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  • Orion spacecraft arrives in Florida – one step closer to humans on Mars

    The Orion spacecraft pressure vessel arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre where it will undergo vital tests ahead of Exploration Mission-1.  The Orion’s Exploration Mission-1 is due to launch in 2018 where the unmanned vessel will fly beyond the moon. It is due to travel for 3 weeks to test its capacity for future deep space travel. Why is it such a big deal? Eventually deep space travel will be done with a crew and the pressure vessel will provide life support for its passengers. Humans were originally planned to board in 2021 but NASA believes it is more likely we send off a crew in 2023. NASA is planning on using the Orion to send humans to Mars in the 2030s. The Orion was transported by the impressive Super Guppy, an aircraft that was originally designed during the Apollo programme and…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Is Europe Ready To Defend Critical Infrastructure?

    Prominent malicious attacks have brought the importance of robust UK cyber security to the attention of both the Government and the public. With a respected European agency recently publishing recommendations on how countries can better protect critical national infrastructure from cyber-attack, how does the UK measure up against these? In November 2015, Chancellor George Osborne announced plans for a £1.9 billion investment in cyber security and the creation of the National Cyber Centre . In his speech he highlighted the need to protect our critical infrastructure; in particular those systems used to control physical entities, often now referred to as operational technology (OT). Following the recent Chatham House report into cyber security in the nuclear sector , the  European Union Agency…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Cyber Security Challenges And The Skills Balance

    The issue of cyber security is increasingly at the forefront of many organisations’ minds, with key questions being whether we're behind the curve in cyber security expertise, if we're fostering the right specialisms or if we even know which specific skills we need to be talking about? A recent  report  from the BBC stated that ISIS is planning to unleash a number of deadly cyber-attacks against UK targets and has put the issue of cyber security at the forefront of many organisations’ minds. As a result many have begun to question if we are behind the curve in cyber security expertise, and if we recognise the organisational challenges? The phrase ‘cyber security skills’ is so broad as to be unhelpful. Do we know what specific skills we’re talking about; which specialisms we need to foster?…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Yorkshire IET Video Competition

    The Yorkshire IET Video challenge is open! We invite ANYONE who is a student at a school, college or University in the Yorkshire and Humber region to produce a short online video about ANY aspect of engineering, technology or science and have the chance to WIN >>>>>> £100 prize for the winning entry three £50 runner-up prizes. The rules are simple: - create a video about an engineering, technology or science related subject (e.g. an interview, demonstration or documentary). For examples, visit our videos page at https://communities.theiet.org/communities/videos/210 - finished production should be minimum 5 minutes, maximum 15 minutes in length - to enter, you must be a student at school, college or university in the Yorkshire-Humber region (an email from a member of staff to confirm your eligibility…

    Patrick Mason
    Patrick Mason

  • Virtualising The Security Operation Centre (Soc)

    As the perimeter network scales to meet the App economy the domain based environments are making virtualisation become the core platform. We find that the increase in use of companies embracing infrastructure as a service requires data centre providers in need of more virtualisation methods.  The virtualised data center has other features such as multi tenant and customer billing separation which makes the return on investment more desirable. We find that the core components such as layer 3 devices can be functional in a few clicks without the need to rack appliances.  Further the ability to cluster environments also allows for virtual routing between data centres that previously could not be achieved. These benefits will become more apparent as the interlock with cyber systems will fuel innovation…

    Rimesh Patel
    Rimesh Patel

  • IET Awards Ceremony At 101 Battalion REME

    In January, we were very pleased to awards a prize to two members of staff at the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 101 Battalion in Wrexham, North Wales. the evening was attended by senior army officers as wellas the chairman of the local network, David Crawford with staff from the IET. we are hoping to work closely with REME in the coming years, with events which will be open to IET members.

    David S Crawford
    David S Crawford

  • The IET And BCS Turing Lecture

    Join us for a fascinating evening when Robert Schukai, Head of Advanced Product Innovation, Thomson Reuters will give the 2016 IET and BCS Turing Lecture. This year’s talk: The Internet of Me: It’s All About My Screens will look at the way smart phone technology has completely revolutionised the way we play, work, and live, and the information challenge that comes with constantly processing and generating so much data. For more information and registration: http://conferences.theiet.org/turing/

    Eoin McGread
    Eoin McGread

  • January News

    Happy New Year from the Southern California LN committee. This year we are going to try and send a ‘what’s happening’ email every month to keep you informed about everything your Local Network is doing. Please make sure your preferences are set to receive emails from your Local Network. Following the success of last years ‘ Present Around the World ’ competition we are going to be holding our event on the 26 th March. If you know anybody aged 18-30 who fancies the opportunity to win an all-expenses paid trip to Toronto by presenting for 10 minutes on an engineering or technology related topic and then answering questions on it for a further 5 minutes, please put them in touch with Richard Tregaskes for more details. This year to help competitors prepare, where there is enough interest, we will…

    Richard Tregaskes
    Richard Tregaskes

  • IET Peterborough & Huntingdon Local Network visit to RAF Marham Thursday 3rd November 2015

    Ten people in our group met up with Gavin Hukin from BAE Systems at the Spa Shop, Marham, opposite the entrance to RAF Marham at 12.50h. Gavin then escorted us to the Marham Heritage Centre and introduced us to Station Warrant Officer Steve Roberts who gave us a guided tour of the Centre. After showing us artefacts from the 1st World War, he went on to Mosquitos, Hurricanes, Spitfires and the associated pilots who flew them. We then continued to hear about Vulcan Bombers, Harriers and Tornados. Of particular note was a de-activated hydrogen bomb, and one of the much talked about Brimstone missiles, which were both on display. We thanked Steve for his most comprehensive guided tour, and continued to the CMU Unit where Martin Driver (BAE Systems) showed us around the maintenance shop/hangar.…

    Julie
    Julie

  • Another Chance To Attend New IET Courses

    If you weren't lucky enough to book onto one of our new courses that I wrote about in November , then the good news is that you have another chance.   Commercial Awareness for Technical People The aim of this one day course is to expose the commercial context within which technical work is carried out. It is to allow technical staff to understand how they fit into a larger picture,why they may be asked to undertake tasks that may not appear to be technical and the impact their interactions have within the commercial context. Project Management Techniques The aim of this course is to provide project managers with a toolkit they can use on their projects. The tools range from the simple that can be used on all projects to the advanced that can be used where appropriate. These are two of a portfolio…

    Kathryn Bain
    Kathryn Bain

  • A Robust Framework is a Great Asset

    What do Highways England and The Environmental Agency have in common? With help from CH2M, they are both implementing robust asset management systems that will be the firm foundation for their strategic plans to provide us with the service that we (English customers) desire.    In a well-attended Central London evening lecture at Savoy Place on 13-Jan-2016, we were well informed by not one, not two, but six speakers, each covering their specific part, followed by a lively Q&A panel session.  After a clear introduction to the concepts and standards by CH2M, we heard from TEAM 2100 (Thames Estuary Asset Management) followed by Highways England.    The scale of the challenge is awesome, not least owing to the sheer number of assets in their portfolios.  Consider: 21900 miles of road, 18500 bridges…

    David Tabor
    David Tabor

  • Are you interested in a technical trip to Japan - read on!!!

    The IET Manufacturing TPN, in association with Inside Japan,  are looking into organising  a visit to Japan flying direct from London Heathrow to Tokyo.    The visit would be fully escorted throughout with visits to Toyota, Mazda and Honda production and innovation centres. All internal travel is included either by private coach or public transport including the Bullet train.  All accommodation is included with private facilities at all destinations.   There is time outside of the program to visit recognised attractions at various centres.   The estimated cost will be around £4500.00 per person (plus individual insurance) dependent upon response.   If you would be interested in such a visit please contact Joanne Longton by email.   We have some interest expressed already but we need to gauge…

    Joanne Longton
    Joanne Longton

  • Iris Ageing in IET Biometrics Journal

    The IET would like to bring to your attention that from time to time issues arise within the research community which spark widespread debate and, sometimes, disagreement. The question of “iris ageing” - specifically, the effect of the passage of time on the recognition of individuals based on the analysis of their iris characteristics is an issue which has been generating considerable debate in recent months. Two key papers in this area have been published from authors who have rather different views on topic.      One of these contributions is "A critical examination of the IREX VI results" which argues that improvements in the methodology used in the NIST report would lead to uncovering of an ageing trend leading to a decrease in recognition rate over time.  The second paper (written by…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Alan Watts on G4F

    Earlier this month, Alan Watts, former IET Trustee, visited Solent LN to discuss with the network the G4F proposals and upcoming members' vote. As a former trustee and the principal driving force behind the new G4F proposals, Alan was excellently placed to explain the reasoning behind the proposed changes and painted a very clear picture of how the changes would affect IET Council and the running of the IET. The Council is an advisory body for the IET with over 70 seats at present. If successful, the new G4F proposal will see this reduce to 27 members 1 president. These 27 members will be split across three boards; a Membership and Professional Development Board, a Knowledge Services Board, and a new Volunteer Engagement Board. As well as forming these three boards, the Council members will…

    Joe Dunn
    Joe Dunn

  • Call For Experts for Satellite Systems & Applications Executive Team

    We’re just about to start formulating our programme of activities for the 2016-17 session and in order to ensure we have a good balance of committee members that is representative of both academia and industry; we are particularly keen to hear from academics who may be interesting in joining our team of volunteers.   We are also keen to hear from female engineers in any area of Space Systems & Applications whether in academia or industry.   We cover the areas of satellite systems, space vehicles and earth stations and their use for applications encompassing communications, navigation, earth observation, remote sensing and space exploration.    To give you an idea of the type of activities/content we organised, here is a list of what we’ve either done just recently or are currently looking to…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie

  • Event Review - Passive Components In Power Electronics

    Bill Drury, Chair of the PEMD TPN shares his thoughts on the TPN's latest event...   "The Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) community gathered at Austin Court, Birmingham on 1 st December 2015 for a one day seminar “Passive Components for Power Electronics” organised by the IET PEMD TPN with the support of the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics.  Over 70 attended with a good balance between academia and industry.   Passive components typically account for around 50% of the volume and weight of a power electronic converter, and with faster switching speeds and operating frequencies their design is critical to optimised solutions. Their importance has been recognised by the EPSRC Centre for Power Electronics, which has a dedicated theme to components.   This seminar brought together…

    Gemma Hadley
    Gemma Hadley

  • Executive Committee

    The IET Multimedia Communications Committee organises programme of activities for engineers working within the Multimedia, Broadcasting and Communications Industries .  All of these events and activities are made possible by the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers.   If you would like to know more about the committee or volunteer your time to help with our activities, please get in touch .   Graham Turner Chairman   Martin Russ Member  Stephen Plunkett Member Laurence Murphy Member Ratnasabapathy Jananthan Member

    Former Staff Member
    Former Staff Member

  • IET Auckland Network Committee Members 2017 - 18

    Warren McLuckie, Chairman Luca Parisi, Vice Chairman Julia Zhou, Secretary George Arulanantham, Treasurer Alice Chan, Committee member Frank Lewis, Committee member Chris Johnston, Committee member Andy Peacock, Committee member

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • NI IET Annual Dinner

    This year, our Annual Dinner will be taking place in the Europa Hotel on 21st April 2016. The Deputy President of the IET, Nick Winser will be attending and the after dinner entertainment will be announced soon. Save the date! Contact cmalone@theiet.org for more details

    Eoin McGread
    Eoin McGread

  • Nominations open for the Young Rail Professional of the Year 2016

    We are looking for this year’s Young Rail Professional of the Year.   The award, sponsored by CPC Project Services, will be presented to the rising star who has demonstrated an outstanding contribution, ability and commitment to their role.   The winner will be announced on Friday 8 April in front of over 400 of the railways young talents and one of the industry’s most influential leaders, Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, at the YRP Annual Dinner  at the National Railway Museum in York. Nominations are now open, so get your submission in! Download a nomination form h ere For more information on the submission rules click here.   If you have any questions please click here to email . The deadline for submissions is Tuesday 1 March 2016 . Good luck.

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie

  • The Just Not Sorry app is keeping women trapped in a man's world

    ''I’m sorry to do this to you but this is yet another piece on “Just Not Sorry” because I just don’t quite get it, apologies. I know you’re busy, so I’ll keep it brief.  Here is my problem: when did being polite become a bad thing?'' - Harriet Minter, The Guardian Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • She just got a prosthetic arm...

    The smile on her face is everything.  #engineersinspire  Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • “Should Humans Go to Mars”

    This is a question full of engineering, medical, and social issues all intertwined. Teachers find it easier to teach the facts and figures in science and math than to explore the debate that comes with it. Josh Doyle from Gallomanor Communiciations Ltd is preparing a Space Debate Kit, the 11th in their series of kits, which will provide everything teachers need to get their students discussing the issues behind sending humans to Mars.  Previous kits can be found here: http://debate.imascientist.org.uk/ . The kit will follow a tried and tested format, based on character cards and lesson notes. It will include 8 debate cards outlining the opinions of different fictional characters with an interest in human space flight, and teacher notes to help carry the lesson effectively. The debate will help…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie

  • People To Live In A 3D Printed Village On The Moon

    Earth’s relationship with the Moon has changed significantly since our first foray to its surface. The moon went from being the ultimate goal of the 60s space race to being overshadowed by the prospect of deeper space exploration . Today the Moon is as important as ever, it is back in the news as an integral part of future space travel. The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced a plan to 3D print a lunar village in the 2020’s. This is planned to be a permanent fixture that will replace the International Space Station (ISS). If all goes to plan then this will be the first permanent settlement for humans in space. The lunar village will be home to astronauts where they will be able to further experiments and space exploration. The benefits of this village would include: -Establishing telescopes…

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