was very appropriate to strengthen some of the debilities that I had about grammar and also, it helped me a lot to memorize some new words that I have never listened before read the book. It was interesting also because since the beginning of the story through characters it is possible to identify different teachings that people should apply in their lives every day, for example, do not judge people by their appearance and learn to appreciate all the moments that we share with our family or our friends.

BOOK: A little princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett_ PART 1 This story is about the Captain Crewe and her daughter Sara Crewe, a beautiful girl with big green eyes who was eleven years old. They lived in India between large facilities because they were a wealthy family but, although Sara had everything, that is, the best and most beautiful dresses and the best jewelry and toys, she could only count on her father due to her mother died when she was just a baby and she had not more relatives or people who could take care of her. One day, the Captain Crewe saw himself forced to take her daughter Sara to a seminary for girls located in England because he had to put all his attention on an important business. There, Sara met Miss Minchin, the school principal. She was an arrogant woman who thought from the beginning that Sara was a very spoiled child who did not know what real life was and that for that reason she should not be treated so well. However, Miss Minchin refused to treat her as the rest of the little girls for convenience because his father paid too much money for her daughter was received very well in her new home. Then, Miss Minchin always praised to Sara for her good manners, her kindness and generosity with the purpose of avoid that Sara does not send a letter to her father to tell him that she was very unhappy in the school and thus ensure the entry of large amounts of money to her bank account. In the seminary, Sara and the other girls had to learn mathematics, good manners, Latin and French, which was a language that Sara understood and spoke perfectly due to her whole life she had heard to her father speaks it. Over time, Sara became in the most popular girl because of her intelligence and because she used to entertain to the other girls telling beautiful stories about adventures in India. Thus, she met Becky, a brunette girl of the same age who liked hearing those stories secretly and who worked as a maid at the school. She used to wake up at 5 am and she had to prepare and serve breakfast, sweep and mop floors, wash dishes, clean the kitchen and buy food. Although girls did not have allowed to speak with Becky, Sara always was interested about know her and be friend of her because she had a particular interest in getting along well with all kind of people. Especially, she believed that all women are princesses although they wear dirty clothes or do not have a common skin color.