Re-inventing Space Conference 2016 - A Perspective From Paul Iliffe, Best Poster Competition Winner

Earlier in 2016 The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) ran a poster competition with the theme of Game Changing Satellite Applications. I am very happy to write that I won the competition with my poster that was entitled “Long duration satellite servicing through Coulomb force assisted formation flying”. The prize of this competition was the opportunity to present the poster at the Re-Inventing Space 2016 conference and to attend the other presentations, networking sessions, and Gala Dinner at the conference. The theme of the conference, referred to as RISpace, is the commercialisation of space activities, which in a general context is the transition of space activities from the activities of governments only to the broader participation by the private sector. Within this theme…

Digital Manufacturing - Engineering Fest

I’ve just watched an excellent video that was filmed at the recent IET Engineering Festival.  The speaker Kieron Salter, MD and founder of KW Motorsport Ltd gave a presentation on ‘Digital Manufacturing’. In the presentation, Kieron talks about Horizontal Innovation and how his company have transferred their high performance automotive skills across to other sectors.    KW Motorsport’s core technology is around cars and they started off in 2003 designing and manufacturing a Le Mans racing car that ran on Bioethanol and was the fastest car in a straight line. In 2007 they designed the first Le Mans car to explore digital manufacturing and used CFD/data analytics rather than a conventional wind tunnel.    The company’s 2015 Le Mans car utilised a high degree of Additive Manufacturing and due…

CPD RESOURCES: IET Factfiles

The IET provide a number of product and services which can provide valuable CPD for both members and non-members.  In this blog, we hope to highlight just one of these many products which can provide valuable information and CPD for you in support of your career.   As part of their work to inform the wider engineering community and influence government on issues affecting society, the IET produce a number of factfiles which use members’ expertise to inform other members and the public on a range of engineering topics including energy, health and safety, information technology, transport and manufacturing.   Factfiles cover a number of technical subjects as well as providing information on issues that affect daily lives such as the possible health effects of mobile phones and pylons which have…

IET WA Network Committee members 2016 - 17

Martin King, Chairman Derek Boardman, Deputy Chairman Peta Blight, Secretary Darren Bowles, Treasurer Allan Williams, Committee member Charlie Foote, Committee member Bruce James, Committee member Robert Moore, Committee member Ephraim Phiri, Committee member Nigel Gayland, Committee member Noel Moyo, Committee member Dave Nally, Committee member Shane Rennick, Committee member

Visit to HMNZS TE KAHA (Auckland) 3rd November 2016

A very successful visit to HMNZS TE KAHA,  a total of 40 people joined the visit.  According to LT CDR  Warren McLuckie, Auckland Network volunteer who organised the visit:  "I think everyone had a good time and actually go to see the gun going through the motions, hydraulics running, loud noises etc." Check out the pictures below.

IET Scotland And University Of Highlands And Islands Christmas Lecture 2016 - What Goes Up Might Come Down

Come along and join us at the IET Scotland and University of Highlands and Islands Christmas Lecture 2016 - What Goes Up Might Come Down.  This annual event is is primarly aimed at secondary schools and the audience will be of secondary school age (S4-S6). Others are very welcome to attend.  Come along and hear from Professor Andrew Rae, Professor of Experimental and Applied Aerodynamics University of the Highlands and Islands speak.  We now take air travel pretty much for granted but the comfort and safety we expect are achieved in a very harsh environment.  At cruising altitude the air outside the aircraft cabin can be more than 50 degrees below zero and the air so thin that oxygen is essential.  A few feet away from the cabin is a jet engine operating at a temperature of 2000 degrees Celsius…

Official Launch Of The Inaugural NI Digital Catapult Work Programme.

Last year's NI local network Chairperson, Tom Gray recently launched an ambitious programme of activities to build the capability of Northern Ireland’s digital cluster with Economy Minister Simon Hamilton.   Speaking at the launch, Tom Gray, Head Digital Catapult NI said: “This ambitious inaugural work programme will help accelerate the growth of our areas of strength such as analytics and cyber security and increase our opportunities in emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence and Immersive Technologies.”   During the next 12 months, Digital Catapult NI will deliver a wide range of activities that will support and help build on Northern Irelands digital capability and promote international collaboration. This will include showcasing outstanding digital companies to industry; pit stops…

IET Singapore Network: Engineering Pub Quiz

The IET Pub Quiz 2016 was organized by IET Singapore LN. The objective of this event was to provide an opportunity for IET members to acquire interesting and less unknown engineering knowledge. This event had attracted almost 50 members and guests. The venue for the event was at the function room of BeerFest Brewery @Rochester. Under relaxing atmosphere, the members were able to enjoy scrumptious food and beer while brainstorming for the answers.  All attendees were instructed to form groups of 4 to 5 members, and to come up with an amusing and interesting group name which could also add points to their score board.  This quiz was co-organised by special task group: Nicholas Weeks, Robert Cooke, Morgan Mackinnon and Renyou. They took turn to host the event as Quiz Master in different rounds…

IET Scotland South West and The Institute of Telecommunications Professionals 2016 Family Christmas Presentations

Wrap up 2015-16 and Jump in 2016-17 with the FS TPN

As we are now bounding into the 2016-17 session, I thought it would be good to review what has been happening in the FS TPN over 2015-16 and what we are looking at for 2016-17. Overview of the TPN:  The IET Functional Safety TPN helps support activities that improve the development and assurance of safe systems, and to draw together professionals working in functional and systems safety.  This means we are a focal point within the IET for system and functional safety - products, processes and people.  We are actively involved in many of the different department in the IET and contribute to policy and standards and develop conferences, courses, and events that contribute to your CPD.  For more on what we cover, have a look at the slides from our Annual Open Meeting.   Some of the conferences…

DARS 2016 FINAL CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

13th International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems Nov 6-9, 2016. Natural History Museum, London, UK 51 presentations from 17 countries, including 4 keynotes by: -  Nikolaus Correll (University of Colorado Boulder): Material-integrated intelligence for robot autonomy -  Vijay Kumar (University of Pennsylvania): Coordination, cooperation, and collaboration in multi-robot systems -  James AR Marshall (The University of Sheffield): Go to the bee and be wise: Swarm engineering inspired by house-hunting honeybees -  Katia Sycara (Carnegie Mellon University): Robust human control of multi-robot swarms NEWS - Conference booklet available online - Finalists for the Best Paper Award available online - Last chance to join us in London: http://dars2016.org/registration/ MEDIA/PRESS…

Technical visit to General Electric Engine Services Malaysia - a report by Mr Lau YC

On 29th September, a technical visit to General Electric Engine Services Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (GEESM) was organised by ET Control &Automation  TPN and IET Malaysia Network. Below, Mr. Lau YC tells us more: Aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) is an essential requirement to ensure that aircraft are maintained in pre-determined conditions of airworthiness to safely transport passengers and cargo. In the air transport industry, the aircraft MRO market is influenced by global fleet size, aircraft utilisation and air traffic volumes for both passengers and cargo. The aircraft MRO industry in Malaysia is gearing to boost capacity and enhance its services to attract more global players to the country. During the introduction speech, Suresh Kumar Shunmugam (Managing Director of GEESM) shared…

Speaker Highlight - Challenges In Tribology (Part Three)

Time for another speaker highlight! The IET Tribology Network have confirmed the first speaker for Thursday 16th March 2017 on 'Transport Challenges' We are delighted to welcome back: Professor Robert JK Wood FREng,  Associate Dean of Research, Director of the UK National Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS). About Robert: Professor Robert Wood FREng is Professor of Surface Engineering and Tribology within Engineering Sciences of the Faculty of Engineering and the Environment at the University of Southampton and is Associate Dean (Research) for the Faculty. He has 30 years research experience in the field of tribology and surface engineering. He has spent several years at BP Research researching into erosion and corrosion resistant coatings but returned to Southampton in 1993…

London Underground Station Song Puns

After try and failing to come up with something 'Halloween-y' for this month's railway newsletter, I opted for a selection of songs that can be made into puns using London Underground stations. Here are the ones I came up with - as you can probably see I was scraping the barrell towards the end so please feel free to suggest any more in the comments below!  MORDEN A FEELING, BOSTON JOHNNY B. GOODGE (STREET), CHUCK BERRY THE ONLY LIVING BOY IN NEW CROSS, SIMON AND GARFUNKEL SEXUAL EALING, MARVIN GAYE ANOTHER BRIXTON IN THE WALL, PINK FLOYD SITTING ON THE DOCK OF THE BAYSWATER, OTIS REDDING SOMEBODY THAT I EUSTON KNOW, GOYTE TEARS IN HENDON, ERIC CLAPTON KILBURNING LOVE, ELVIS PRESLEY HOLBORN TIGHT, ELO LIVERPOOL (STREET) AND LET DIE, PAUL MCCARTNEY AND WINGS BACK IN BLACKFRIARS, AC/DC PAINT…

Rosetta - the End of a Mission

Earlier in the summer the Aerospace, Satellite Systems & Applications and Robotics & Mechatronics TPNs joined together to organise an evening seminar on the Rosetta Mission.  The two presenters Dr Paolo Ferri and Dr Mark Bentley  agreed to answer questions on the mission, so please go to our discussion forum where you can post your questions and view the presentation  slides here .

Rosetta Spacecraft the end of a Mission

Earlier in the summer the Aerospace, Satellite Systems & Applications and Robotics & Mechatronics TPNs joined together to organise an evening seminar on the Rosetta Mission.  The two presenters  Dr Paolo Ferri and Dr Mark Bentley  agreed to answer questions on the mission, so please go to our discussion forum where you can post your questions and view the presentation  slides here .

3 active and assitived living projects you need to know about

At the recent 2nd IET Conference on Technologies for Active and Assitive Living , a number of projects were presented. Here's 3 that you need to know about.   SPHERE: Sensor Platform for Halthcare in a Residential Environment The S ensor P latform for HE althcare in a R esidential E nvironment (SPHERE) is a Bristol University led project based in the city of Bristol. The aim of the project is to use a variety of sensors around the home to monitor individuals and identify wide-ranging potential health concerns and issues such as falls, sedentary behaviour, sleep patterns and diet choices. The first phase of the project included rigging a Victorian house with a multitude of sensors, and the team are now rolling out the sensors to 100 volunteer homes around the city. The project is led by Bristol…

Present Around The World: Presenters Required

IET Present Around the World Why enter Present Around The World? For the knowledge. For the kudos. For your career.  The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is working to engineer a better world. We inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community, supporting technology innovation to meet the needs of society.  Present Around The World is a global competition for Young Professionals and Students within engineering to develop and showcase presentation skills. You don’t have to be a member of the IET to enter but must be 18-30 years of age and be prepared to:  -  Deliver a 10 minute presentation on any engineering or technology related area  -  Enhance your knowledge  -  Develop your skills  -  Increase your profile and  -  Open doors for your career   IET Northern Ireland…

Present Around The World: Catch Up With Last Year’s Winner, Stewart McAllister

Ahead of this year’s Present Around the World regional final on Thursday 17 th November we have caught up with last year’s winner Stewart McAllister.    Last year, Stewart won the Present Around the World Northern Ireland regional competition, with his presentation on the subject of Resonant Inductive Coupling – the wireless transfer of power. Stewart’s clear explanation of the matter and an inspiring look towards the future of the technology earned him the winner’s prize.   In June, Stewart represented the Northern Ireland local network at the Northern Regional UK final in Liverpool and was runner-up, just missing out on the chance to participate in the UK finals.   Following from his experiences, later that month, Stewart went on to win the energy sector of the ‎UK Daily Telegraph STEM Awards…

Upcoming events!! Auto-sync our events to your calendar via https://goo.gl/RmzLi9

Upcoming events!  Remember these events are FREE and add to your CPD (We usually even provide refreshments!). Use the links below for more info and to register as spaces are often limited: 8th Nov: AD plant and Wind Turbine tour -  https://goo.gl/H8ST4t 16th Nov: BT Tour -  https://goo.gl/451h0x 23rd Nov: Lifeskills-Art of being assertive-  https://goo.gl/8Wwhbo 16th Jan: Lifeskills- Project Management-  https://goo.gl/BV44yo Sync our full calendar to your iPhone/Mac/PC by clicking: https://goo.gl/RmzLi9   (You can turn the calendar on and off easily if it's cluttering your schedule)

AD plant and Wind Turbine tour 8th Nov 2016

North West Event: (ONLY A FEW PLACES LEFT!!) As Northern Ireland nears 1 GW of installed renewable energy have you ever wondered how Anaerobic Digestors or Wind Turbines work?  What work is involved to set them up?  How long do they take to build? Greenville Energy have kindly welcomed us to a technical tour of their combined renewable generation site for what is sure to be an insightful and interesting tour of technology that has become increasingly popular in NI.  We will also have an NIE Network's engineer on hand to explain the challenges of connecting distributed renewable generators to the grid! Register here:  https://goo.gl/H8ST4t

Wales Rally GB

On the 27th and 28th October, a group of volunteers from the Wales North Comittee attended the Wales Rally GB where we had a stand with some activities to encourage young people to become engineers. We were amongst a number of other exhibitors such as the IMechE, Coleg Cambria, Glyndwr University etc. We had around three hundred people attending over the two days which was very encouraging.

A Right Royal Opening

On Wednesday, after months of planning, the IET’s main headquarters - Savoy Place in London - was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal. After its major refurbishment the building has actually been open for nearly a year, but as you can imagine Royal diaries are busy things and it can be tricky to schedule an official visit! I must confess that initially I thought it would be a bit odd having an official opening so many months after the doors opened again - but I was wrong. It was a perfect opportunity to reflect on how much has changed, both within the building, but also within engineering since 1909 when we first adopted Savoy Place as our home. HRH The Princess Royal was charming, very interested in the building and in everyone she met. She has been to Savoy Place before, as our guest…

Ada Lovelace Day - By Aphra Bennett (16 Years Old)

The following was written by student, Aphra Bennett, following her attendance at Ada Lovelace Day this year at IET London: Savoy Place.   It's wonderful to see that the event continues to make such a positive impact on her and presumably, many others.  This is one of the many reasons that the IET is proud to support Ada Lovelace Day and other inspirational events that encourage the next generation of women engineers! Aphra did her work experience at the IET as she wanted a well-rounded view of engineering and to understand some of the core reasons as to why there are so few women in STEM, particularly in the UK.  Aphra is set on pursuing a career in STEM herself and altering the negative perceptions that are sometimes associated with the profession. You may have seen some of our amazing posters…