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  • Payloads of the Past: Yuri Gagarin

    A first step into the unknown On 12 April 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel into space, completing one orbit of the Earth aboard Vostok 1 in 108 minutes. The flight was brief, but its significance was enormous. It marked the moment humanity moved from imagining spaceflight to proving that a person could survive it, control it and return safely. Vostok 1 was more than a symbolic moment. It was a complex mission that brought together launch capability, spacecraft design, life support, communications, tracking and recovery under intense political and technical pressure. Gagarin’s mission was a milestone in the Space Race, but it was also a milestone for engineering discipline and mission assurance. Why it mattered then Gagarin’s flight arguably changed how the world…

    Aaron Russell
    Aaron Russell

  • Coventry and Warwickshire Local Network Webinar on Implementing industrial Robotics

    Thank you to the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Network for inviting me to talk about the Guide to Implementing industrial robotics. The guide was developed in collaboration with the Manufacturing technology Centre, Irish Manufacturing research and Automate-UK. We leafed through the pages of the guide talking through the different types of industrial robots and their potential applications & some obvious benefits. We discussed the barriers to implementing an industrial robotics system, which can be considered when developing the costs & schedule, resources or risks for a business case. Some of the other factors to consider in the business case can be what is the cost of current processes, their inefficiencies and cost of quality. This can be used to describe the problem to be solved. It…

  • Volunteer Spotlight: John Lorriman

    John Lorriman’s volunteering journey with the IEE and IET spans more than 50 years and reads like a passport full of memorable stamps. From local networks and mentoring to global accreditations and international travel, John’s story is one of curiosity, commitment and a genuine passion for helping others succeed. A lifetime of volunteering I joined the IEE in 1970, straight out of Cambridge, when I was working as a Production Foreman at GEC Telecommunications. Volunteering soon became a natural extension of my professional life. In 1977, when I became Controller of Training at GEC Telecoms, I was encouraged to take on a role with what is now the IET Birmingham Local Network. I later chaired the network, became a Fellow in 1987, and went on to chair the Coventry & Warwickshire Local Network…

  • Volunteer Spotlight: Aaron Russell’s Journey into Space Engineering

    From early doubts about whether engineering was even an option, to chairing the IET’s Satellite Technical Network, Aaron Russell’s career has taken an unexpected path. Along the way, volunteering with the IET has helped him find purpose, community and a way to support the next generation of engineers. Aaron Russell never expected to find himself working in space engineering. As a teenager, he had been told that STEM was “probably a pipedream”. His exam results did not reflect his curiosity or capability, something that only made sense years later when he discovered he was dyslexic. At the time, the message felt clear: engineering was not for people like him. Instead, he imagined a future in accounting or business, subjects that aligned with his love of numbers and understanding how things…

  • Why Mainstream Blockchain needs Data Privacy (Central London Network Evening Lecture)

    Blog Post by Central London Network volunteer Phil Snuggs Blockchain is a modern technology and still in its infancy The November Central London Network Evening Lecture at Savoy Place was a deep dive into Blockchain by , founder &CEO of Appliedblockchain . This was Adi’s second time with us, the previous lecture being 6 years ago. Adi indicated that this is a subject that will grow rapidly as it is understood more by technical and entrepreneur users. Initially I was sceptical by the subject and thought this topic would be more jargon busting technology with the onset of AI. The presentation by was engaging and interesting to the point you had to listen and take notice. The fundamental change is that the US Government is driving Blockchain now and global governments are taking notice…

  • Pathway to Excellence: Nigeria’s Journey Toward Washington, Sydney, and Dublin Accord Signatory Status

    I work on bridges. On the Lagos Emergency Bridge Repair Works Project with Julius Berger, I spend my days with technicians, craftsmen, and artisans, the skilled hands that hold Nigeria's infrastructure together. Whenever the conversation turns to the future, to careers, to opportunity, I hear the same word repeated like a quiet prayer: japa. Japa, the Yoruba slang for "flee", has become shorthand for the dream that consumes Nigeria's brightest young minds: leave. Get out. Find a future somewhere else. Europe. America. Anywhere but here. It is not laziness or ingratitude. It is a rational response to a system that has, for too long, failed to recognize its own talent. But something is changing. As the Speaker for Young Engineers at the 15th Mechanical Engineering Distinguished Lecture, a…

  • Foothold’s community survey results: What engineers told us about their health, wellbeing and finances

    Every three years Foothold undertakes a wellbeing survey of our community to understand how they are feeling physically, mentally, and financially. This information helps inform our thinking about whether our existing support is relevant, and how we may need to evolve our support in the future. Previous surveys led to us expanding our focus from providing financial support, which started when we made our first grant 125 years ago , to building resilience in our community. This led to the development of our digital health and wellbeing and neurodiversity tools and resources. Foothold truly is a global community, and we were grateful to everyone who took the time to respond, all 469 of you, from 37 different countries! We used a combination of demographic questions alongside the WHOQOL…

  • Sharpening the reputation of scientist and suffragist, Hertha Ayrton

    Graeme Gooday (University of Leeds) and Patricia Fara (University of Cambridge) Today is the 172nd anniversary of an extraordinary woman: Hertha Ayrton (1854–1923), who was born as Sarah Phoebe Marks on 28 April 1854. She was the first woman to become a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE), the first woman to deliver her own paper at the Royal Society (although she was rejected for Fellowship on the grounds that she was married) and the first woman to be awarded the Royal Society’s prestigious Hughes Medal – and what’s more, the only woman to receive that medal in the entire 20th century. 2026 also marks the centenary of the illuminating biography by her friend and fellow suffragist Evelyn Sharp : Hertha Ayrton: A Memoir (London: Edward Arnold, 1926). Now out of copyright…

  • Nell, Esther and Aunt Effie, the story of Robert H Goddard and the world’s first liquid-fuelled rocket

    Jerry Stone gave an in-depth and thought-provoking presentation on the life and achievements of Robert Goddard at a Beds & Herts event in Futures Place on 21 April 2026. Robert Hutchings Goddard is widely regarded as the father of modern rocketry, a title earned through his visionary ideas and groundbreaking experiments that laid the foundation for space exploration. Born on October 5, 1882, in Worcester, Massachusetts, Goddard showed an early fascination with science and invention. His curiosity was strongly encouraged by his family, particularly his mother, Esther Goddard, who supported his education despite his frequent childhood illnesses. As a young man, Goddard was inspired after reading H.G. Wells’ The War of the Worlds, which sparked his dream of space travel. He pursued physics…

  • Ad-dressable TV: Key findings reveal local linear TV as a trusted media influencing & shaping consumer decisions

    This April and May, the spotlight is on BroadcastAsia 2026, Asia-Pacific’s leading broadcast and media event, which will showcase topics of real importance to both regional and global stakeholders. The themes selected are timely, essential, and certain to resonate with those navigating the fast-changing broadcast and media landscape. The BroadcastAsia 2026 Conference, alongside parallel events, will be held in Singapore from May 20 to 22 at the Singapore EXPO. Over three days, the programme will span both radio and television, examining their production and distribution, as well as the ongoing consolidation of services. The IEEE-Broadcast Technology Society (IEEE-BTS) continues its role as a supporting organisation of BCA2026. Representing IEEE-BTS as a Distinguished Lecturer, I will be…

  • Volunteer Spotlight: Govind Vekaria

    EUR ING Govind Vekaria, BSc(Hons) CEng FIET Govind Vekaria’s volunteering journey began not with a grand plan, but with a simple intention to give a little more of himself. Working for Thales UK, a company that actively encourages volunteering and even offers dedicated paid time for it, he found the spark he needed to get started. “I had often thought about volunteering but never actively pursued any opportunities,” he reflected, recalling how a personal goal of contributing at least ten hours a year nudged him from intention into action. Finding opportunities, however, wasn’t easy. Even roles like fundraising came with waiting lists, and early enquiries often went unanswered. Then came a turning point: an organisation delivered a presentation at Thales, and Govind signed up for one …

  • Engineers supporting engineers: How you've made a difference

    Over the past year, your support has helped ensure that no engineer has had to face life's challenges alone. At Foothold, we exist to support IET members and their families for life, including into retirement. Whether someone is facing financial hardship, health challenges, mental ill health, or a sudden change in circumstances, we're there to help them regain stability and hope. We can only do this with the support of IET members like you. Whether you've donated, volunteered, shared our work, joined a webinar, told your story, or encouraged someone to reach out – thank you . Your support has made a real difference to engineers across the world. Our latest impact report shows all the ways you helped in 2024–25. The year at a glance Foothold supported 1,226 people across 47 countries…

  • Tactile Robotics: Why a Sense of Touch Is the Missing Piece in Humanoid Robots

    When we imagine the future of robotics, humanoid machines often take centre stage: robots that can assist in manufacturing, support healthcare workers, or safely collaborate alongside humans. Yet despite dramatic advances in AI, vision and actuation, one fundamental capability still limits what robots can do in the physical world, a genuine sense of touch. This challenge, and the progress being made to address it, is the focus of an upcoming IET Bristol Local Network event, Tactile Robotics: Past and Future , which takes place on 22 April 2026 . The lecture will be delivered by Professor Nathan F. Lepora, Professor of Robotics & AI at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, and one of the leading researchers working on robotic touch and dexterous manipulation. While the event itself promises an…

  • Hillsborough and the Engineering of Crowd Safety

    On 15 April 1989 , a football match in Sheffield became the site of the deadliest sporting disaster in British history. Ninety‑seven people lost their lives in a crowd crush at Hillsborough Stadium , during the FA Cup semi‑final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. While the disaster is often remembered through its social and legal aftermath, it is also a defining moment in the engineering of public safety, crowd dynamics and complex socio‑technical systems. For engineers, Hillsborough represents a painful but essential case study: how infrastructure design, human decision‑making and system assumptions can combine to produce catastrophic failure, even when individual components appear to function as intended. What happened – a system under pressure Hillsborough Stadium was built in…

  • Show Your Work with AI: A practical way to trust an AI answer

    AI tools now draft a growing share of the words that move through engineering organisations. Some of those words stay as drafts. Others travel into design notes, tickets, runbooks and reports, where they start to behave like reference material. The corrective point is simple. The hard part is not getting AI to produce an answer. It is making that answer reviewable, current and accountable before it is reused. In this context, “show your work” means the AI answer comes with its trail: the source, the conditions it depends on, and the check you ran. “Trust” does not mean “believe the tool”. It means “safe to reuse because another engineer can review it”. A common failure mode is unexamined reuse. A paragraph is copied forward, stripped of context, and quietly promoted from draft to policy…

  • Pedals, Paths and Purpose: One Engineer’s Journey to Lift the Next Generation

    This spring, the engineering community is being invited to rally around a challenge that captures the very best of what our profession stands for. Determination, empathy and a shared responsibility to open doors for those who come next. On 14 April 2026, IET member Sethu Ponniah, MIET , will set off on an extraordinary journey across Scotland to raise awareness and funds for the IET Futures Fund , supporting students who face financial barriers on their path into engineering. At first glance, the numbers alone are striking. More than 600 miles in total. Over two demanding weeks. A combination of long-distance cycling and walking through some of Scotland’s most rugged and beautiful landscapes. But this challenge is about far more than physical endurance. It is about creating opportunity and…

    Ana Lovick
    Ana Lovick

  • IET Manufacturing Network Young Professionals & Early Career Competition — Now Open for 2026 Abstract and Slide Submissions

    Climate change is no longer a distant concern or a theoretical debate. It is happening now, and its impacts are increasingly visible. In the UK, 2025 has officially been recorded as the hottest year on record, a stark reminder that climate thresholds are approaching faster than many anticipated. Against this backdrop, the global ambition to limit warming to 1.5°C feels both urgent and daunting. To achieve it, the world must reach net zero emissions by 2050 and manufacturing sits right at the centre of this challenge. As one of the most energy‑intensive sectors globally, manufacturing has both a responsibility and an opportunity. The responsibility is clear: industrial activity contributes significantly to carbon emissions. The opportunity is perhaps even more powerful. Manufacturing engineers…

  • Massive MIMO: The Brain of 5G Networks

    How are smarter antennas reshaping wireless connectivity? Think about the last time you streamed a video in a packed stadium, or jumped on a video call from a busy train station. Your phone somehow found a signal, held it, and delivered — even with thousands of devices competing for the same airwaves. That's not magic. That's Massive MIMO at work. Massive MIMO — Multiple-Input Multiple-Output taken to a whole new scale — is one of the defining technologies of 5G. Where older base stations had 2 to 8 antenna ports, a modern 5G site can have 32, 64, or more. And it doesn't just have more antennas; it uses them intelligently, directing signals like a spotlight rather than a floodlight. More Antennas, More Intelligence Traditional base stations broadcast signals in wide arcs, hoping the…

  • Online safety: Can broadcasters rely on Meta’s limited accountability, trust & transparency in social media platforms?

    Explainability of artificial intelligence (AI) and the ethical aspects of recommendation algorithms have been widely discussed in many forums. Before delving into the topic of distribution platforms and the challenges they pose, it is worth noting that the radio broadcasting industry celebrated World Radio Day (WRD) on 13 February 2026. This year’s theme, announced by UNESCO, highlighted threats to trust, particularly arising from AI. WRD is a global celebration observed annually on February 13, recognising and thanking broadcasters for the news they deliver, the voices they amplify, and the stories they share. The theme for World Radio Day 2026 announced by UNESCO , was “Radio and Artificial Intelligence: AI is a tool, not a voice.” Today, AI presents new opportunities and challenges…

  • Robotics, standards, and the pathway to deployment: reflections from ERF 2026

    The European Robotics Forum (ERF) 2026, held in Stavanger, centred on Robotics for the blue economy and growth in space. This theme reflects an increasing convergence between advanced robotics and application domains where reliability, autonomy, and sustainable long-term operation under uncertainty are essential rather than desirable. Across the forum, a broader shift in emphasis was apparent. The discussion is moving beyond demonstrating technical capability towards addressing how robotic systems can be deployed and operated in real-world environments. This shift brings questions of system reliability, safety, and trust to the forefront. In this context, standardisation is becoming more central. One of the sessions highlighted ongoing work on ISO/IEC TS CD 22440, which addresses AI in…

  • Engineering better systems: reflections from International Women’s Day in Parliament

    International Women’s Day often centres on important conversations around representation, opportunity, and inclusion. Earlier in March, I had the opportunity to help organise and contribute to a discussion at the UK Parliament, bringing together leaders from across sectors to reflect on these themes. What stood out was not simply the diversity of perspectives in the room, but a recurring pattern in how challenges were described. Many of the barriers discussed, whether related to progression, visibility, or access, were framed as cultural or behavioural issues. While these are undoubtedly important, they are also, fundamentally, systemic. From an engineering perspective, systems tend to produce the outcomes they are designed for. If an outcome is persistent and widespread, it is often a…

    Param B. MBE
    Param B. MBE

  • Volunteer Spotlight: Will Drury

    Making a Difference, One Role at a Time Will Drury is the chief executive officer at PNDC, part of the University of Strathclyde, an engineering leader focused on electrification, decarbonisation and the journey to net zero in the UK. A long standing IET volunteer, he has served on Council, supports professional registration and mentors engineers, always with an eye to making a tangible difference. Rooted in Family, Inspired by Purpose Volunteering with the IET may be part of Will Drury’s family story, his father dedicated many years to the Institution, from leading the Power Electronics, Machines and Drives (PEMD) community and helping to run the PEMD Conference and undertaking accreditation visits in the UK and overseas. That example nudged Will toward service, but what sustains him…

  • Grace Catherine (Rena) Kennedy (1923-2017)

    Guest blog by Lianne Hackett Introduction This blog traces the first visit abroad of Rena Kennedy on a fact-finding trip funded by the Electrical Association for Women , and her later life as an electrical demonstrator, teacher, musician, mother and volunteer. Rena’s life shows how the growing industry of domestic electricity provided jobs and opportunities for talented young women in the middle of the twentieth century, but her story goes far beyond her work with the EAW, as described in this biographical sketch. Visit to Sweden In July 1947, Rena Kennedy embarked on her first trip abroad, having been awarded a bursary by the Electrical Association for Women to study electrical housecraft in Sweden. Rena had studied at the West of Scotland College of Domestic Science in…

  • Inside the World of Commercial Flight Simulation: How Modern Airlines Train Pilots

    Flight simulation has long been one of the aviation industry’s most powerful tools. Behind every smooth commercial flight is a pilot who has spent hundreds of hours mastering the controls, procedures, and decision‑making skills required to fly safely. And most of that mastery doesn’t happen in the air; it happens in a simulator. At the next IET Sussex Network talk on Tuesday 14th April at 6:30pm , Jeremy Hopkins, an expert with deep experience in the simulation industry, will offer compelling insights into how commercial airlines rely on flight simulators, how these systems work, how they differ from their military counterparts and why simulation remains indispensable to modern pilot training. He will use the Boeing 787 Simulator Architecture as an example. Why Flight Simulation Matters…

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