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The brand new student chapter at Purdue features in Member News online . It is a great case study into how to start a student chapter and hopefully it will be the first of many in the region. We are really looking forward to working with Rachel to get the new student chapter going in the coming academic year - well done to everybody involved.
Well done to our volunteers in Southern California who have worked so hard to get their Local Network up and running again. Their efforts have been recognised in this Member News article from May 2013. If you’re interested in becoming a committee member or just finding out more about the SoCal Network be sure to head to the SoCal MyCommunity page .
If your goal is to achieve CEng, IEng, EngTech or ICTTech you will need to demonstrate evidence of competence as set out in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence ( UK-SPEC ). As part of this you are required to demonstrate your technical knowledge and understanding at the appropriate level to underpin the competences. If you have an accredited or approved academic qualification for your desired category of registration this shows that you have the relevant underpinning knowledge. If, like many others, you do not hold a formal qualification or your qualification is not fully accredited then you may need to undertake some form of further learning. Further Learning The IET are not prescriptive with our approach to further learning or how this is achieved. It can be undertaken…
If you can spare only 5 minutes from your busy life on the Toronto webpage, what would you do?
You are welcome to write here to express your opinion or suggestion.
Calling all you Mobile Phone Engineers out there! I need some advice… Without going into great detail, I’ve had a bit of an accident with my mobile phone (a six year old Nokia 6111) involving my rucksack and a bottle of very sugary grape juice with a leaky cap. I think the juice has infiltrated the insides as the phone is now doing some very strange things… If I take the battery out, take the phone apart and swish it around in a bucket of soapy water, let it all dry thoroughly for a few days then put it back together again, what are the chances of it working afterwards without wiping off the data held internally on the memory chips etc? Now I know you’re all going to say ... “Just buy a new phone you cheapskate” but my father has promised to give me his iPhone 4 when he upgrades to an iPhone…
It's been a busy year for IET Victoria, but there's plenty more to come! Upcoming events in Victoria for 2013 include : September 12, 2013 : A Perspective on Innovation IET Victoria is proud to be hosting Andy Hopper (global President of the IET) in Melbourne for one evening only to present his perspective on global innovation within companies and governments. Tickets are limited, and available now by following the link above - don't miss out! November 2013 : Present Around The World (Victorian Final) December 7, 2013 : Young Professionals AGM committee elections December 9, 2013 : IET Victoria AGM committee elections IET Victoria is also pleased to announce that it has been awarded the rights to host the Australian Final of the Present Around The World competition for 2014! The gala event…
1. All IET members have access to Career Manager, our online professional development planning and recording tool. Simply visit our website www.theiet.org/career-manager and log-in to enable the Access IET Career Manager button. 2. Select the CPD menu from the Quick Launch Tool on the homepage. Select Record my CPD Activities to record work experience, volunteering, events and seminars and self-study activities. Training courses and Academic study are recorded in your personal profile as part of your CV information, but can also be accessed from the CPD Quick Launch menu and will show in your CPD Activity Reports. 3. To record your CPD activities, first create a folder to categorise your activities e.g. CPD Activities 2013. 4. Add your activities, filling in the required fields. 5. Add a reflection…
John Logie Baird's birthday is notable for two things in my mind. One of them is obvious: the pioneering inventor who struggled against the limitations of technology to achieve something incredible (several times!). The other may surprise you: for many years, the IET has produced an annual lecture concentrating on one aspect of the leading edge of technology, and it is called the 'John Logie Baird Lecture'. I'm convinced that if it had been running just under a hundred years ago, then John Logie Baird would have been giving one of the 'James Clerk Maxwell' (perhaps - or who would you nominate?) lectures. Because technology advances on a broad but chaotic wavefront, previous 'JLB' lectures have covered a diverse range of topics: from 3D cinema to the underlying technology behind the Internet…
IET Postgraduate Winners 2013 - Three of the five winners were women! The IET awards up to five postgraduate scholarships annually, between £2,500 and £10,000. The scholarships are for IET members who have started their doctorate and are intended to reward excellence rather than alleviate financial hardship. They are awarded on a competitive basis: applications are assessed by the IET Scholarships Committee and short-listed applicants are interviewed. ... Alison Gibbings was awarded the IET Postgraduate Scholarship for an Outstanding Researcher of £10,000. Alison is a co-located PhD student at the Advanced Space Concepts Laboratory, University of Strathclyde and the Systems, Power and Energy research division, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow. Her research, which she started in…
Whye Leon Seng was this year's recipient of the IET Local Network Prize at Monash University. Leon graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Computer Systems) in 2012, and was the recipient of multiple awards at Monash University in the final year of his Bachelor's degree, including the Graham Beard Memorial Prize, Ian Langlands Medal, Sir John Monash Medal and the University Medal for Undergraduate Academic Excellence. The ceremony was held on 12 June 2013 in the Sir Alexander Stewart Theatre at Monash University (Clayton Campus) as part of the Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering Awards Ceremony, recognising the academic achievements of its students. Rowan Pattieson (YPS Chairperson) presented the award on behalf of IET Victoria, with IET Victoria…
Winner Kelsey Kennedy (University of Western Australia) "Imaging the mechanical properties of breast tissue" Runner-up Nicholas Venables (University of Melbourne) "Bionic vision simulator" You can view photos from the awards dinner by clicking here . Kelsey will now represent Australia in the IET Asia-Pacific Regional PATW Final in Brunei (tentatively to be held in August 2013) . We wish her the best of luck! Victoria will be hosting the 2014 IET Australia National PATW Final in May. We will be endeavouring to publicise the fantastic achievements of the competitors to a much wider audience to make this event an even greater success!
It is widely recognised that systems accessible over the internet are susceptible to on-line attack. The process control sector has generally controlled the threat through restricting access to critical systems, particularly where the systems provide safety protection or mitigation functions. However, for less critical systems the benefits of remote access for surveillance, diagnostics and upgrade activities makes it difficult to maintain a completely "closed" approach within the overall system architecture. Where control and monitoring systems communicate with safety critical systems, or where safety functionality is not strictly segregated from the control system, then vulnerabilities in the on-line systems could compromise safety functions. Recognising that industry needs to gain the commercial…
The Women's Engineering Society (WES ) The IET support the Women’s Engineering Society, and if you haven’t done so already you may also be interested in signing up for the free WES monthly e-newsletter, and getting involved with their campaign to encourage women in engineering.
**Nominations now closed but do try again next year** If you have a colleague who meets our criteria - please read and follow the steps below to nominate her for the 2013 awards . If, on the other hand, you believe you personify the qualities we have described, nominate yourself instead. Your qualities are in demand and we believe the world of engineering would like to see more of you. How will the winners benefit? All award winners will have the chance to claim her award at a prestigious national ceremony in London,which will be covered by both print and broadcast media. All award winners will have the opportunity to attend high profile events and meet the most influential people in our industry. All awards will highlight the winner's achievements to future employers. The YWE winner will receive…
For those who haven't noticed, the IMechE and IET are now officially 'co-located'. As Chairman of the London Network, this is of course no surprise to me due to the impact it has on the Savoy Place based events. But even as an ordinary member, I have seen enough notifications, consultations etc. come by to have had my say and to have been made aware. I have even been to one of the open evenings at One Birdcage Walk where tours of the building (and samples of the good catering I must add!) were organised. Nevertheless it always seemed to this event. But it really dawned on me that we are now officially sharing the building, when I bumped in to Nigel Fine, our CEO, leaving the building - calling it his new office :) For those who haven't had the opportunity, go and check out our temporary home…
We had a very successful calendar of events for the 2012-13 season, covering topics as diverse as the aurora borealis, narrow boats, landmine detection and the Tornado steam locomotive. There was also a sold-out tour of the Glyndebourne Stage at the famous opera house. Here follows a summary of the season's events, with links to slides where available. Many thanks to all those involved in the organisation and delivery of these events. 2nd October 2012 Aurora Borealis Prof Mike Underhill 16th October 2012 Carbon capture and storage - an overviewb Dr Adina Popa 6th November 2012 A 59'6" Narrow boat that can travel as quietly as a canoe Dr Derek Wright 20th November 2012 Glyndebourne Stage Systems Tour Simon Yapp 6th December 2012 Detection of Landmines and IEDs David J Daniels CBE 8th Janurary…
If your goal is to achieve professional registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng), Engineering Technician (EngTech) or ICT Technician (ICTTech) you will probably have many people help you along the way. Two key people you might consider seeking out are a mentor and a Professional Registration Advisor. Here I explain these roles and when to use each one. Mentor The role of a mentor is to guide you towards becoming a competent professional, able to contribute towards your company, the engineering profession and the community. A mentor can challenge you to enhance your performance and provide valuable guidance and motivation. If you are just starting out working towards registration or have got part way through and find yourself stuck on something, then a mentor…
The IET has recently contributed to the Triennial Review of the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The IET submission was generally supportive of the current role, structure and performance of the organisation. You can read about the IET submission or find out more about how the IET contributes to UK Government policy .
The Safety Critical Systems Club's 21st annual symposium was held in Bristol from the 5th - 7th February 2013. The IET supported the event and many of the presentations are now available on IET.tv For more details about the event programme, see the SCSC website . Speaker Title Day 1 - 5 Feb 2013 Allan Bain, Ministry of Defence Certification in the Defence Sector Ron Bell, Engineering Safety Consultants Ltd IEC 61508: Assessment, Certification and Other Assurance Measures Dewi Daniels, Verocel Certification in Civil Aviation Roger Rivett, Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Regulations Peter Sheppard, Bombardier Transportation Getting Accepted in the UK Rail Industry Day 2 - 6 Feb 2013 John Thomas and Nancy Leveson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Keynote address: Generating Formal Model…
Alex Schey & Toby Schulz with the green bus Photo credit: The Telegraph Two young entrepreneurs who have presented their innovative approach to electric and hybrid technology in lectures to the IET Surrey network have caught the attention of the national press. Alex Schey and Toby Schulz CEO and CTO respectively, of Vantage Power were featured in the Daily Telegraph (2nd July) to talk about their project to develop a self-contained system of engine and battery pack that can be fitted into vehicles already on the road. The North West London based company has already received its first cash investment, and importantly forged a link with the Ensign Bus Company, Britain's largest used bus company. So what was the attraction for these backers? Vantage' system is designed to cut fuel savings for…
Event catering at the Lakeside Restaurant, University of Surrey The Lakeside Restaurant is our main venue because of the excellent catering and for the ease of networking. However, there are a few drawbacks as it is not a tiered theatre and there may be sound reinforcement problems in the central area, however it has been what members have preferred over the years. If you are hard of hearing, you should talk to one of the organisers who may be able to offer you a better seating position. We offer refreshments as a 'bite-to-eat and drink', not as a full supper, and we are limited as to what we can offer from the available menu and pricing. If you have any constructive comment, or any suggestions of alternative venues in the area, then we are always pleased to hear from our members. Comments…
A student receives the IET award from Martin Butterworth of the Surrey LN The 2013 Surrey Science Fair , organised by Surrey Satro and sponsored by local business and industry partners including the IET, was again a big success with attending students from primary age through to sixth form. This year's fair was held at the Brooklands Motor Museum in Weybridge and presented a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) based real-world jobs and careers using practical experiments and games to highlight that technology is fund and exciting as well as puzzling. The IET stand saw the return of the make-your-own LED torch kit, which proved popular with all ages. Specific experiments to demonstrate the basic principles of conductors and insulators which although simple also…
I volunteered to write up my first blog on the IET Women's Network on the topic of the confidence a women needs to sustain in a male dominated engineering society. I believe confidence in one's abilities to present engineering ideas play a very important role in succeeding as an engineer. It's imperative while we work with majority of males around. It is perceived that majority of females divert to other careers due to lack of confidence in their engineering concepts. I could recall that out of nearly 16 female students in my undergraduates class, hardly 5-6 took engineering as a profession, and only one (myself) went to do a masters and then a Phd. The sustainability of female engineers in engineering careers is under question and it is quite obvious from the fact that we have very few engineering…
