Dr Fenech-Salerno and Dr Singh represented the department at the inaugural Imperial on Tour series in 2025 giving engaging taster lectures
Dr Benji Fenech-Salerno and Dr Ravi Singh represented the Department of Chemistry at the inaugural Imperial on Tour series in 2025, delivering a set of engaging taster lectures to Year 12 students across four locations in the UK. The tour aimed to inspire students considering an application to study Chemistry at Imperial. The chemistry sessions, led by Dr Fenech-Salerno and Dr Singh, were structured into three distinct parts: before Imperial, at Imperial, and after Imperial.
In the 'before Imperial' section, students were guided through the admissions process — from entry requirements to interview tips — giving them a clear understanding of what to expect when applying.
The 'at Imperial' section gave students a taste of life as a chemistry undergraduate. A typical timetable was shared, highlighting core and optional modules, and giving insight into how students would balance lectures, labs, tutorials, and independent study. To highlight studying chemistry at Imperial, the students participated in numerous live practical demonstrations, designed to showcase the hands-on, inquiry-based approach of the course. The overarching theme of light was exploited: students saw light being used in chemistry as a probe, as a reaction initiator, and light as a product of a chemical reaction. Students made their own predictions and hypotheses based on the content taught during the lecture. They then investigated these properties as a group.
The session ended with life 'after Imperial,' and explored graduate prospects and the types of areas a chemistry graduate could work in after they finish their undergraduate studies at Imperial. Dr Fenech-Salerno and Dr Singh also shared their personal research journeys, highlighting their PhD work and touching on cutting-edge departmental research in machine learning, photovoltaics, and automation. This aimed to showcase the breadth of chemistry and its application beyond a classroom.
The key takeaway from this series was interacting with prospective students and parents. The applications of chemistry were discussed and our approaches to teaching within the department. Students, and parents, were interested to hear about our multi-modal assessment methods at Imperial; students were familiar with exams, but the idea of viva voce assessments was a new concept.