Welcome to the Community Insights blog!

This blog features posts from and about the EngX community. Want to contribute? Read our blogging guide to help you get started.

  • Simplifai - Air Quality Innovation Lab

    The SimplifAI project is holding an innovation lab on air quality on 7th July 2016.  Manchester IET members are invited to participate in the innovation lab which aims to develop strategies to address air quality issues in Manchester. Details of the workshop can be found at the following location  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/simplifai-air-quality-innovation-lab-tickets-25694593220 A limited number of places have been reserved for Manchester IET members to attend this free innovation lab.  To register a place go the the registration page  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/simplifai-air-quality-innovation-lab-tickets-25694593220 You will need to enter your IET number to get one the enable you to register for the innovation lab, so make sure you know it in advance of registering. Registration…

    Keith McCabe
    Keith McCabe

  • TravelSpirit Workshop Manchester 28th June 2016

    Manchester IET members have a unique opportunity to influence the future direction of travel services in Manchester and beyond.  On the 28th June 2016 the TravelSpririt project is having its launch workshop in Manchester. TravelSpririt describes itself as 'the engine oil behind mobility as a service (MaaS).  For more details of TravelSprit go to the project web page . Manchester IET members can attend the launch workshop on the 28th June 2016 for free, however the places are limited.  For details of the launch event go to  http://travelspirit.foundation/agenda/ Places at the workshop for IET members are limited, so if you are interested please contact Keith McCabe at the following email address keith.mccabe@kamfutures.co.uk by 17th June to secure your IET member place at the workshop. After…

    Keith McCabe
    Keith McCabe

  • Mobility as a Service Roundtable at Intertraffic Smart Cities side event - April 2016

    I recently chaired the mobility as a service roundtable discussion at the Smart Cities side event at the Intertraffic Conference in Amsterdam in April 2016. The discussion covered a range of topics which included: What is Maas What is the value proposition Whats it for What is the purpose of Maas How does it work What are the contraining factors The discussion was supported by the IET Automotive and Road Transport Network and a recording of the discussion can be found at  https://soundcloud.com/h3b-media/mobility-as-a-service-roundtable-moderated-by-keith-mccabe  and details of the other Smart Cities roundtable discussions can be found at  http://thinkinghighways.com/talking-cities-2/   Enjoy. Keith McCabe Chair Manchester IET Transport Technical Interest Group

    Keith McCabe
    Keith McCabe

  • Apply for IET Fellowship

    We want exceptional people to become Fellows to help us achieve even more in the years ahead.  Do you meet the criteria for Fellowship of the IET? Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • IET WA YPS Newsletter June 2016

    IET WA YPS Newsletter June 2016

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Security Designations

    Fluid, flexible, accountable and committed - Security designations allow you to introduce the elements of responsibility, segregation of duties, role based accountability and even extends itself to cross training as a BAU activity. The designations are not job specifications and neither are they a task and activity list that project/programs might adhere to. They represent goals that an environment needs to achieve as business as usual activity where the achievement is spread across the designations. The security designations overlap with different goals so, for example, the work carried out by one individual is either passed onto another for completion or enters the next cycle for development. This model extends out to include consultants and contractors so their time is better mapped back…

  • Orford Ness visit

    To see a selection of photos from our recent Orford Ness visit, take a look at our Facebook page here .

    Alex Barrett
    Alex Barrett

  • Robot Wars

    Are you part of a team who is currently building a robot for the upcoming Robot Wars series ? If so we'd love to hear from you.  We are looking for a team with whom we can work to film a short documentary of your journey:  of building the robot and testing it for the challenges its about to face.  So, what would this entail? Well, just an hour of film time every month or two to film how the robot build is coming a long and a quick chat with the engineers to find out the trials and tribulations. Are you up for it? If so please drop me an email

    Joanne Longton
    Joanne Longton

  • Lego and the trouble with telling girls how to play

    This is quite an interesting read.  Let me know what you think by ;eaving a comment! ''There’s much academic research to back up the notion that girls and boys gravitate toward different toys. And babies as young as 18 months old show gender-related behaviors when playing with certain toys, differences that persist throughout childhood. Further research shows the perceived gender of a toy itself can have “significant impact on toy preferences and exploration,” wrote the authors of a  2003 paper , published in the journal  Educational Pscychology , about how children play with toys. Kids routinely favor the toy they believe is meant for them, based on their gender. But the decision matrix that ultimately influences widespread views on which toys are for which children includes inputs from parents…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Women in innovation: apply for infocus funding award

    Innovate UK has up to £200,000 and a package of tailored support to award to businesswomen who have exciting ideas and the potential to become leaders in innovation and deliver significant economic growth. This is the first women only Innovate UK competition and is part of a new ‘infocus’ initiative to encourage diversity in innovation. Each of the 12 finalists in the competition will receive a package of support tailored to their needs, and the four winners will each receive £50,000 to support their innovation project or activities. Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Celebrate National Women in Engineering Day with our evening networking event, ‘Be Inspiring, Be Inspired’

    WES / Equate Scotland - National Women in Engineering Day  Thursday 23 June 2016, 7-9pm Registration from 6.30pm IET Glasgow: Teacher Building, 14 St Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4DB To mark this year’s National Women in Engineering Day, Equate Scotland is once again joining forces with WES Scotland and hosting an evening networking event in Glasgow. ‘Be Inspiring, Be Inspired’ will give you the chance to hear from a fabulous panel of invited speakers, before networking with like-minded people over nibbles and a glass of wine. Growing the number of women studying and working in engineering is a complex challenge! To make meaningful and sustainable change, we all need to work together – engineers, educators, employers and policy makers. You’ll hear first-hand from a panel of top professionals,…

    Lynsay Callaghan
    Lynsay Callaghan

  • IET On Campus GIKI Volunteer Committee (2016 To 2017)

    Assistant Professor Dr.Husnul Maab On Campus Facilitator (Supporting University Faculty Member) Mr.Adeel Javaid President     0313 445 5758 Mr.Meesaq Ahmed Secretary     0303 091 1468 Mr.Muhammad Ahsan Ashraf Treasurer Ms.Rikki-Louise Davies IET OnCampus Student Coodinator (IET Staff at UK)

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
    Nouman Abid Chuhan

  • IET Islamabad Network (LN) Support To IET On Campus Groups

    How can a Local Network support to IET On Campus groups? The IET Islamabad Local Network (LN) is a primary source of contact for the IET On Campus group (University Student Chapters) for additional support as they are made up of IET volunteers who are professionals within the Engineering and Technology field. They may be able to help the IET On Campus group with:   Industry contacts/links, Early career support and advice, Advice on how to run events/activities, Information about IET products/services, Promotion of your events and possibly even funding for your events if you work closely together. The relationship between the IET On Campus group and the LN is mutually beneficial so the IET On Campus group should communicate regularly, particularly when planning/organising events. The IET has…

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
    Nouman Abid Chuhan

  • Engineering the future of Scotland

    A briefing from IET Engineering Policy Group Scotland. The document can be found attached or on our Policy pages.   The Engineering Policy Scotland Group has produced this briefing which calls on Scottish Parliamentarians to recognise the role of engineering in: providing jobs; creating opportunities and; shaping the future of Scotland. Engineering, whether in manufacturing industry, information technology, construction or energy, underpins vital sectors of the Scottish economy and provides the platform for innovation in which the Scottish economy can grow and create jobs to compete with the rest of the world. This report contains recommendations on investment in key areas such as education; research and innovation; as well as energy and communications infrastructure. The importance of harnessing…

    Lynsay Callaghan
    Lynsay Callaghan

  • IET On Campus IST Volunteer Committee (2016 To 2017)

    Assistant Professor Saima Siddiqui On Campus Facilitator  (Supporting University Faculty Member) Mr Syed Meesum Haider President     0308 505 6797 Mr Hafiz Umer Farooq Secretary     0313 560 4295 Mr Awais Ali Raza Treasurer Social Media and Online PR Manager Ms.Rikki-Louise Davies IET OnCampus Student Coodinator (IET Staff at UK)

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
    Nouman Abid Chuhan

  • Review of 'A New Era in Earth Observation' event

    As we develop an increasing on-orbit capability to collect gigabytes or more data from our remote sensing satellites, the challenge of getting it back to the ground becomes increasingly demanding. To provide insight into the solutions being developed to address this challenge, the Satellite Systems and Applications TPN arranged an evening seminar, held at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, where representatives from Airbus Defence and Space described how their technologies are powering the European Data Relay Service, otherwise known as EDRS or the “Space Data Highway”, to help achieve this goal. The session included presentations on the upstream hardware, presented by Martin Agnew, and the downstream service strategy, presented by Jacquie Conway, both based at Airbus Defence and Space in the…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member in Space

  • 11th ITS European Congress - Glasgow - June 2016

    The ITS European Congress and Exhibition is Europe’s largest event in intelligent transport systems and services, representing the annual appointment for the European ITS community to share knowledge, experiences and make business.   In 2016, the 11th ITS European Congress will take place in Glasgow from 6 to 9 June at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. With the main theme “Delivering future cities now”, ITS Glasgow will be the largest networking event in Europe for ITS stakeholders who will make the necessary contacts to cooperate on initiatives and projects. Get involved in the discussion using #ITSGlasgow16 on Twitter and  click here  for further information.   Visit the exhibition: Participants can register for a free 'exhibition visitor' badge at ITS Glasgow 2016 in order to…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie

  • Call For Papers - 26th International Symposium On Industrial Electronics (ISIE)

    Call for papers The 26th International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE), sponsored by IEEE Industrial Electronics Society will be held in Edinburgh 19-21 June 2017. Industry experts, researchers and academics will gather together to share ideas and experiences surrounding frontier technologies, breakthroughs, innovative solutions, research results, as well as initiatives related to industrial electronics and their applications.  ISIE 2017 offers you the opportunity to join an interesting and attractive technical programme: Regular papers: Manuscripts to be submitted as full papers, maximum 6 pages, in PDF format, according to the IEEE instructions.  Deadlines: Reception of full paper: 15 December 2016  Paper acceptance notification: 01 March 2017  Camera-ready paper reception: 10…

    Lynsay Callaghan
    Lynsay Callaghan

  • Designing A Security Roadmap For Your Enterprise – Quick N Easy Approach!

    Yes! Cyber Insurance does influence the security roadmap. Researching cyber security in 2011 showed that this requirement will become an important factor to the security posture of an organisation. In Picture 1, each requirement represents a specific business need. In order to satisfy the requirement, a vendor products feature is utilised. To implement the feature, Capital expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational expenditure (OPEX) should be taken into consideration. For example, if the latest software version is a requirement by the customer, then the estate will have high capex costs, in addition, if it is specialist software, then higher OPEX administration costs are usually seen in runtime/BAU environments. To know what features to utilised, typically the product is introduced for a temporary…

  • Alternative Aircraft Propulsion Systems

    Dr Paul Robertson of Cambridge University Engineering Departrment presented an outstanding talk  on Thursday 19 May on the technical merits and drawbacks of propulsion systems for light aircraft.  The talk included a discussion of the merits of different propulsion systems, the performance of electric and hybrid aircraft, and the future opportunities for commercial flight without fossil fuel based engines.  Videos of hybrid aircraft developed and built by the Engineering Department, were shown.

    David Blake
    David Blake

  • Are Cost Models Within The Rail Sector Doomed to Failure when the Manufacturing Company Seeks To Adopt a Product Service System

    As some of you will know, I have been, and continue to be, involved in research relative to Through-life Engineering Services and how such product support can be used to inform the business model.  As manufacturing organisations seek to redefine the corporate and operating strategies by the process of servitization as they move to adopt a Product Service System novel cost models are required.  Work, research, and interest within these areas continues to grow at exponential rates both within academia and the commercial world. There are becons of success which are often cited, they being Rolls Royce, Xerox, Mann Trucks, and Bombardier Transportation to name but a few.  These companies whilst being manufacturers now gain most of their revenue from advanced integrated service systems supported…

    Louis Redding
    Louis Redding

  • Award Presentation

    On behalf of the IET Toronto LN, Jenny Yu present the Stan Thurger Award at Sherian College on 17th May 2016. The winner this year is Gurpreet Sarpal. Jenny took the opportunity to introduce IET to the winner. As the Americas PATW final will be held in Toronto, he is encouraged to attend the event and to participate in future competitions.

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Lady Mary Heath - Not Entirely Forgotten

    ''Amy Johnson did the first flight to Australia, Amelia Earhart flew the Atlantic, the first female to do so. And they are both celebrated and remembered. But before all this there was Mary Heath, and of course she has been entirely forgotten.'' 'A bitter rivalry with Amelia Earhart, a mixed-race marriage and a ban from flying because of her menstrual cycle: The incredible and utterly tragic story of 'Lady Icarus' - the first person to fly solo across Africa' Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Mersey & Western Cheshire Network - 2016 Recognition Evening

    Mersey & Western Cheshire Network recently held a Recognition Evening on 5 May 2016 which was hosted by  Michelle Richmond, Director, IET Membership & Professional Development. Michelle gave an update on IET strategy and talked about volunteering at the IET.   The event recognised those members who had been recently registered for CEng, IEng and EngTech, plus recent elections to Fellow and also those members who had recently joined the IET. It also recognised those members who volunteer to support the IET in the region.   A special Volunteer Recognition Award was presented to  David Parr, Professional Registration Advisor, to commemorate his outstanding contribution to the IET. The Harry Currie Award for developing the Young Professionals Section was presented to Sheng Yuan, Chairman of the…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie

Community Rules & Guidelines