imperial design engineering personal statement

Sample Personal Statement Mechanical Engineering (USC, Imperial)

by Talha Omer, M.Eng., Cornell Grad

In personal statement samples by field.

An NYU’s senior applied to 7 top Mechanical Engineering grad programs in the US and the UK and got into all but one. He spent nearly a month writing the perfect personal statement that he used to apply to top schools. Variations of this personal statement got accepted to Stanford University, Imperial College London, University of Texas A&M and UCLA. He has graciously shared his personal statement so that prospective applicants can benefit from it.

Sample Personal Statement Mechanical Engineering

I am eager to pursue a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering to deepen my knowledge in engineering design, mechanics, and analysis. My research interests are primarily driven by my life aspirations, dynamic undergraduate experience, and professional mechanical engineering expertise. Given my credentials, I firmly believe that I resonate with core values at [Name of School] and I will make an ideal candidate for this institution.

I cannot agree more with Dorothy Parker’s quote: “The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity”, as I have always been a curious soul and things that pique my interest stays with me forever. I remember the first time I watched a dense network of nuts and bolts in my dad’s car engine. I could not look away. The tiny moving objects aroused an unquenchable curiosity in me. Logically, I entered college as a major in sciences, eyes widened by the boundless world of science I had just begun to get to know. 

I did my undergraduate in mechanical engineering, where I was engaged in research about combustion, machine design, mechanics of materials and computer-aided engineering. Through this coursework, I developed a basic understanding of a breadth of theoretical areas of mechanical engineering and their socioeconomic applications. However, what I enjoyed most about being a mechanical engineer was developing my ideas through coursework and discussing them with my peers outside the classroom.

Outside the classroom, my advocacy for innovative ideas was well rewarded when the Student Section Enterprise Team (SSET) in ASME International, based in New York, elected me as the Student Regional Chair (SRC) – a prized position among mechanical engineers’ community all around the globe. So naturally, I was also the Chairperson for my own Campus’s ASME chapter, which I had laid the ground for in my sophomore year. I was elated to know that ASME International and my department showed trust in me, which I fulfilled in its true spirit. As a chairperson, I managed high-powered university-level competitions and conferences to induce collective synergies of mechanical engineers from all over the country. I also took the self-initiative of developing my juniors’ interpersonal skills and arranged several professional development competitions.

Based on my performance in class and leadership abilities as an ASME chair, I was selected by my university to work with the national defence authorities in designing a mechanically simple yet multipurpose unmanned ground vehicle for my final year project. I was mainly selected because I had a firm grip over software packages involving calibrations and simulations. 

The simple thought of working for the defence authorities excited me as it was an honour to work on such a classified project.

This assignment was my first formal parametric study in mechanical engineering, which was a thorough scientific investigation. As I became proficient in many programs and databases, notably through these packages, the calibrations I proposed for the vehicle were well received by my professors. Later, the defence authorities developed an actual model on those parameters. My final year project was the catalyst that sparked a passion for studying vehicles and vehicle designs, and I actively looked for careers in top automobile firms in my country.

I found an ideal opportunity to start my career as a management trainee in the Development and Quality Assurance Department at Tesla Inc. During my brief stint of three months at Tesla Inc., I was introduced to the vast world of manufacturing techniques employed in the automotive sector. As a trainee engineer, I optimized methods to get the least number of defective parts per million. The more I was involved in optimization, the more I developed a desire to understand design mechanics, which could be engineered to reduce energy consumption. As luck would have it, during one of the events organized by ASME, I was a keynote speaker at a panel involving energy consumption. In the same panel, the CEO of Chevron Corporation took notice of my ideas. After the event, he encouraged me to work at Chevron and work on my proposed fluid design and mechanics ideas to reduce energy consumption.

It was an honor to be offered a job at Chevron, which I duly accepted. As an associate manager for the past 18 months at Chevron, I’ve developed a dynamic skill set around supply chain, projects and maintenance departments. Through my work in these departments, I have honed my data analytics and the ability to draw meaningful inferences from raw data. I have also become adept at management related to engineering practices. I have strived to increase my knowledge base at Chevron by constantly exploring Maintenance & Operation manuals. Through these manuals, I have bolstered my knowledge of Turbo-machinery, Engineering Materials, Machine Design and Fluid Mechanics. 

Although my professional trajectory is burgeoning, while working hand to hand with the Engineering Design department, I strongly resonated with celebrated sportscaster Vin Scully when he famously said: “Good is not good enough when better is expected.” I felt that although my four-year undergraduate coursework provided a baseline theoretical knowledge, I needed to hone my learning and practical exposure to further my passion in the area.  During my work with this department, I was commissioning a new gas processing facility and felt way behind in design and problem-solving scenarios. I particularly struggled with interpreting compressor and prime mover big data. I realized that if I had a more advanced knowledge base in mechanical design and engineering information modelling, I would have been able to give better theoretically sound solutions and help with process optimization. Given these technical handicaps, I strongly feel the need to upgrade my current knowledge base through a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. 

While searching for programs that match my research interests and professional experience, the Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from [Name of School] tops my list for its numerous attractions. Firstly, the prospects of studying at [Name of School] are fascinating because of its location in California, the hub of tech-based research in the U.S., like driverless vehicles etc., and numerous opportunities for internships in world-leading firms. Secondly, [Name of School] satiates my desire to study in schools with top-notch faculty specializing in areas where I want to further my research. I am particularly excited about working with Ivan Bermejo Moreno and Julian A. Domaradzki on crucial research areas such as computational fluid mechanics and high-performance computing.

Thirdly, by taking courses related to engineering analysis and engineering design modules at [Name of School] , I am looking forward to gleaning more information on methods of Finite Element Analysis coupled with Fatigue and Fracture Mechanics. I want to learn more about mechanical system design concerning tribology. Ideally, I would like to further my current tribological research of skid vehicles by calibrating it to be adaptive to the implications of environmental, cost and safety issues. 

Lastly, having been a chairperson of an elite group of mechanical engineers, I am looking forward to enhancing my leadership capabilities. I genuinely believe that [Name of School] student-led design teams make this program stand out among other programs as they are an ideal platform where I can test and enhance the capabilities of my prototype vehicle and put it for wide-scale use. I am confident that the above-outlined graduate degree plan and vibrant opportunities at [Name of School] will accelerate my career growth after my master’s degree. 

After completing my master’s program, I want to start my career as a mechanical design engineer in a top engineering design company such as Stantec. As a design engineer, I want to work on different global projects and provide design engineering solutions to a portfolio of industries for their needs. Various projects for other industries would give me new challenges each time and thus help me gain experience to evolve my skills. Leading design firms worldwide will help me get up-to-date with the latest tools with their training programs focusing on continuous professional development. I am confident that [Name of School] brand image, dynamic coursework grounded in its state-of-the-art research facilities and renowned faculty will be an ideal conduit for achieving my career goals. I will continue to work in the field of mechanical engineering with the same curiosity that was sparked in me when I first saw the engine parts of my dad’s car.

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Personal statements

This statement should convince the reader that you have the skills, knowledge and motivation to succeed in the course of study you are applying for. 

You may also be asked to write a statement when you are applying for a job. This is often a free text box asking you to ‘describe how you fit the person specification or job description’. In this section find out how to write a strong personal statement when applying for either further study or a job.

Writing a personal statement

Getting started.

• Check the instructions for the statement you have been asked to write. Is there a specified word length? Have you been asked to address any specific topics/questions in the statement?
• For further study applications, research the course you are applying to thoroughly. Find out what topics will be taught, what options you will have, how the department/university supports students, how you will be examined, what they look for in applicants and what graduates of the courses typically go on to do.
• For a job, research the employer and the job role you are applying to thoroughly. Review the job description and person specification and think about experiences you can write about to show your match to what they are looking for.
• Reflect on your motivations for applying for this particular course and how it fits in with your long-term career plans.

Order the content of your statement logically with each paragraph addressing a specific topic/theme. 

If you are applying for a job, use the job description and person specification to help you structure your statement into sections that link to what they are looking for. You can use short headings based on the job description and person specification to break up the text. This will enhance the readability of your statement and emphasise that you have based what you have written on what they are looking for.

If you are applying for further study , here are some suggestions of possible topics to address in your personal statement:

• Current studies – how do your current studies relate to the course you are applying to? What topics, projects or technical skills have you done that will form a foundation for the future course. What have you most enjoyed or excelled at?
• Motivation – draw attention to any options you have selected in your current course that show your interest in the subject area you are applying to. Highlight any extra study you have done such as further reading, self-directed learning and attendance at talks/conferences.
• Future career – write about your future career plans and how the course you are applying to fits with them.
• Why this course? – show in your statement that you have thoroughly researched the course you are applying to and know what you will be taking on. Emphasise your fit to the course.
• Work and research experience – talk about previous experiences that you have had during internships, employment or in research projects. Highlight what you did successfully and the successful outcomes of your work.  Write about what you learned from your experience that will help you to be successful in the course you are applying to.
• Extracurricular activities and interests – use these to show your personality and demonstrate transferable skills such as confidence, time-management and teamwork.

Use short sentences and straightforward language. Avoid overly formal language that you would not use in conversation (words like ‘hitherto’ or ‘moreover’) and avoid informal ‘chatty’ language or grammar (like slang words or exclamation marks).

• Include your successful achievements and where you have made a difference to something. For example, where you improved something, had an idea or had a successful outcome.
• Present yourself as you are now rather than going back in time to when you were much younger
• Avoid ingratiating language such as ‘I would like to thank the XXX department for considering my application’
• Avoid generic statements that can be sent to any similar course or job – make sure it is clear you are applying for that particular course or job
• Be positive. Don’t write that you didn’t enjoy things – concentrate on the things you have enjoyed
• Proofread and if you can, ask a friend to read it for you to check for spelling and grammar – they may spot mistakes you don’t notice

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Design Engineering Personal Statement

Angad Chawla made this Freedom of Information request to Imperial College London This request has been closed to new correspondence . Contact us if you think it should be reopened.

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The request was successful .

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Dear Imperial College London,

1) I would like to kindly request the list of criteria used to assess the personal statements of candidates for the Design Engineering MEng Course course for 2016/17 entry and 2017/18 entry if this has been created.

2) I would also like to request any scoring or grading system used to assess personal statements and if a form or such is provided to admissions staff to score personal statements and record this score I would also like to kindly request this.

All above requests are specific to the Design Engineering MEng course for 2016/17 entry and 2017/18 entry if this has been created yet.

Yours faithfully,

Angad Chawla

Dear Mr Chawla,

Thank you for your recent FOI request.

Please find below the College's response to your questions.

1)      I would like to kindly request the list of criteria used to assess the personal statements of candidates for the Design Engineering MEng course for 2016/17 entry and 2017/18 entry if this has been created.

-          Motivation relevant to design

-          Motivation relevant to engineering

-          Motivation relevant to design engineering

-          Technology skills relevant to design

-          Technology skills relevant to engineering

-          Technology skills relevant to design engineering

-          Design skills relevant to design

-          Design skills relevant to engineering

-          Design skills relevant to design engineering

2)      I would also like to request any scoring or grading system used to assess personal statements and if a form or such is provided to admissions staff to score personal statements and record this score I would also like to kindly request this.

The Department does not use a grading system or form to assess personal statements. The personal statements are assessed against the criteria stated in answer to question 1 using a Likert Scale.

I am obliged, under the Freedom of Information Act, to inform you of our complaints procedures in case you are unhappy about the way in which your request has been dealt with. If you wish to complain about this response, you should contact the College Secretary at the address below.

The College Secretary

Imperial College London

Exhibition Road

E-mail: [1][ email address ]                  

If you are unhappy about the way in which the College Secretary handles your complaint then you may have recourse to the official regulator for the Freedom of Information Act who is:

The Information Commissioner

Wycliffe House

[2] http://www.ico.gov.uk    

Kind regards,

Lara Nelson            

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Aeronautical Engineering Personal Statement (Puah Yi En)

Puah Yi En is currently studying Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial College London. Yi En completed her A-Levels at Kolej Tuanku Ja’afar and is graduating in 2023.  This personal statement was part of her successful application to  Imperial College London, University of Bristol, University of Manchester, University of Bath  and  University of Southampton for Aeronautical Engineering.

The invention of aircraft is an example of a miraculous engineering success as a result of detailed observations on animal flight and putting innovation in motion. I am intrigued by the seamless communication, working precision and maintenance in an airport. I often wonder how aerospace engineers work and how they coordinate their intelligence in their work. Engineers create a better and more connected world for us to live in through innovating and building aircraft. They expand the horizons of humanity through space exploration, making the impossible possible. 

In order to gain a deeper insight into the course, I watched the video diary of an astronaut, Tim Peake and joined an online course by MIT that briefly introduced aerospace engineering. Rocket designers need to take into account the effect of microgravity and pressure difference on the spacecraft. For instance, the astronauts who are currently on expedition aboard the International Space Station experienced a drop in cabin pressure due to air leakage on the spacecraft. Other than deciding what material to be used, communication systems in the spaceship and the station should be given significance to ensure the safety of astronauts and to keep them updated. NASA is currently redesigning a new space suit with integrated audio system, more mobility and flexibility. This marks a new era, not only for astronauts but the whole STEM field. 

Falcon Heavy, a reusable heavy-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured by SpaceX introduces Reusable Launch System Development Program, the idea of returning boosters which can be reused and serve as a refueling tool for the spaceship after rocket separation. This idea saves cost and reduces space junk as rockets can now be refueled. However, I think this can be further improved by installing magnetic launch pad, rise the rocket a few kilometers in the air before burning the fuel in a safe distance. This can reduce the fuel cost and is also more eco-friendly. Mercury-Atlas 2 which took John Glenn into orbit is made by thin aluminium skin. It needs to be pressurised all the time to prevent the rocket from collapsing. This is one of the ways to reduce the total mass and thus increase the thrust of the rocket. 

One of my most memorable participations is competing in the District Robotics Challenge. My team and I had to build and programme a lego model robot and navigate it through a maze within a time limit. I was able to enhance my hands-on skills which will be very useful when applied in engineering. I hope to be able to apply similar knowledge to aerospace innovation, with an aim to better grasp the concepts and applications of Physics and Mathematics that are closely related to aerospace. 

I also participated in the Oxbridge Engineering Workshop, experiencing how a team of engineers work. The assignment was to complete a bridge building project as a team. We analysed ways to increase stability of the bridge from the unsuccessful first model. It reminds me that reflections and improving mistakes are important. This principle is essential in life to embrace failure as a learning process. I also learnt to be more vocal in discussing my opinions and I realise that ideas sharing is extremely crucial in a team. 

My experience as an active rock climber moulded me to be tough and independent. Despite suffering from bruises, wounds and muscle pain after practices, I am still determined to reach my goal – the top of the wall. My experiences as an active member such as Master of Ceremonies, secretary of Interact Club have shaped me into a critical and logical person when it comes to problem solving. I learnt to take charge of projects I do, manage my time in making sure I balance my studies and extracurricular activities. I enjoy playing the piano and violin as it helps me to express my emotions and keep calm. I appreciate the steep learning curve offered by aerospace engineering as it allows me to thrive with enthusiasm and conquer challenges. 

DISCLAIMER:  The personal statements on this site are strictly meant as a starting point to give an idea of how successful personal statements look like. There is no surefire formula to writing good personal statements.  COLLEGELAH IS STRICTLY AGAINST PLAGIARISM OF ANY KIND .  UCAS employs a plagiarism check system  that checks applicants’ work against other published writing so please  DO NOT PLAGIARISE.

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Imperial Design Engineering 2024 Entry

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My offer matched the one the Imperial Website but I applied with 4 A-levels in total.

I applied to the Cambridge Design (I am currently waiting to hear the results). I also applied to Baths for integrated design engineering.

I believe my interview was on around 14th Dec.

Leeds, Southampton, Glasgow and Belfast have a design engineering course

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Mechanical engineering personal statement example 2.

The ability to apply what I have learnt in the classroom to the outside world is an aspect of physics and maths that I particularly enjoy. An example of this was being able to calculate the coefficient of friction between a book and a table, by knowing the weight and measuring the angle at which it started to move.

Then, using maths, we could model the situation and work out what would happen if the book was heavier or if we changed the angle of the table. This means of practical applications of pure sciences is at the heart of my interests in pursuing a degree in engineering.

Maths has long been a subject that I have enjoyed, particularly the logical approach to problems, applying various techniques to different situations. Further maths has allowed me to develop my ability to tackle problems logically as well as further improving my adeptness with numbers.

Alongside developing my interests in the subject through a better understanding of the processes involved, taking Physics has also given me the opportunity to better my skills in researching and analysing data. I have enjoyed the experimental aspects where I have been able to carry out and devise experiments that demonstrate or make use of the processes that we have been learning about.

My main interests in engineering lie with mechanical engineering, stemming from my enthusiasm for cars and an absolute passion for motorsport. This passion prompted me to take up go-karting as a hobby and provides me with an opportunity to understand the complexity involved in modern machines.

Even with something as simple as a go-kart, very slight changes, such as a few degrees of toe in or minimal changes to the gear ratios, can have very significant effects on lap times and the handling of the vehicle. Another appreciation that I have gained from Karting as well as reading motorsport literature, is that handling of the vehicle is as important as engine power and I believe this idea is relevant in many aspects of engineering where many factors have to be considered.

Another interesting aspect that is present throughout the field of engineering is the intense competition that demands radical thinking and new concepts from engineers in order to stay on top, whether it be to increase efficiency in industry or to make a car go faster!

A fantastic example of this was developed as a result of Professor Malcolm Smith from Cambridge University drawing parallels between suspension systems and electrical circuitry. On realising that suspension systems had no equivalent to a capacitor, he set about developing one. From this concept the ‘J-damper’ was created for Mclaren and it is now used throughout the F1 Grid. This true ‘outside of the box’ thinking fascinates me.

I am currently working on an Extended Project Qualification and I have chosen Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems to be the subject of my project. So far, I have enjoyed carrying out the project on my own and have carried out extensive research including being in contact with the head of design for regenerative system at Williams F1, to act as an expert on the subject.

Last Summer I spent several weeks carrying out work experience, wherein I developed various skills. I spent a few weeks in various departments at a BMW dealership, particularly enjoying my time in the workshop, where I worked with mechanics to diagnose and fix faults on customers’ vehicles.

There I developed team working skills as well as learning a great deal about the vehicles and their systems. I also took the opportunity to develop my communication skills by conversing with customers as they waited to be attended to.

Apart from karting, outside of college, I also practice Tae-Kwon-Do. After several years I have achieved 1st degree black belt and apart from being a way to keep fit, I really enjoy it, have met many people and have used the lessons in discipline to help me succeed in other areas.

Profile info

This personal statement was written by IrishMik3 for application in 2012.

IrishMik3's university choices University of Southampton Cambridge University

Green : offer made Red : no offer made

Degree Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London

This personal statement is unrated

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You will need to complete a personal statement as part of your application.

This statement supports your application by demonstrating:

• the course is right for you; and
• you have the skills, knowledge and aptitude to achieve the course requirements.

It is normally one to two pages long.

You'll find a description of the course and the key course requirements, including skills, experiences and technical abilities on our course pages.

Use this description as a guide to the points you address in your statement.

You can also talk about how the course fits in with your desired academic progression or career aspirations.

What to include

You could structure your statement like this:

• Current studies and how they're useful or relevant
• Why you chose this course in particular
• Relevant work experience and skills
• Extracurricular activities and interests
• Why you chose this university
• Concluding paragraph

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Personal statements for courses in the Business School are slightly different than for other courses. Your personal statement provides an opportunity for you tell us a bit more about yourself and your motivation for undertaking this programme.

In the personal statement section of the application, we ask you to answer the following questions:

• Please share your motivation for undertaking this programme?
• What is your proudest non-academic achievement?
• What would you contribute to the cohort and to the Imperial community?
• How would you use your degree to make a positive impact?

Each section of the personal statement has a 1500 character limit (including spaces).

Applying for two courses

If you are initially applying to two courses, you can submit two personal statements.

You will have two options when submitting your personal statements:

• You can submit one document with both your first and second choice personal statements (marked clearly with headers); or
• You can submit your first-choice personal statement when applying. If your application to your first-choice course is unsuccessful, you can then send your second choice personal statement to the appropriate  Admissions team . 

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Mikhail Lomonosov

Born: Denisovka, Archangelsk Province - 19 November 1711 Died: St. Petersburg - 15 April 1765

Mikhail Lomonosov was the great polymath of the Russian Enlightenment. Born in the deepest provinces of Northern Russia, he managed to gain a first-class education through a combination of natural intelligence and sheer force of will, and went on to make significant advances in several fields of science, as well as writing one of the first Russian grammars, several volumes of history, and a great quantity of poetry. In short, he was instrumental in pulling Russia further into the modern world, and in helping to make St. Petersburg a centre of learning as great as almost any in Europe.

Lomonosov was born in the village of Denisovka (now Lomonosovo), a village about 100 kilometers south-east of Arkhangelsk on the Severnaya Dvina river. His father was a peasant fisherman who had grown rich transporting goods from Arkhangelsk to settlements in the far north. His mother, the daughter of a deacon, died when he was very young, but not before she had taught him to read. From the age of ten, he accompanied his father on voyages to learn the business.

In 1730, however, determined to study, he ran away from home and walked over 1 000 kilometers to Moscow. Claiming to be the son of a provincial priest, he was able to enroll in the Slavic Greek Latin Academy, where he studied for five years before being sent on to St. Petersburg's Academic University. The following year (1736), he was a select group of outstanding students sponsored by the Academy of Sciences to study mathematics, chemistry, physics, philosophy and metallurgy in Western Europe. Lomonosov spent three years at the University of Marburg as a personal student of the philosopher Christian Wolff, then a year studying mining and metallurgy in Saxony, and a further year travelling in Germany and the Low Countries. While in Marburg, he fell in love with and married his landlady's daughter, Elizabeth Christine Zilch.

Due to lack of funds to support his young family, Lomonosov returned to St. Petersburg at the end of 1741, and was immediately appointed adjunct to the physics class at the Academy of Sciences. In 1745 he became the Academy's first Russian-born Professor of Chemistry, and in 1748 the first chemical research laboratory in Russia was built for him.

Throughout his career at the Academy, Lomonosov was a passionate advocate for making education in Russia more accessible to the lower ranks of Russian society. He campaigned to give public lectures in Russian and for the translation into Russian of more scientific texts. In this, he found himself in conflict with one of the founders of the Academy, the German ethnologist Gerhard Friedrich Miller (whose views on the importance of Scandinavians and Germans in Russian history Lomonosov also hotly disputed). By composing and presenting at an official Assembly of the Academy in 1749 his ode to the Empress Elizaveta Petrovna, Lomonosov gained considerable favour at court and a powerful ally in his pedagogical endeavours in the form of Elizaveta's lover, Count Ivan Shuvalov. Together, Lomonosov and Shuvalov founded Moscow University in 1755. It was also thanks to Shuvalov's influence that the Empress granted Lomonosov a manor and four surrounding villages at Ust-Ruditsa, where he was able to implement his plan to open a mosaic and glass factory, the first outside Italy to produce stained glass mosaics.

By 1758, Lomonosov's responsibilities included overseeing the Academy's Geography Department, Historical Assembly, University and Gymnasium, the latter of which he again insisted on making open to lowborn Russians. In 1760, he was appointed a foreign member of the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, and in 1764 he was similarly honoured by the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of Bologna. The same year, he was granted by Elizaveta Petrovna the rank of Secretary of State. He died 4 April 1765, and was buried in the Lazarev Cemetery of St. Petersburg's Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

Much of Lomonosov's work was unknown outside Russia until many years after his death, and even now it is more the extraordinary breadth of his inquiry and understanding, rather than any specific grand advancements in a particular field, that make him such a seminal figure in Russian science. Among the highlights of his academic career were his discovery of an atmosphere around Venus, his assertion of the Law of Conservation of Mass (nearly two decades before Antoine Lavoisier), and his development of a prototype of the Herschelian telescope. In 1764, he arranged the expedition along the northern coast of Siberia that discovered the Northeast Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. His works also contained intuitions of the wave theory of light and the theory of continental drift. He made improvements to navigational instruments and demonstrated the organic origin of soil, peat, coal, petroleum and amber. Without knowledge of Da Vinci's work, he developed a working prototype of a helicopter.

He wrote the first guide to rhetoric in the Russian language, and his Russian Grammar was among the first to codify the language. His Ancient Russian History compared the development of Russia to the development of the Roman Empire, a theme that would become increasingly popular in the 19th century. His poetry was much praised during his lifetime, although it has been largely ignored by posterity.

Lomonosov is remembered in central St. Petersburg in the names of Ulitsa Lomonosova ("Lomonosov Street"), Ploshchad Lomonosova ("Lomonosov Square") and the adjacent bridge across the Fontanka River. During the Soviet Period, his name was given to the Imperial Porcelain Manufactory, and hence to the nearby metro station, Lomonosovskaya. The Soviets also renamed the suburban town of Oranienburg as Lomonosovo. In 1986, a magnificent monument to Lomonosov was unveiled in front of the Twelve Colleges, the main campus of St. Petersburg State University, acknowledging the enormous debt that institution owes the great polymath who is rightfully considered the father of Russian science.

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