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.

  • "Architecture for Complex Systems" Speaker Announcement: Mike Wilkinson - Niteworks

    The Architecting of Complex Systems Mike Wilkinson, Niteworks   Abstract Traditional Systems Engineering inhabits a tidy world where effects are clearly linked to causes, system evolution is predictable and similar starting conditions will lead to similar endpoints. This is not the case in all systems, including those relying on human beings for their operation, and systems methods such as architecting are increasingly being  called upon where the old certainties do not apply. This paper explores that nature of systems complexity, the role that architecture can play in taming complexity, and how that role can be realised in practical terms using architecture and architecting methods. Biography Mike Wilkinson is Technical Director Niteworks, on secondment from Atkins. He has a first degree in…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • 2017/18 Committee

    Here is the Bristol Network committee for the 2017/18 season:   Chair: Junichi Sugiura CEng FIET Vice Chair: Dr Pritesh Narayan MIET Advisor to the Chair: Jeremy Boyd MIET Honorary Secretary: Pelin Morgan MIET Honorary Treasurer: Eur Ing Dr Russell Haines CEng FIET Young Professionals’ Chair: Chris Waters MIET Professional Registration Advisor: John Garrett CEng FIET Fellow (FIET) Representative: Eur Ing Dr Russell Haines CEng FIET IEng Representative: Prajjwal Baral IEng MIET Schools & Colleges Liaison: Michael Richardson CEng MIET Academic Liaison (UoB): Prof. Mark Beach CEng MIET Court Liaison (UoB) Jeremy Boyd MIET Academic Liaison (UWE): Dr Kemraj Emrith Dr Pritesh Narayan MIET Industrial Liaison: Dr Qasim Al’Akayshee CEng MIET Retired Professional Engineers Club: Michael Rowe CEng MIET…

    James Inge
    James Inge

  • Visit to MSport

    The West Cumbria Network volunteers recently organised a visit to the M-Sport facility.  Here is a report from Joseph Dabrera, the West Cumbria Convenor. "The visit to MSport was excellent and the high standard maintained by M-Sport staff has much to do with their success in motor sports. The owner Malcolm Wilson is a man of vision and persistence in that he was able to select the premises and secure funding for such a privately owned business which has had considerable success in motor sports. The M-Sport expansion and investment in education and training of employees continues and must be a prime factor in their business success. The Tour included a behind the scenes of the development of the Ford Fusion and Bentley continental GT racing cars ."   One of the tour attendee’s thoughts “Although…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie

  • Missed ICPRS? Catch up with the conference

    Report on the International Conference on Pattern Recognition Systems (ICPRS) 11th - 13th July 2017 Report written by Marcos González Montero The origin of the conference First of all, to talk about the International Conference on Pattern Recognition Systems (ICPRS) it’s necessary to go back to it origins. The Chilean Computer Science Society has for many years organised an annual conference and in each conference there were different workshops reflecting specialised fields. Some years later, and thanks to the importance that its workshop gained in a short period of time and to the amount of papers that came from many countries to its workshop, the Chilean Association for Pattern Recognition (ACHIRP being its acronym in Spanish) emerged as an independent organization and associated to the International…

    Former Staff Member
    Former Staff Member

  • Upcoming RF and Microwave TPN Events

    We’ll be starting our new session in October and the RF and Microwave network has some great events lined up. Here are 3 of the events that the TPN have coming up over the next year:   Towards 5G – after a successful event this year, the TPN will be hosting another event looking at 5G technology. Held in Savoy Place, London on 24 January 2018 , this event is sure to be another exciting look at the future of 5G as it gets ever closer Registration details coming soon   T he 6th Active and Passive RF Devices - now in its 6 th year, this is a repeat of the successful event held at Savoy Place, London on the 8th May 2017. This event is an opportunity to find out about the latest breakthrough in RF and microwave areas.   Date and location TBC   THz and MM Wave – this event is being held in Austin…

    Former Staff Member
    Former Staff Member

  • Applying The Layered Approach - Defence In Depth

    In line with the theme of field based technologies, the need to interact with field-data hosted beyond domain networks is reviewed here. Traditional networks that housed core data structures are likely to have implemented security segments similar to figure 1. With the advancement of users ability to access and interact with data outside the traditional network, the need for defence in depth as a method to review security posture becomes appealing as it allows you to take multi-layered approach to security, similar to figure 2. Below are some steps your Security Operations Center can use to review application/technology deployment projects: 1.Identify the bare essential critical core components required for a transaction to occur within your application. 2.How would services dependant on Non…

  • IET Volunteers Flying High At Royal Air Tattoo 2017 Fairford

    Earlier in July, some of the Aerospace TPN volunteers linked up with colleagues in the IET Swindon Local Network who host a stand each year at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford.  In addition to the IET volunteers there was also support on the stand from a number of partner organisations i.e.  Defence Science & Technology Laboratory (DSTL), The British Gliding Association, @Bristol Science Museum, Hybrid Air Vehicles (Airlander), Aquila (Bird Flight Simulator) and the STEM Ambassador Program.   The IET stand was the biggest and best that has so far been provided at the tattoo.  There were many “hands-on” activities for all ranges of visitors including the @Bristol experiments, electric circuits and torch building not forgetting both of the flight simulators.  In addition to…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie

  • TechBite: How Behavioural Science Could Transform The Transport Sector

    In May 2017 the IET Automotive and Road Transport Systems Network held an interesting event - Behavioural Psychology In Transport . As part of the IET TechBite series (bitesize technical insights from the engineering community) we have put together a blogpost that summarises some of the ideas that were discussed. Please have a read and feel free to comment...   It is now being recognised that human psychology and behavioural insights, also known as ‘nudge’, have the ability to improve the design and delivery of transport initiatives. “The transition to a more sustainable transport system can only be achieved by a combination of technological shifts and behavioural shifts,” highlights Jillian Anable, Professor of Transport and Energy at the University of Leeds’ Institute for Transport Studies…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Humans Of The IET WA YP - Tayah Gallacher

    Welcome to a new series of posts by the WA IET YP designed to let you get to know your YP Committee. Each week I invite you to meet a new person, put a face to those who have been working to provide you with events all year round. First up I want you to meet Tayah Gallacher , our General Committee Member , who recently organised our presence at the ECU Open Day featuring the now much shared Phone Charge Bike. Tayah is a Civil Engineering (Honours) student at ECU who joined the IET to further develop her organisational and team working skills. I asked her some questions so we can get to know her better. Why did you join the Committee? The committee is very active and engaged, I wanted to be a part of a committee who is active within the engineering field, and who is continually striving to improve…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Professional Registration Myths Debunked

    Think you can’t apply for Chartered Engineer (CEng) until you’re 30? Or perhaps you’ve been put off applying for any professional registration status because you’ve heard it takes too long or you think you need a specific qualification? We’ve come across a few misunderstandings in our time, so we have decided to set the record straight and disprove some of those crazy professional registration myths.     Myth: You need to have a degree-level education to achieve Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or CEng. Truth: Applications for professional registration are competence-based and whilst a bachelor or master’s degree is a good way to demonstrate competences it is not the only way. This can also be done through further learning.    Myth: Only IET accredited degrees count towards IEng or CEng. Truth…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Professional Registration Myths Debunked

    Think you can’t apply for Chartered Engineer (CEng) until you’re 30? Or perhaps you’ve been put off applying for any professional registration status because you’ve heard it takes too long or you think you need a specific qualification? We’ve come across a few misunderstandings in our time, so we have decided to set the record straight and disprove some of those crazy professional registration myths.     Myth: You need to have a degree-level education to achieve Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or CEng. Truth: Applications for professional registration are competence-based and whilst a bachelor or master’s degree is a good way to demonstrate competences it is not the only way. This can also be done through further learning.    Myth: Only IET accredited degrees count towards IEng or CEng. Truth…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Professional Registration Myths Debunked

    Think you can’t apply for Chartered Engineer (CEng) until you’re 30? Or perhaps you’ve been put off applying for any professional registration status because you’ve heard it takes too long or you think you need a specific qualification? We’ve come across a few misunderstandings in our time, so we have decided to set the record straight and disprove some of those crazy professional registration myths.     Myth: You need to have a degree-level education to achieve Incorporated Engineer (IEng) or CEng. Truth: Applications for professional registration are competence-based and whilst a bachelor or master’s degree is a good way to demonstrate competences it is not the only way. This can also be done through further learning.    Myth: Only IET accredited degrees count towards IEng or CEng. Truth…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • IET Civil Nuclear Cyber Security Event

    The Civil Nuclear Cyber Security Event was held last week in the new National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) in Victoria. Unfortunately due to the secure nature of the building, we weren't allowed to take photos, but I can confirm the building was very nice indeed!! (Well the part we were allowed in any way!)   The day was well attended and as well as networking sessions, we heard from speakers from a number of different organisations including: NCSC  UK Government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (DBEIS)  Office for Nuclear Regulation, UK (ONR)  Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA)  Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI)   Thanks to NCSC for hosting us and to everyone who attended – we hope you enjoyed the day!

    Former Staff Member
    Former Staff Member

  • When Will Robots Outsmart Us? Panel Discussion (The Royal Society).

    Focusing on the theme of field based technologies; I took opportunity to attend a panel discussion on Robotics by the Royal Society at the Science Museum in London, hosted by science broadcaster and author Dr Adam Rutherford .The panel specifically explored the future possibilities for intelligent robots, what they will do, how we will use them, and how they might use us. The inclusion of philosophy, ethics, moral responsibility into any type of computer code was discussed, as perhaps impractical, simply because a computer is not morally culpable, making machine to machine interactions biased based of the type of A.I used. So the idea that one system can have all the answers without human involvement makes A.I artificial. The need to clean biased human involvement within data sets was also…

  • River Thames - The SCADA Effect (IET Berkshire).

    Focusing on the theme of field based technologies; I took opportunity to attend an event hosted by the IET Berkshire network. Dr Sian Thomas, Head of Asset Management for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, discussed the progress on the project. Explaining specifically how untreated flows will be managed by the new tunnel. Internet traffic flow, just like river flows need to be managed. For example, the mechanics of a DDoS attack can draw parallels to how the Thames Tideway project will administer overflows into the Thames. DDoS attacks take advantage of packet manipulation to cause floods, or , how the flow of packets can be increased to cause an overflow, resulting in severe outages to your services. Specific DDoS solutions exist to mitigate against DDoS overflows against your organisation. The legacy…

    Rimesh Patel
    Rimesh Patel

  • Site Visit to AusNet Richmond Terminal Station

    Many thanks to Pushpika Gamage, Senior Project Manager and Gamini Weerakoon, Project Director for the Melbourne CBD Power Upgrade and Contracted Infrastructure for their hospitality and a very informative presentation and extensive tour of the Richmond Terminal Station on Wednesday, 19 July 2017.

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • What Would You Be If You Weren't An Engineer?

    ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ is something that we’re all asked when we’re young. But how many of us are true to our answer back then? How many of us know what we really want to do at such an early stage in life and have actually stuck to that plan?  What if we made a mistake? What if we missed our true calling? What if…?   I have to confess that I really didn’t know what I wanted to do when I was young. I went through phases of wanting to work with animals, wanting to travel, wanting to be a translator for the European Parliament (bizarre I know!). However, I’ve had a lot of interesting roles during my working life, learning and experiencing a great deal, and come into contact with some amazing and inspirational people. If I’m honest, I wouldn’t change that for the world!  But…

    Lisa Miles
    Lisa Miles

  • Diplomas In Management And Leadership With The IET And CMI

    The IET and CMI have worked together to produce a customised programme for Incorporated and Chartered Engineers, meaning candidates are except from 50-60% of the usual programme. These fast track programmes allow delegates to learn important ideas, techniques and overall competencies that will improve effectiveness and performance within a team or organisation. As well as the Diploma which can be obtained from completing one of these courses, the cost of the course will also include the fast track application to become a Chartered Manager should you wish to pursue this afterwards.   We host three different levels of the CMI course, and below is a general overview of each course: CMI Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership (for Incorporated Engineers and Chartered Engineers) - The Level…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Swindon Network at the 2017 Royal International Air Tattoo

    This is a quick pictorial report of the IET Swindon stand at RIAT 2017. Included are shots around the stand and a visit from the Duke of Gloucester.

    Ken Mills
    Ken Mills

  • Victoria YP relaunched the Leadership Programme 2017

    The Victoria Young Professionals Committee relaunched the Leadership programme in 2017 after the inaugural programme concluded in 2014. Leadership programme v2.0, as it is affectionately known, has been revamped in terms of timing and content. The candidates selected represent a variety of engineering disciplines from local universities. Workshops are held prior to committee meetings and include: understanding what is leadership, motivation and delegation, managing conflict, and project management. Each candidate was also given access to a dedicated mentor to support them through their journey. Candidates are integrated to the YP committee and are able to put the skills learnt into practice by organising the annual PATW heats. The culmination of the programme sees the students develop their…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • IET CC-EMEA Community Volunteers Conference (CVC) 2017 At Dubai UAE

    The  IET Islamabad Local Network  was invited by the  IET Communities Committee Europe Middle East Africa (CC-EMEA)  on their bi-annual event "Community Volunteers Conference (CVC)" held at Dubai UAE from 8th July to 9th July 2017.   Mr.Nouman Abid Chuhan , Secretary, represented the IET Islamabad Local Network in this conference whilst representatives of other Local Networks under jurisdiction of the IET CC-EMEA Region also attended this Conference.  It was a great event, attended by around 20 LN Reps or Volunteers, CC-EMEA Members, YPCC Members, CRC Members, a Trustee Mr.Tom and IET Staff (total 50 participants approximately).  Everybody was so excited to participate and interact.  It was obvious because just before this CVC, mostly have been working virtually or remotely, even did not meet…

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
    Nouman Abid Chuhan

  • What The Railway TPN Are Looking At In The 2017-18 Session

    The Railway TPN have been working on their plans for the 2017-18 session and have submitted these to the TPN leadership group.   Keep a look out on the pages for the event details as they happen, but we thought we would give you a peek at what we are looking to do: Events Cyber Security in Rail Energy Saving in Trains Management of safety assurance Railway Lecture and Dinner 2018 Suporting EMC in Railway with the EMC TPN Future of monitoring systems in infrastructure (including Water) and Telemetry with the Control & Automation TPN Young Professional  Events Early Career Professionals Best railway Paper 2017 Technical Visit - Simulator (Ilford, Midlands) Technical Visit - Tramlink Croydon Crossrail 2 Talk Online content relating to Exec Team talks- Intro to….  For YP audience IMechE Rail Seminar…

    Lynsay Callaghan
    Lynsay Callaghan

  • What The Safety TPN Are Looking At In The 2017-18 Session

    The Safety TPN have been working on their plans for the 2017-18 session and have submitted these to the TPN leadership group.   Keep a look out on the pages for the event details as they happen, but we thought we would give you a peek at what we are looking to do: Events -  Data Safety - full day event -  Ethics of Safety - full day event -  Software tools available for Functional Safety Suporting/Sponsoring -  Supporting the IET System Safety & Cyber Security Conference   -  Supporting the MoD/ESAS and hosting awards-  The Environmental and Safety Assurance Symposium (ESAS) is the MOD’s flagship Symposium focusing on Equipment Safety and Environmental Management.  -  Ethics of Safety -  Aviation Safety  - supporting Aeorspace TPN -  Software tools available for Functional Safety Other Areas…

    Lynsay Callaghan
    Lynsay Callaghan

  • A&P events during the summer - roundup

    Summer is traditionally a quiet time for the network, but that doesn’t mean the wide Antennas and Propagation community isn’t still thriving! There are a number of events going on over the next couple of months including:   The UK-China Emerging Technologies (UCET) workshop – 7 th -9 th August, University of Glasgow UK This workshop will facilitate knowledge sharing and explore joint collaborations between various participants from UK and China universities through lectures and field visits covering various areas in the supply chain of the emerging technologies and integrated systems.   Find out more here   The URSI General Assembly and Scientific Symposium 2017 – 19 th - 26 th August, Palais des Congrès de Montréal, Canada This conference is an opportunity to learn about recent advances in…

    Former Staff Member
    Former Staff Member

Community Rules & Guidelines