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DECC closes Green Deal Home Improvement Fund

The government has closed the Green Deal Home Improvement Fund after a surge in demand exhausted the allocated budget. The £120m fund, available to householders in England and Wales, was set up to offer people money back for making energy efficiency improvements to their homes. It has now closed less than six weeks after it opened for applications. Earlier this week ministers announced that they were lowering cashback levels available under the scheme due to its popularity. Around £43m of funding was allocated in the first six weeks and over £50m has been applied for. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) said that 12,200 applications have been received and 7925 households have received vouchers under the scheme. Last night DECC issued a statement to say that the fund was closed…

Former Community Member
Sharing knowledge and lessons learnt from the UK's first eco-town

The Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD) at Oxford Brookes University and sustainability charity BioRegional have launched a new initiative designed to share the knowledge and experience gained from creating the UK’s first eco-town. The Eco-Bicester Living Lab (EBLL) will bring together research and disseminate lessons learned thus far as the Bicester eco-town in Oxfordshire continues to take shape. Cherwell District Council and A2Dominion, lead developers of the eco-town, are key stakeholders in the project that will capture the research and innovation taking place in constructing the major eco-housing development. 393 high-performance homes are being built on site, with plans for a further 6,000 homes in the near future. The first residents are expected to move in from spring…

Former Community Member
Driverless cars trials in UK to start by early 2015

Trials of self-driving cars on public roads in the UK could start as early as January 2015, the UK Business Secretary Vince Cable has announced on Wednesday, 30 July 2014. The technology, which has so far only been allowed on private roads, was supposed to see first trials integrating it into regular traffic in 2013 but was postponed due to regulatory issues. Ministers have now launched a review to look at current road regulations to establish how the UK can remain at the forefront of driverless car technology and ensure there is an appropriate regime for testing driverless cars in the UK. Read this online article in E&T Magazine for further details.

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
Faheema Baksh Wins The IET PATW Americas Regional Finals

Ms. Baksh's journey began in Trinidad, when she placed first at the local network's PATW competition in June 2014. In a little under a month she prepared herself to compete against the top finalists from around the Americas region.The Americas Regional final was held in Fullerton, California on Saturday 26th July. (Left to Right - Jenny Yu, Connor Scheu, David Drakes, Prof Andy Bazar, David McQuiggan, Kristen Facciol, Danielle Antonellis, Imran Mouna, Emily Hicks, Faheema Baksh ) The participants were taken on a tour of the California State University at Fullerton Campus and then treated to a welcome dinner at the Marriot CSU Fullerton, during which a token of the national instrument was presented to Mr. Harvey on behalf of the Trinidad and Tobago LN. (David Drakes presenting Julian Harvey…

Jason Robert Rameshwar
Free Training? Seems too good to be true…

They say the best things in life are free, but how many things do we actually get for free these days without there being a catch? We always end up reading the small print only to find that free doesn’t actually mean free . So when you hear the IET offer free training, you’ll probably want to know more before you sign up. Where’s the catch? Well, there isn’t one. The IET do offer free training sessions. We offer 15 different bite sized topics to provide you with key Lifeskills that you can use in both the workplace and in your personal lives. Many of us want to progress in our careers and better ourselves. Often, key skills are needed in order for you to move forward or remain current; however companies can’t always provide the training you need to gain these skills and external courses aren…

Kathryn Bain
Construction of world's tallest railway bridge begins in Manipur

Guwahati: Construction of the world's tallest railway bridge from the point of pillar height has begun in Manipur by the Northeast Frontier Railway Construction Organisation. The proposed bridge near Noney with pillar height up to 141 metres is slated to become the tallest in the world from the point of pillar height surpassing the existing tallest of Mala-Rijeka viaduct on Belgrade-Bar railway line in Europe where the height of pillars is 139 metre, said an N-F Railway spokesman. The bridge in Manipur is part of the 111 km-long Jiribam-Tupul-Imphal railway line to connect the capital of Manipur with the broad gauge network of the country, the spokesman said. The alignment of the railway line passes through steep rolling hills of Patkai region, eastern trail of the Himalayas, he said. While…

Former Community Member
Qatar World Cup 2022: inside construction workers' accommodation – video

Qatar is introducing reform after widespread criticism of the conditions endured by the migrant labourers who are building World Cup infrastructure. Robert Booth visits the construction site of the Zaha Hadid-designed al-Wakrah stadium, where workers now have clean bedrooms and Wi-Fi. But such facilities are rare – and employees say they are still poorly paid. Video: http://bit.ly/1k6Azdg

Former Community Member
Enabling BIM and the Crossrail Smart Railway

10 September 2014 18.00 - 20.00 FREE to attend lecture About this event Ever wondered how BIM can help support asset management and asset information in the Railway industry? This event can de-mystify the situation for you! Join us on 10 September for a free to attend lecture discussing good practice and practical experiences of developing BIM to support Asset Information and Management for Crossrail. Overview of Crossrail & Progress BIM & Asset Information Fundamentals Good Practice BIM & Asset Management Quality Asset Information Enablers Asset Representation Building 2 Crossrail's Collecting & Utilising BIM & Asset Information Quality Asset Information Provision The Crossrail Smart Railway Smart Initiatives Sharing Good Practice Benefits Lecture speaker Ross Dentten, Asset Information &…

Former Community Member
Grazia Equal Pay Campaign To Get Section 78 Of The Equality Act Enacted

Grazia magazine is petitioning for Section 78 of the Equality Act 2010 to be enacted. This would mean businesses with 250 employees or more would have to publish anonymised details annually about the hourly pay of men and women they employ. This transparency would help end the gender pay divide. Read more...

Former Community Member
Apartment Tower in Melbourne completed in just 5 days - Prefab

The One9 building, a 9-floor apartment building was recently built in Melbourne, Australia in just five days. This was possible because the parts needed to construct the One9 building were manufactured off site, though the builders aren’t really calling it modular, since none of the modules are standard or fixed. The One9 apartment is comprised of a total of 34 one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The construction process was based on Hickory Group’s UB (Unitized Building) system, which was created by architect Nonda Katsalidis. This is the highest building the group has constructed until now, though they are sure much taller buildings could also easily be built using this method. Their building method is currently being specified on buildings up to 70 storeys. The One9 apartment is comprised…

Former Community Member
Extended Enterprise 2014: Managing risk in the world of 'VUCA' - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity

The days of ‘self- contained’ business are over. Virtually all organisations, from start-ups to multi-nationals now rely on a complex and interconnected web of suppliers, services, consultants, energy providers, distributors and many more simply to do business. This ‘extended enterprise’ gives you efficiencies of scale and expertise but it also poses growing multiples of risk. If any part of your network faces unmanaged risk, this has consequences for your own business. Extended Enterprise 2014, run by the world’s leading professional body for risk management, will show you the exact extent of your extended enterprise, the risks and opportunities it presents to your business and how best to manage them. Using IRM’s “Extended EnterpriseResources for Practitioners”, this conference is about practical…

Former Community Member
UCSI University 18th June 2014

Exec member, Lim Yew Kee, was invited by Ir. Associate Prof Dr. Jimmy Mok (Dean, Faculty of Engineering, Technology, Built Environment) and Engr. Nur Amira (Acting Head of Programmes, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering Dept.) to deliver Technical Talks to its engineering students on 18th June 2014. This event was sponsored by the IET Manufacturing Technical and Professional Network. UCSI University is a private university and since its inception in 1986 it has now over 10,000 students from 80 different countries with three campuses located in Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu and Sarawak (East Malaysia). The Technical Talks were entitled," Machine Automation and Manufacturing Engineering", and " Electrical and Electronic Product Development Principles and Technology". His talks relate to Product…

Joanne Longton
Made in Britain

Watch an exclusive interview with Dr Ralf Speth as he examined Jaguar-Landrover's role as a centre for leading design and engineering. Dr Ralf Speth examined Jaguar-Landrover's role as a centre for leading design and engineering; a major investor in R&D; a pioneer of new links between business and academia and as a user of next-generation IT systems. He also looked at how manufacturing companies have to prepare for a globalised, ultra-competitive and crisis-hit industrial world and how Britain is setting new standards as a hub for automotive excellence. "Made in Britain" - Premium Automotive Manufacturing for a Global Market Dr Ralf Speth, CEO, Jaguar Land Rover From: Viscount Nuffield / Mensforth Lecture, 15 March 2012, Coventry 2012-03-12 00:00:00.0 Manufacturing Channel >> go to webcast…

Joanne Longton
Timber fire door - installation, repair & maintenance

Correctly installing fire doors and doorsets and their on-going repair and maintenance is critical to the safety of building occupants. Fire doors play a vital role in containing fire and the spread of smoke in the event of a fire. The importance of good installation cannot be overemphasised. Poor installation can mean that an otherwise well-manufactured door fails to provide the required performance in the event of a fire. The installation of a doorset is as much a part of the fire resistance test as the doorset itself. Therefore, any alterations to the method of installation must be covered by a test report, an assessment report or an extended field of application report. Repair and maintenance of a life-safety device such as a fire door is imperative. Generally, after handover, this responsibility…

Former Community Member
How can a Professional Registration Advisor help?

I recently spoke with David Parr, one of our PRAs, who told me his one piece of advice to all candidates applying for professional registration is: “Always have your application looked over by a PRA.” Professional registration advisors (PRAs) are volunteers with detailed knowledge of the professional registration requirements who give their time to instruct registrants and potential registrants to advise on the presentation aspect of making a formal application for CEng, IEng, EngTech and ICTTech. With some simple preparation you can ensure that you can not only get their advice on your application but can also make the most of the assistance they can give. When to contact a PRA? Whilst you can contact a PRA at anytime, it is best to seek advice when you think you might be ready to apply. You…

Kathryn Bain in CEng
Opportunities in Power Electronics

Keynote by Bill Drury from the EPSRC Power Electronics Centre 2014 Conference looking at the impact, opportunities and some issues facing Power Electronics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xREkgv9qkqA&list=PLVBsQFhtOizQRV8iZUqkbhJSjCztRHd92&index=3

Bill Drury
Interview with Lord Browne

Carbon chief: Lord Browne | In-depth | The Engineer http://t.co/fdT7mAghsW — Joanne Longton (@IETJoanneLongt) July 22, 2014

Joanne Longton
PEMD 2014 Captured On IET TV

Follow the link to the PEMD Presentations on IET TV: http://tv.theiet.org/search.cfm?syear=&schan=&stext=pemd&page=1&utm_source=Adestra&utm_campaign=Energy%20Sector%20Newsletter%20June%202014&utm_medium=Newsletters%20-%20Sector%20News&utm_content=Energy%20Sector%20News&utm_term=http%3A%2F%2Ftv.theiet.org%2Fsearch.cfm%3Fsyear%3D%26schan%3D%26stext%3Dpemd%26page%3D1&utm_contact=15533095 A list of papers is attached to help find the paper you are looking for.

Bill Drury
Withington Girls' School compete in Faraday Challenge Final

A school from Manchester was one of the three top teams to compete in the 2013-14 Faraday Challenge Day season . Withington Girls’ School took part in the trip to the National Final on 20 June 2014 at the STFC’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. At the Final, along with two other teams they competed to win up to £1,000 for their school. Students from the top teams also received a special treat day as part of their prize on 19 June 2014 where they were given exclusive tours around the STFC facilities including the Mars Yard where they were able to control some of the robots; ISIS - Seeing the Invisible; and the RAL Space Centre where they were tasked with building a rocket out of spaghetti and marshmallows!

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
E-VECTOORC Consortium's Final Dissemination Event - Gaydon

Phil Barber, a member of the ARTS TPN Executive Team would like to invite all community members to a free event that the E-VECTOORC consortium are organising in Gaydon next month. The Consortium are holding their final Project Dissemination event at the Heritage Centre, Gaydon on Thursday, 28 August 2014. There will be a detailed technical discussion of the successes and learning from developing a four wheel electric drive test vehicle, using individual inboard switched reluctance motors. The EU funded co-operative project has demonstrated the advances in vehicle capability due to this configuration, and lessons learnt from the difficulties in implementing this technology. Further details on the event can be found here . Please register for the event by Monday, 18 August via Aldo Sorniotti

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
Who will Build HS2? - Learning from Best Practice Around the World

Transport Times have organised a one-day conference on HS2 on Thursday, 11 September 2014 and will examine best practice in planning, financing, civil engineering, signalling and rolling stock. The keynote address will be provided by Transport Minister Robert Goodwin MP and Simon Kirby, Chief Executive, Construction at HS2 will provide an update on how the project will progress. Further details of the event can be found here . The IET is a member of the Railway Engineers Forum (REF) and members of the REF qualify for a 10% discount on teh conference. To access this please click here.

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
2013-14 Committee

The IET Birmingham Network organises a varied programme of activities in and around the Birmingham area. All of these events and activities are made possible by the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers. If you would like to know more about the committee, or would like to volunteer, please get in touch with any of the committee members listed below: Rob Diprose Vice Chairman Ivan Ellis Chairman Tim Boyle Webmaster John Holland School Liaison Officer Brian Reynolds Business Liaison Officer John Barnett Programme Coordinator, SEA Nirajan Sangroula Birmingham University Contact, Young Professionals Secretary Mohammed Sarki Secretary Mak Sharma Birmingham City University Contact Joanne Longton Community Relationship Manager Tafadzwa Mackenzie Kadare YP representative

Joanne Longton
Machine Automation and Manufacturing Engineering

Exec Member, Lim Yew Kee, was invited by Ir. Siva Priya, Chair, Industrial Linkage Committee, Faculty of Engineering, Multimedia University (MMU) Malaysia, to deliver a technical talk to its engineering students on 16th June 2014. This event was sponsored by The IET Manufacturing Technical and Professional Network. Multimedia University (MMU) is the first private university in Malaysia, a wholly owned subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia (TM), the largest telecommunications company in Malaysia, and growing to over 20,000 students in 15 years. This Technical Talk was entitled, "Machine Automation and Manufacturing Engineering". He highlighted that current global market demand not only for reliable and quality product, but also ones managing its cost effectiveness in manufacturing processes coupled…

Joanne Longton
PEMD TPN Management Group

The PEMD TPN Management Group is drawn from senior industrial and academic engineers in the field of Power Electronics, Machines and systems comprising either or both of these technologies – Drives is a convenient description. The team comprises: · Bill Drury (PEMD Consultant) - Chairman · Mike Barnes (Manchester University)%u200B · Jeff Carter (Borg Warner) - Colin Davidson (Alstom Grid) · Paul Huggett (KTN) · Barrie Mecrow (Newcastle University) · David Moule (TRW) · Volker Pickert (Newcastle University) · Pat Wheeler (Nottingham University) · Zi-Qiang Zhu (Sheffield University)

Bill Drury

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