IET EngX® Community Insights

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.

Grid

List

About IET Birmingham Network

Introduction IET Birmingham is located in Austin Court , the IET's conference centre in Birmingham. In the Birmingham area, the IET provides a range of lectures and meetings covering electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineering; provides information and assistance on career development, and a Continuing Professional Development programme; encourages young people to join the profession through visits to local schools and colleges by the Schools Education and Liaison Service and public lectures; provides a programme of events especially for and organised by the Young professionals. Birmingham Network events can be seen clicking on the Events link. Do you have an idea for an event? Do you know a good speaker? Let us know what you want. If you have a clear idea for an event which the IET…

Joanne Longton
Chairman's Welcome 2012-13

Welcome to the 2012-2013 session of activities which myself and the Birmingham Network hope you will find both interesting and informative. On behalf of the committee and membership at large, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest thanks to Mr Robert Diprose , our departing Chairman, for his invaluable contribution to leading the committee over the past two years. He ensured the smooth delivery of an extremely interesting and varied programme over the 2010-2012 calendars. Fortunately for us, Robert’s involvement with the network has not ceased and he will be continuing to support the committee locally, with event preparation and delivery, and regionally in his capacity as incoming Chair of the West Midlands Area Forum. We wish him every success in his new role. I would…

Joanne Longton
Munich Underground Visit

Munich Underground Visit Just before the end of the Bavarian school holidays we organised a visit to the Munich sewers. We expected that there would be lots of parents anxious to see their kids out of the way for an hour or two. Instead of children, eight adults turned up who, with a guide from the Munich City Drainage Department ( Münchner Stadtentwässerung ), descended into the depths. The previous night it had rained so heavily that the water in the Munich sewer was too high to receive visitors. Fortunately, the guide had an alternative in mind. In Schwabing we descended into the " Jägerkanal ", built by British engineers in the 19th century under the direction of Max von Pettenkofer . The original bricks were still in good condition, apart from the odd bit of repaired bomb damage. By the…

Howard Gray
Visit to Barcelona Super Computing Centre

A visit is planned to Barcelona Super Computing Centre on Thursday, 23rd October 2014 The visit will commence at at 17:30 and last for about an hour. Please register online Barcelona Super Computing Centre Nexus I - Campus Nord UPC C/ Jordi Girona 2, 2a. (map) 08034 Barcelona - Spain Anyone who has an interest in the architecture of supercomputers or is curious about how they are used for a variety of topics including investigating life and earth sciences will find the visit fascinating. More information about the Centre

Joanne Longton
The IET Story

Come take a look at The IET Story Engineering makes the world go round! An overview of the IET, representing engineering and the IET from a 21st century perspective. Showcasing how the IET inspires, informs and influences the global engineering community, supporting technology innovation to meet the needs of society.

Dodi Mak
Related Links

Engineering Institutions & Related Organisations: The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) The Institution of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Hong Kong Section (IEEE HK). The Macau Institution of Engineers Hong Kong Trade Development Council The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Hong Kong Branch (IMechE–HK)

Dodi Mak
Winner - Control PhD Award 2014

Dr. Sandira Gayadeen was awarded a DPhil degree by the University of Oxford in 2014. She is currently a postdoctoral research assistant with the Control Group at Oxford. Her research focuses on the design and analysis of controllers to achieve optimal performance of particle accelerators. Her work is in collaboration with Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron facility.

Joanne Longton
IET Communities Content: 10 Of The Best

Now that the 2013/14 IET Communities session has ended I have collated some of the best content that our Communities have created over the last year. Here is my top 10 but please feel free to add any others in the comments below: So, in no particular order: Young Professionals Engineering Challenge London Network (YP Section) In August the London Young Professionals held an Engineering Challenge to build a tall tower out of dried spaghetti to emulate the Shard skyscraper in London. One of the judges was former Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award winner Roma Agrawal who provided the delegates with some interesting facts around the building of the Shard. You can also take a look at some of the photos from the event via this Storify post . Taros 2014 Robotics and Mechatronics Network…

Former Community Member
Visit to Marshall’s Humber Car Collection

On a damp Tuesday evening some 22 IET members and guests were given access to Allan Marshall’s collection of Humber cars. The evening started with a talk by Allan informing us how the collection started and information about the history of Humber cars and each car in his collection. His talk was witty and informative and left you thinking that Allan could have entertained us all night, if not longer! We then had open access to his collection, no barriers or roped off areas. In fact Allan encourages visitors to sit in and play, just a shame he doesn’t allow you take them on the road for a drive. All night Allan wondered amongst us telling stories and answering questions. On top of his Humber car collection Allan has an enormous collection of Airfix model planes, di-cast car models and articles…

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
IBC 2014 - Vislink

The Vislink Group is a global technology business specialising in the collection and delivery of high quality video and associated data from the field to the point of usage. Vislink provides solutions to the broadcast market for the collection of live news, sport and entertainment events and to the surveillance market including defence, law enforcement and public safety customers. In this video I talk to Ayes Amewudah, International Sales and Marketing Director; Bryan Schell, Technical Demonstration Specialist and Ali Zarkesh, Product Development Director and they tell me about what they are showcasing at IBC this year.

Former Community Member in Broadcasting and Media
ArcelorMittal Learning Week

(CEO Robert Bellisle addresses the participants and opens the event) The LN was specially invited to exhibit the IET's suite of products and services to the members of the ArcelorMittal family, during their learning week, on Friday 26th September. The IET was prominently displayed and well positioned within the hall and were the only professional engineering and technology body present, which added a key focal point on its importance in the industry. The event was attended by over 75 persons who visited various booths, including the University of Trindiad and Tobago, the University of the West Indies, Automation Technology College, Metal Industries Company, Arthur Lok Jack Gaduate School of Business, to name a few. (Cross section of attendees and exhibitors) The IET booth attracted engineers…

Jason Robert Rameshwar
Date Fixed for Rosetta Landing Attempt

The European Space Agency (Esa) have announced Wednesday, 12 November 2014 as the date for the historic comet landing attempt. The Rosetta Satellite which is currently orbiting Comet 67P will drop a robot from a height of 20km. All being well, the lander will free-fall and make contact with the comet's surface at approximately 15.35 GMT. For further information on this article on the BBC website click here.

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
Call For Sponsors - Explore Your Universe @ W5

Call For Sponsors - Explore Your Universe @ W5 National Space Science Public Engagement Programme 2014-15 W5 has been successfully selected as one of 10 UK wide organisations to participate in Phase 2 of a National Space Science Programme; 'Explore Your Universe: Atoms to Astrophysics'. This groundbreaking initiative provides an exciting opportunity to engage the public in current and relevant research and developments in space science. With the growth of the aerospace industry in Northern Ireland this is an exciting opportunity for W5 to work with local companies, showcasing how essential they are to ongoing developments in this field on a national scale as well as fundamental to our local economy. More information about the programme can be found at the ‘ Explore Your Universe ’ website Please…

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
Call For Sponsors - Explore Your Universe @ W5

Call For Sponsors - Explore Your Universe @ W5 National Space Science Public Engagement Programme 2014-15 W5 has been successfully selected as one of 10 UK wide organisations to participate in Phase 2 of a National Space Science Programme; 'Explore Your Universe: Atoms to Astrophysics'. This groundbreaking initiative provides an exciting opportunity to engage the public in current and relevant research and developments in space science. With the growth of the aerospace industry in Northern Ireland this is an exciting opportunity for W5 to work with local companies, showcasing how essential they are to ongoing developments in this field on a national scale as well as fundamental to our local economy. More information about the programme can be found at the ‘ Explore Your Universe ’ website Please…

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
B17 Steam Locomotive Trust

The aim of The Trust is to build a new B17 Sandringham class locomotive for use on the national network, preserved standard gauge railways and exhibition purposes. The Trust will be re-creating this late 1920’s designed and built locomotive using 21 st century design tools and manufacturing techniques, modern materials and safety systems to meet the rigorous requirements of today’s railway. Part of the Trust’s objectives in being awarded charitable status is to share benefits and opportunities arising from the project with the public, specialised institutions, training establishments and schools. One specific objective is to facilitate basic skills training and development of people in formal training such as graduate training schemes and apprenticeships. This will include the adoption of advanced…

Joanne Longton
Electric Motorcycle racing series MotoE - Show and Tell in the Paddock!

The IET Automotive & Road Transport TPN are pleased to announce that they are supporting the new Electric Motorcycle racing series MotoE http://www.motoeracing.com/ Several members of the IET are providing the technical support for the series and you can see further details on the panel and their interests at: http://www.motoeracing.com/#!iet-technical-panel/c8am The series is running across five race weekends in the UK and Europe and the series finale is coming to Silverstone on 11-12 October 2014 as part of the No Limits event. Rupal Patel the MotoE promoter has offered IET members/friends/family the opportunity of a Show and Tell in the Paddock during the weekend. This will take the form of: · Meet the MotoE teams/riders · Technical briefing from the IET scrutineer(s) · Paddock talk · Q&A…

Joanne Longton
IBC 2014 - Piksel

It is becoming increasingly popular for people to use their tablets and smart phones as a second screen whilst watching TV. Operators are now working on ways in which they can interact with the consumer using the second screen. We spoke to Miles Weaver, Innovation Programme Strategist, Piksel Inc. about the Second Screen Interactive Suite, 2Si app , a fully customizable modular toolkit that allows you to create, integrate and update second screen experiences for all types of devices. Check out the video below for more information…

Former Community Member
IBC 2014 - DivX

DivX, is leading the way to more seamless consumer video experience by powering the professional creation, protected distribution, and high-quality playback of highly efficient video to multiple devices and platforms; the PC, living room, and mobile environments. While at IBC 2014 we stopped by the DivX stand to talk to Eric Grab, Chief Technology Officer, to ask him about the highlights of his weekend, second screen technology, IP broadcasting and what he thought the future held for the future of media.

Former Community Member
Career Manager: A How To Guide

Over the last few months we've posted a number of how to guides about different aspects of Career Manager. This post draws these together in one post and also provides a link to other support materials. How To Submit An Intent To Register In Career Manager For those just starting out on their journey to professional registration, submitting an intent to register allows us to support you as you work toward professional registration and provide you with up to date information about the process. How To Build A Professional Registration Application In Career Manager For members who have achieved a number of years' experience and are ready to apply for professional registration, Career Manager provides an online application which covers all of the aspects of the paper application in one place and…

Kathryn Bain
How can a mentor help your professional development?

A mentor is someone who can provide support, guidance and act as a sounding board as you develop in your career. A mentor provides a different perspective on your work and experience. The IET also provide a mentoring service for members who are seeking support with their professional development for those who have identified a specific career goal. Mentoring through the IET mentoring service mainly focusses on those working toward professional registration as we are aware that many members aspire to professional registration in order to show the knowledge and skills they have already gained in their career and potentially improve their career prospects in the future. What can a mentor do to support you toward professional registration? A mentor can provide support with your overall development…

Kathryn Bain
Cambridge Local Network 2014/15 programme card

Another season of exciting speakers and topics is upon us. The 2014/15 programme card should be winging its way to you by post, but in case you prefer an electronic version, a PDF is included in the files section.

Timothy Wilkinson
Voyager is not lonely in space!

Former International Space Station Commander Chris Hadfield reassures a worried five-year-old boy that the Voyager spacecraft isn't lonely and afraid . (NPR)

Allan Casey
Inspiring The Next Generation - Presented By Engineer, CEO And Founder Of GoldieBlox

We are delighted with how last night's event turned out and we are very excited to be able to share the video with you, once it is available. This open - interview style event with a live audience, provided some great insight into the importance of construction toys for girls, in terms of enhancing their spacial awareness, as well as the importance of getting girls into engineering. Link to the video...

Former Community Member
South Wales Committee Officers

Wales South East Local Network Officers Chair – David Murphy Secretary – Jeremy Creasey Treasurer – Robert Watson Wales South West Local Network Officers Chair – Susan Jones Secretary – Chris Jobling Treasurer – Nick Marsh Wales South East Young Professionals Section Officers Chair – Rhys Phillips Secretary – Jess Jones Treasurer – Sam Braithwaite Wales South West Young Professionals Section Officers Chair – Ian Howells Secretary – Brijnath Geerjanan Treasurer – Yi He South Wales Electronics & Communications Specialist Section Officers Chair – Paul Davies Secretary – Hugh Woodward Treasurer – Nick Marsh South Wales Manufacturing & Management Specialist Section Officers Chair – Kevin Chilton Secretary – Andrew Thomas Treasurer – Andrew Thomas South Wales Power Specialist Section…

Former Community Member

Welcome to the Community Insights blog!

Community Rules & Guidelines