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  • Meet our Young Women Engineer of the Year 2026 finalists!

    We're delighted to introduce the outstanding finalists for the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards 2026! These exceptional engineers and technologists are driving innovation across sectors including Formula 1, aerospace, nuclear engineering and satellite communications, while also creating pathways for the next generation through mentoring, outreach and advocacy. Their achievements highlight the incredible impact that young women are making across engineering and technology today. Join us on 3 December at IET London: Savoy Place from 6:00pm to celebrate their success, hear their inspiring stories, and be there as the winners are revealed. Reserve your place by clicking the link below. The Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards Meet our 2026 finalists…

    Daisy March
    Daisy March

  • Tribulations: Trust & sovereignty becoming prominent in evaluating solutions & services

    Against a backdrop of tight budgets, greater scrutiny on travel, longer deal cycles and considerable structural change across the MediaTech sector, several clear shifts emerged at IBC2026. AI became more practical, software-defined infrastructure moved closer to deployment, cloud lost some of its ideological edge, connectivity became part of the production stack, and sports provided the clearest evidence of where the industry is heading. Trust emerged as the prominent industry theme — and one that is evolving in real-time. While technology typically dominates MediaTech conversations, this year trust and sovereignty prompted individuals and organisations to make judgements that are inherently subjective and nuanced. These considerations are increasingly translating into leadership and…

  • (Almost) 20 Years of IET Local Network Volunteering...

    As I approach 20 years of volunteering with the IET, our Local Network Manager suggested I write this blog to talk about my experiences as a volunteer and some of the things I’ve gained from volunteering with the IET. My IET Bristol Volunteering Story I first joined the IET Bristol LN committee in 2007. I'd been Chartered for several years and was well-established in my day-job, so I was looking for some new challenges and skills beyond my role at the time, as well as, altruistically, hoping to “give something back”. To begin with, I picked up the "Publicity" brief: preparing press-releases on our events with the IET's publicity department for national and local news, publicising our events in local listings magazines and websites, and even doing a couple of radio interviews on local…

  • Behind the Rails: Technical Visit to the Metro Express Depot in Mauritius

    On Saturday 29 August 2026, the IET Mauritius Local Network and Metro Express Ltd (MEL) opened the railway depot to visitors for a technical visit. They came from a wide range of industries, consulting and academia, with students also joining in. IET Mauritius visitors gather at Metro Express reception Why a railway depot visit? Most Mauritians have seen the Metro, but few have seen what keeps it running. The depot is where trains are stabled, inspected, maintained and prepared for revenue service. It brings together rolling stock, traction power, track, infrastructure, telecommunication systems, signalling and overhead line electrification in one place. The metro is also a relatively new industry in the Mauritian landscape. Rail was reintroduced in 2019, following the closure of the…

  • The Origins of Digital Control Engineering

    Guest blog by Peter Barker and Asha Gage, IET Archivist An earlier IET Archives blog, The Story of Roy Barker – a Physicist with 70 Years with the IET , provided an initial account, written by the donor, of Barker’s career and the material deposited in the IET Archives. The initial exploration naturally focused on individual papers, patents and technical memoranda, each of which appeared to describe a particular research problem or application rather than the complete picture. The significance of some of the later work, particularly Barker’s mathematical work on control systems, was not appreciated in the context of his earlier research. Further examination of the collection has revealed connections between these apparently separate pieces of research, bringing to light the remarkable…

  • Beyond AI: Biological Intelligence and Africa’s Genomic Sovereignty

    Biological Intelligence (BI) refers to computing systems built using living human brain cells (neurons) cultured on silicon chips, pioneered by companies such as Cortical Labs and other wetware-computing startups. Wetware computing merges biology with synthetic interfaces. The living neurons are grown on Multi-Electrode Arrays (MEAs) that send and receive real electrical signals. The tissue does not simply read code; it experiences the input as a pattern of physical, energetic simulation. Right now, the wetware industry is centered in European, American and Australian biotech hubs. To build these biological processors, companies use Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs), which are human skin or blood cells reprogrammed into embryonic-like stem cells state and then developed into human brain…

  • MVHR: The Design Only Works If It Can Be Built

    I’ve worked on enough MVHR (Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery) installations now to know that a design can look perfectly reasonable on a drawing and still become a completely different proposition once you get onto site. One project in particular brought that home to me. The MVHR design itself made sense on paper. The required extract and supply points were there, the duct routes had been considered and technically the system worked. The problem was that the building didn’t quite agree with the drawing. A central corridor formed the main route through the property, and once the other services and the actual construction were taken into account, the available space for the ductwork was far more restricted than it first appeared. That is where MVHR design becomes less about drawing…

  • The Volunteer Crew: Why communities take calculated risks

    The more time I spend working with IET volunteers, the more I realise that resilience and innovation have something else in common: both require a willingness to take risks. Now, before anyone starts worrying, I'm not talking about ignoring governance, abandoning standards, or throwing processes out of the window. Engineers are trained to understand risk, manage it, and minimise it where it matters. That's exactly what we should continue to do when safety, ethics, and public trust are involved. But when it comes to building communities, connecting people, and creating opportunities for learning, being overly risk-averse can sometimes become a barrier to progress. I've been reflecting on this after reading Be More Pirate by Sam Conniff. One of the themes that stood out to me wasn't rebellion…

  • Café Conversations: Turn a Question into an Experience with an Aerospace Professional Project

    Are you excited to apply your curiosity to an engineering question, have an idea for an initiative, or interested in hearing about the benefits of being a part of a professional project? The October edition of the IET Aerospace TN's Café explores how aerospace professionals come together to advance engineering knowledge. Bring your project ideas, share experiences, discuss challenges together, and connect. Together, we can advance engineering knowledge Professional engineers are seeing a growing demand for their skills across design & manufacturing, systems integration and emerging technologies. Yet for many engineers, exposure to professional development comes from their workplaces, where the process of exploration; how they approach a challenge, make technical or creative choices, and…

  • Rare Book: The General History of China by Jean-Baptiste Du Halde

    Daniel Simkin, IET Library Deputy Library Manager Jean-Baptiste Du Halde’s The General History of China: Containing a geographical, historical, chronological, political and physical description of the empire of China, Chinese-Tartary, Corea, and Thibet (China, the regions of Manchuria, Mongolia and Xinjiang, Korea and Tibet) was first published in 1735. The edition held at the IET is the third edition comprised of four volumes published in 1741. The book is part of the collection of Silvanus P. Thompson purchased in 1917 by the IET. Thompson was an avid collector of scientific books and added volumes in numerous disciplines and European languages to his collection during his life. Jean-Baptiste Du Halde was born in Paris in 1674 and entered the Society of Jesuits in 1692 becoming a professor…

  • Built for the Unknown: How the Apache Was Engineered for the Future

    On 30 September 1975, the prototype Boeing AH-64 Apache made its maiden flight, beginning the journey of what would become one of the most recognisable and enduring military aircraft of the modern era. More than five decades later, the Apache remains in service around the world, continually upgraded to meet new operational requirements. Its longevity is a story of aviation success and of engineering foresight. For engineers, the Apache is perhaps most interesting not because of what it does, but because of how it was designed. It represents an early and highly successful example of systems engineering, integrating aerodynamics, structures, materials, electronics, software and human factors into a single coherent platform. Engineering Beyond the Airframe By the 1970s, aircraft designers…

  • Water,Water Nowhere: The Utility We Can't Live Without

    The summer of 2026 brought record-breaking temperatures across the UK, with hosepipe bans affecting around 75% of the country. These conditions highlighted the growing importance of water as a precious resource. Yet despite its critical role in our daily lives and industrial processes, water is often taken for granted. We expect it to be available whenever we need it, rarely considering the infrastructure, energy, resilience, and cost required to ensure a continuous supply. Against this backdrop, the IET London Network's September Lecture explored one of industry's most essential but overlooked utilities: water. Presented by Aoife Kelly, Global Lead for Sustainable Design, Pharmaceuticals and Advanced Technology at Arcadis, and hosted by the Central London Network on 9 September 2026 at the…

  • This blog set alarm bells ringing!

    Guest blog by David Knights FIET David, a researcher and visitor to the IET Archives, has written this blog about an item he found in one of our collections. Having an interest in his locality and an engineering background, it was the perfect way to combine technical archives with local history. An online copy of the map provided the opportunity to take a better look at it alongside his own collection of images that include some of the fire call points shown on the map. The Borough of Acton One of the more unusual items in the IET Archives is a Map of the Borough of Acton showing the location of fire alarms and fire stations dated 1937. The collection also includes similar details of Oxford, Malden and Coombe, Eccles, Luton, Watford, and the British Empire Exhibition (1924/5). IET…

  • Brownfield Automation: How Do You Automate a Factory That Was Never Designed to Be Automated?

    Manufacturers are being encouraged to embrace connected, intelligent and increasingly autonomous production. Yet much of the world’s manufacturing capacity was installed long before those concepts existed. The challenge is therefore not simply how to build the factory of the future, but how to create it from the factory that already exists. The factory of the future may already have been built Walk through almost any long-established manufacturing facility and the reason quickly becomes apparent. A recently installed robotic cell may sit alongside a twenty-year-old CNC machining centre. Further down the line may be equipment controlled by an older PLC, a standalone inspection machine and processes that still depend heavily on manual intervention. These assets were installed at different…

  • Celebrating Excellence: Dr Walter Green Receives the Prestigious James N Kirby Award

    Engineering is often described as a profession built on innovation, problem-solving and a commitment to creating a better future. It is also a profession shaped by the people who dedicate their careers to advancing knowledge, supporting others and sharing expertise. For these reasons, it is particularly fitting to celebrate the achievements of Dr Walter Green FIET , who was recently presented with the prestigious James N Kirby Award, one of the highest honours awarded by the IET in the Australasian region. The award was presented on 2 July 2026 during a special technical event in Perth, Western Australia, hosted by the IET Western Australia Local Network Committee. The James N Kirby Award recognises individuals who have achieved outstanding eminence, distinction and public recognition within…

  • Risks to humans from advanced humanoid robots and AGI within an AI integrated battle group

    Am I a fantasist or am I looking into the future and seeing a possible threat to humanity? I recently enjoyed a night in front of the television, watching Arnold Schwarzenegger's ‘The Terminator’ and my thoughts started to wonder about life in the future and could the rise in technology actually be a threat to humanity. Then came my viewing on the internet of the recent robotic Olympics in China where humanoid robots competed in athletic events, and the constant technical media coverage of the ever-increasing evolution of AGI. The result was that I am becoming increasingly concerned for our species. Advanced autonomous humanoid robots and AI systems with Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) used within an AI-integrated military battle group possess physical capabilities and search, recognise…

  • Powering the impossible: engineering the future of adaptive all-terrain adventure - a talk from Disabled Adventurer, Nick Wilson

    As part of our ongoing work into supporting disabled engineers and technologists, we're exploring how emerging and existing assistive technologies are supporting people in today's world, from completing daily tasks to taking on multi-terrain adventures. Someone who is no stranger to this is Disabled Adventurer and speaker, Nick Wilson, and we're delighted to invite our Members, Volunteers and Colleagues to attend a virtual talk where he'll be sharing details of his own adventures, as well as where inclusive engineering is heading, and what's holding back progress. Nick's talk will be taking place on Wednesday 30 September, 11:30am-12:30pm via MS Teams, please click here to register: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b0eec48d-54c7-4111-9609-c7d17aa80e74@37f807ba-aa39-43e3-8018-abddb6f7781c…

  • The Five-Step Loop Beneath Every Project That Actually Delivers

    Ask ten project people what "control" means, and you'll get ten different answers, most involving spreadsheets and a bit of dread. The Teal Book, the UK government's code of practice for project delivery, puts it more usefully: control is any action taken to increase the likelihood that objectives are achieved. Look at what that leaves out. Nothing about status reports, RAG ratings, or steering packs. Those are outputs. Control is the action you take. Everything else just exists to make that action better. Underneath it is a loop of five steps. Plan, do the work, track progress, assess, take action. Then round again. It looks too simple to matter, and that's the trap. In over 15 years of extensive experience delivering challenging and complex projects in highly regulated industries, I've…

    Ahmed Elfaraskoury
    Ahmed Elfaraskoury

  • Strategy Formulation Methodologies for Aerospace Companies Leveraging IVHM Enabled Service Delivery Systems

    Introduction The growing demand for affordable, reliable, and environmentally sustainable aerospace transport emphasises the need to extend the lifetime of costly equipment while ensuring operational safety. In this context, Integrated Vehicle Health Management (IVHM, the collection and analysis of on-board data, and the use of a digital twins, enables aerospace companies to propose and deliver IVHM enabled services and solutions. Such services and solutions delivery constitute a strategic objective for companies operating in the sector. This article describes a collection of complementary methodologies for formulating strategies for IVHM enabled aerospace service and solution delivery (Feiler et al., 2010) (Feiler et al., 2010; Wibowo et al., 2016). The European Commission Flight Safety…

  • In-Building and Private 5G Networks: Investment Considerations

    Investment decisions for in-building connectivity and private 5G begin with a practical question: what service or operational need must the network meet? My 18 years of experience in telecommunications span radio network planning, infrastructure investment planning, and implementation coordination for in-building and transportation connectivity projects. This experience has shaped my interest in how technical requirements, delivery constraints and long-term costs come together in an investment decision. As part of my continuing professional development, I explored selected publications on private-network economics and feasibility. Below, I distinguish their findings from my own interpretation of how they can inform engineering practice. Define the service requirement first In-building…

  • IBC2026: What to expect in Amsterdam, from AI and trust … to the future of TV?

    The International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) is once again serving as a global meeting point for the industry, bringing together the creative, technology and business communities to turn ideas into action, connections into partnerships and innovation into real-world business outcomes. The world’s leading broadcasters, content owners, rights holders and solution providers are converging in Amsterdam from 11 – 14 September 2026 for focused conversations, active collaboration and deal-making. IBC2026 will bring together more than 44,000 attendees from over 170 countries to explore innovations from more than 1,200 exhibitors across 14 halls, with more than 600 speakers delivering insights across the conference programme. IBC is owned and run by six professional organisations, two of which…

  • Powering Discovery: How Particle Accelerator Engineering is Shaping Our Future

    Particle accelerators are often associated with groundbreaking scientific discoveries and large-scale research facilities, but their impact extends far beyond the walls of laboratories. Today, accelerator technologies are driving innovation in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, energy research, national security and space exploration. As engineering challenges become increasingly complex, the role of accelerator engineering has never been more important. This theme sits at the heart of the upcoming Powering Discovery: The Future of Particle Accelerating event, hosted by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and supported by the IET Particle Accelerator Engineering Network (PAEN). Bringing together engineers, scientists, technicians and industry leaders, the event will showcase…

  • Because every mission builds a skill for life

    What happens when young people are given the opportunity to tackle real-world challenges, work as a team, and put their STEM skills to the test? As one group of students from George Stephenson High School discovered, the results can be truly life changing. Through the IET's FIRST ® LEGO® League programme, pupils don't just learn coding, robotics and engineering. They develop confidence, resilience, communication skills and leadership qualities that will support them throughout their lives. With the support of sponsors such as Sage, these opportunities are made accessible to schools that might otherwise be unable to participate. In this inspiring story, Curriculum Leader Natalie Fenn shares how her all-girls team, Mission Possible, progressed from an idea on paper to winning a national Core…

  • The bit between the diagrams

    When I started in the electrical trade in 1996, I thought learning the job meant learning how to install things correctly. Nearly three decades later, I still believe the technical foundations matter enormously, but I have also learned that some of the most valuable knowledge sits between the drawing and the finished installation. It is the judgement to notice when something does not add up, the confidence to ask a question, and the discipline to test rather than assume. My work has taken me through domestic, commercial, industrial and agricultural settings: houses, factories, farms, swimming pools and larger plant installations. More recently it has expanded into solar PV, battery storage, EV charging, heat pumps, MVHR, design review and project coordination. The equipment and technology…

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