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  • Big dreams, big data and some minor technical issues…

    Artificial Intelligence and Big Data are not the same, but they are entwined and vital to each other. As remarkable as the industry’s achievements are and have been, there are still issues to clear up I n the beginning… The concept of Artificial Intelligence (if not the term) dates back to 1947, although the thinking behind it may go back further still. Alan Turing gave a public lecture in that year , when he discussed the idea of a machine having intelligence – learning from its own experience, altering and writing its own instructions. The pursuit of making machines that can think (and the phrase ‘Artificial Intelligence’ coined to describe it) began at the 1956 Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence organised by John McCarthy. ‘Big Data’ as a concept has been…

  • Trusting machines, not as easy as we think?

    In artificial intelligence, ‘trust’ is a tricky but crucial topic Artificial Intelligence (AI) is everywhere, and we interact with it more often than we care to think on. Social media such as X and Facebook, online services such as Google Maps, the camera apps in our smart phones and something as ‘simple’ as predictive text all deploy AI to help us decide what films to watch, what food to eat, how to spend our money and the best route to take. While we often marvel or laugh at the decisions and recommendations made for us by AI, very few users understand how these decisions are arrived at. Even developers might find themselves unable to analyse statistical calculations that are no longer humanly possible to track. Do you ‘trust’? When people work together, we understand the concept…

  • IET Engineering Landmarks Marathon - raising donations for the IET's Futures Fund

    As we approach International Women in Engineering Day on 23 June, I am excited to announce that I will be running a unique, engineering landmarks marathon route through London, aimed at highlighting and celebrating the city's most iconic (and more obscure) engineering landmarks, with a special emphasis on those contributed to by women engineers. The finish line? None other than our historic and iconic engineering venue, IET London: Savoy Place. This marathon is more than just a run for me, it’s about making a lasting, positive impact to the future of engineering. That's why I'm raising donations for the IET's Futures Fund . This fund plays a crucial role in inspiring the next generation of engineers and technicians, supporting them to reach their full potential so they can help find solutions…

  • Antennas and Propagation delegates get together in Glasgow

    This year the 18th edition of the European Conference on Antennas and Propagation (EuCAP) took place in Glasgow (17th to 22nd March 2024) and was attended by over 1400 delegates, over 40 exhibitors and a number of IET Antennas and Propagation Technical Network (APTN) committee members. As the IET were Silver sponsors of the event, IET members benefited from a reduction in the registration fee and also received a 20% reduction on IET books using the EUCAP24 code. The IET’s exhibition stand promoted the wider IET, the Microwave and Antennas Propagation (MAP) journal and the Antennas and Propagation Technical Network (APTN). As ATPN chair, I was also invited to give a short welcome address at the opening ceremony to promote our aims and 2024 events, which included the EUCAP workshop on …

  • Nothing but 5-star reviews for iet.tv

    For the last seven years, Mark Reynard and iet.tv have represented the IET on the Royal Television Society’s (RTS) digital innovation bursary panel. This incredible initiative gives out up to ten bursaries a year to high school students who want to pursue careers in TV and broadcast, giving disadvantaged young people the opportunity to go to university and study this chosen career path. Not only do they give out bursaries to a select few students, but these students get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tour around the companies that sit on the panel after they have finished their studies, allowing them to experience hands-on what working in the industry is really like. Our very own iet.tv is one of many esteemed panel members, alongside major broadcasters such as the…

  • Hope, hubris and tragedy

    On this day in (engineering) history… To build her, money is not a problem. At 46,000 tons and measuring 882 feet in length, she is 50% heavier and 100 feet longer than anything else afloat. Sacrificing speed for luxury, she is the biggest ship of her line and will be the largest and grandest of her time. She uses 29 boilers – 24 double ended Scotch class boilers and five single ended boilers – all set in six boiler rooms - to produce 46,000 horsepower and contains three million hand driven rivets. And it has taken 25 tons of grease and soap to launch the 26,000-ton hull, watched by 100,000 people. Today, April 2, 1912, Titanic undergoes sea trials at Belfast Lough. A mythical ship Titanic, and her sister ships Olympic and Britannic, were commissioned by the White Star Line as a riposte…

  • Event Review: European Robotics Forum, 2024

    By Dr Jelizaveta Konstantinova The European Robotics Forum (ERF) 2024 is one of the most impactful annual events in the area of robotics and artificial intelligence in Europe. This year it was held from the 13th to the 15th of March in Rimini, Italy. The event brought together more than a thousand participants from Europe, including robotics researchers, academics, entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers. ERF provides an extremely valuable opportunity to understand the state of the art in robotics and AI in Europe not only focusing on the latest research breakthroughs, but also covering the overview of industrial and societal challenges that need to be addressed. It is a unique opportunity to connect and network with various stakeholders. The opening of the forum was marked by the…

  • Caroline Haslett – Editor and a whole lot more!

    Guest blog by Isabella Fletcher, University of Leeds This is the third blog in the series written by Liberal Arts students at the University of Leeds to celebrate the EAW’s centenary in 2024. This project has been supported by Professor Graeme Gooday. These blogs on early EAW activities are based on themes that the students selected from reading digitised versions of the first two volumes (1926-1935) of The Electrical Age (for Women). The first blog is on the EAW’s Presidents and the second on its regional branches . Who was Caroline Haslett? Portrait of Dame Caroline Haslett (from original in IET Archives) Caroline Haslett was born in 1895 in Worth, Sussex and was the daughter of Robert Haslett and Caroline Sarah (formerly) Holmes. In her early life, she joined the suffragette…

  • Applications are open to join the IET’s Young Professionals Committee, but first, an introduction.

    The IET’s Young Professionals Committee (YPC) was created to help inspire, inform and influence the global community of young professional engineers and technicians. To ensure that the institution remains relevant in the future, we need to support and promote technological innovation that meets the needs of society. The committee is made up of thirteen volunteers from all over the world, who meet up six times a year, working on projects that are focused on the wants and needs of young professionals from a PEI (professional engineering institution). The meetings take place both virtually and in person, giving committee members the opportunity to collaborate and network with each other. The goal of the YPC is give young professionals a voice within the IET. Young professionals play a vital…

  • Inventing the next century – The Lumiere Brothers and the birth of Cinema

    On this day in (engineering) history… The Lumiere Brothers film workers leaving the Lumiere Factory, 19 March, 1895 It is spring, 1895 (March 19, to be exact) in the French city of Lyon. After the end of their shift, workers at the Lumière factory are pouring out into the streets. Some have noticed a man standing behind a large, odd-looking wooden box on a tripod, who appears to be turning a handle on the side of the container. What the workers are seeing is themselves being filmed by one of their bosses, the Lumière Brothers (it is not recorded which), who own the photographic factory the staff are leaving. The Brothers Auguste (on the left) and Louis Lumière. Wikimedia Commons Louis and Auguste Lumière grew up in Lyon, in the east of France, although they were both born…

  • A comprehensive timeline of the EAW branches’ establishment and growth in the UK, 1925-29

    Guest blog by Emily Raynor, University of Leeds This is the second of a series of blogs written by Liberal Arts students at the University of Leeds to celebrate the EAW’s centenary in 2024. This project has been supported by Professor Graeme Gooday. These blogs on early EAW activities are based on themes that the students selected from reading digitised versions of the first two volumes (1926-1935) of The Electrical Age (for Women). The first blog can be found here . Introduction The Electrical Association for Women ’s headquarters were located in London, but the EAW also had many branches, scattered around the UK, by the time of its closure in 1986. International branches were also set up over the years, with some of them still being active today. These regional branches were especially…

  • Driven by Design: A Journey from Powertrain Control Engineering and beyond

    Continuing our 'My Engineering Career' blog series, we hear from Craig Stephens Senior Director at Medtronic, volunteer and a Fellow of the IET. Craig tells us about his career in the Automotive industry and where it has taken him: Who am I and what I do My name is Craig Stephens, I am nearly 3 months into my role as a Senior Director Product-DNA at Medtronic. This is after 1 year of retirement and prior to that, 35 years at Ford Motor Company. I graduated as an electrical engineer (EE) in 1987, before joining Ford as the first EE in Ford of Europe Powertrain Calibration. This was a huge learning curve, but despite being highly inexperienced, it gave me an opportunity to contribute from the very beginning. Engineering controls and me Controls were what inspired me in my undergrad…

  • Through the Lens: A peek into the Career Journey of an Optical Engineer

    In the second of our 'My Engineering Career' series, Morgan Bonici , EngX community member and Chairman of the IET France Network tells us about his career journey and his current role as a Project Manager in the optics industry: Who I am and what I do My name is Morgan Bonici, I’m a project manager and I have been an engineer since 2010, so for just over 14 years. I work in optics, which means manufacturing lenses, the design of optical components for medical and defence applications as well as for visuals and imaging. Think binoculars, microscopes, camera objectives and lasers rather than spectacles. The company I work for is US based, with factories and sales offices throughout the world. We are the biggest catalogue optics provider in the world and also do custom components and…

  • Careers Week - Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead with CPD

    When I was asked to write a blog for Careers Week, I started to think about what all the engineers I know have in common and every engineer I have met has talked about coming to engineering because they had a curiosity, an interest in finding out how things work and how to make things better. This curiosity and learning doesn’t leave you when you gain your qualification, or even when you gain a particular level in your career and because of the changing nature of engineering you will find that you are always learning and finding out more. Not only does this learning ensure you are able to get access to different opportunities, but it also keeps you employable – and this is why continuing professional development (CPD) is so important. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) CPD, or…

  • Sweet success with Professional Development courses

    Learning & development is our passion in the courses team. That… and cake. We love to design and deliver training to anyone looking to expand their skillset, update their knowledge and carry out CPD. All in bite sized chunks that are easy to digest. Oh - just like cake! From preparing to become professionally registered, giving back to the industry as a Mentor, to getting your technical report writing skills honed. If it develops your skills, then we are a happy team. The most rewarding part of our job is hearing the great success stories from our delegates. Whether that be gaining an in depth understanding of how to gain professional registration, right through to achieving that goal. It’s what gets us out of bed in the mornings! (well that & coffee of course!) We are driven to keep…

  • Driving Innovation: Navigating the Career Path of an Electric Motor Control Software Engineer

    In the first of our 'My Engineering Career Journey' blog series, we spoke with EngX Community member Simon Hart , Director and Chief Technology Innovation Officer at Innovation Catalyst (InnCat), a power electronics and electric motor control software engineer and also a Trustee of the IET! Simon gave us an insight into his career journey and how he got to where he is today: Who am I? I am Dr Simon Hart MEng CEng PhD FIET, I have worked as an engineer in the field of power electronics and electric motor control software, plus innovation and IP generation / protection for 28 years. I’m now a Director and Chief Technology Innovation Officer at Innovation Catalyst (InnCat). It is a firm that supports companies in their quest for differentiating innovation in the technology space. From…

  • What does the IET do to support Neurodiverse Engineers?

    I recently noted a post on EngX asking what the IET does (if anything) to support Neurodiverse Engineers when applying for Professional Registration. I wanted to share with you what we do (is it enough, no!) and I also wanted to take the opportunity to assure that the IET are committed to reducing and removing barriers to Professional Registration and to membership. In fact, in January I was asked to record a short video for our intranet about my own IET New Year resolution, which was to make the IETs registration assessment process the most inclusive of the Professional Engineering Institutions (PEI). We encourage applicants who are D/deaf, hearing impaired, visually impaired, neurodiverse or managing anxiety or mental health, to please make us aware in order that we can then provide the…

  • Notable Women and Early Presidents from the EAW Journals, June 1926 – April 1930.

    Guest blog by Madeleine Smith, University of Leeds This is the first of a series of blogs written by Liberal Arts students at the University of Leeds to celebrate the centenary of the Electrical Association for Women (EAW) in 2024. The students’ blogs on early EAW activities are based on themes selected from reading digitised versions of the first two volumes (1926-1935) of The Electrical Age (for Women) . This project has been supported by Professor Graeme Gooday. You can discover more about the history of the EAW from the IET Archives . Introduction The first volume of the EAW journal The Electrical Age for Women (NAEST 093/09/01/01) covers June 1926 to April 1930. Over this time the EAW saw two Presidents; Lady Astor as the first President of the organisation followed by Mrs Wilfrid…

  • “Making a meaningful and enduring difference” – your impact as the Foothold Community in 2022-23

    Thanks to the generosity of people like you, in 2022-23 we were able to provide 2,432 instances of support to 1,589 people, across 53 countries – ensuring they didn’t have to face life’s challenges alone. AS the CEO of Foothold I wanted to share my thoughts on why this matters for the engineering community, and how your support helped us make a real difference for engineers and their families around the world. Read our Impact Report here https://www.myfoothold.org/impact/ Empowering engineers and their families to thrive Writing a blog on our shared impact feels like quite a luxury. It has allowed me to take time to reflect amidst the business of the everyday, and to appreciate the work our incredible staff, committed trustees, and dedicated volunteers and supporters did to improve the…

  • The role of artificial intelligence in predictive maintenance

    The role of artificial intelligence in predictive maintenance In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, a key to success lies in staying ahead of the curve. Predictive maintenance, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), has emerged as a game-changer for businesses looking to enhance operational efficiency, reduce downtime, and maximise asset lifespan. Let's delve into the intricacies of predictive maintenance and explore how AI is transforming the way organisations approach equipment upkeep. The Traditional Maintenance Landscape Historically, maintenance strategies have fallen into two main categories: reactive and preventive. Reactive maintenance, often referred to as "run-to-failure," involves fixing equipment only when it breaks down. While this approach may seem cost-effective initially…

  • A small, if imperfectly formed way to kickstart a revolution

    On this day in (engineering) history… Sinclair Research launches the ZX81 home microcomputer, March 5, 1981 March 5, 1981, the day the future launched in Britain - a sleek little black box with no moving parts, costing £69.95 (£336.03 at today’s prices) for a complete unit or £49.95 as a kit. It could be switched on by plugging in the power jack; to see what you are doing with it, you have to plug it into your television. And there you have the ZX 81, the first home micro-computer, which helped kick off Britain’s home computing boom of the 1980s. Built in Dundee by Timex , but designed and launched by Sinclair Research, the ZX81 was born out of Sinclair’s ZX80 of the previous year. The ZX80 used 21 off the shelf chips, which pushed the price up to £100. The ZX81 would only use four…

  • The New Circular Economy: Sustainability Redefined (IET Central London Network February Evening Lecture)

    It is not often a guest speaker waxes lyrical about Duckweed, but that is exactly what Paul Skillicorn did when talking to the IET Central London Network . Pauls opening slide showed four out of five genera of Duckweed, or as it is more formally known Lemnaceae and gave us a rundown of why he thought it was an extraordinary plant, the inner engine of The New Circular Economy. Paul and his business partner Mani Vannan were at Savoy Place to tell us about the New Circular Economy, the problems it addresses and the solutions it delivers. So, what is "The Circular Economy"? The Ellen McArthur Foundation defines it as: The circular economy is a system where materials never become waste and nature is regenerated. In a circular economy, products and materials are kept in circulation through…

  • Inspirational Journeys of Women Shaping Careers, Businesses and Society

    An evening event was organised by the associations of City Hindus , City Sikhs , and the Association of Asian Women Lawyers (AAWL) who hosted the first instalment of their 2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) series in celebrating International Women’s Day in Parliament. The award-winning initiative has been recognised at the Faith and Belief community awards and the World Economic Forum Faith in Action report unveiled in Davos in 2024. The event covered various topics from what it means to be a modern-day professional, individual development, corporate responsibilities to even Artificial Intelligence (A.I). Along with the opening and closing remarks from the evening hosts Param Singh MBE and Alpesh Patel OBE, we had insights from their guest speakers below, who shared their personal…

  • Rockets vs Lightning

    After United Launch Alliance’s successful launch of their Vulcan Centaur rocket on the 8 th of January, curious eyes may wonder why the rocket is surrounded by four large towers. In fact, if you are a regular observer of rocket launches, you may notice similar towers surrounding rockets at launch pads around the world. Lift-off of the Vulcan Centaur on January 8, 2024, by United Launch Alliance (ULA). Photo credit: NASASpaceflight Microwave-Safe Rockets Even more curious eyes may notice that the towers aren’t just free-standing but are connected, tip-to-tip, by cables which then also sprawl away from the tips and towards the ground – forming a metal cage that surrounds the rocket. This arrangement of conductive material, known as a Faraday Cage, is the reason why we can safely microwave…

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