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.

  • An institution with (rail) connections

    A blog looking at the UK’s early electric railways and links with our Institution and its members by guest blogger David Knights FIET . Railway history is often dominated by the names of civil and mechanical engineers. As the “new” technology of electricity developed, railways were often “early adopters”. The IET has a long-standing relationship with the railway. Our past Presidents and members have played a significant role in the development of the railways, including their electrification. This article highlights some of the notable electrical engineers who contributed to these pioneering developments. A short history of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) The IET can trace its history back to 1871 when the Society of Telegraph Engineers (STE) was founded.…

  • Bo Yang: A Story of Mentorship and Growth

    Mentorship is often discussed as a tool for early career development yet its value does not diminish as engineers become more senior. Bo Yang’s experience through the IET mentoring programme shows how guidance from an experienced volunteer can help established leaders sharpen their impact refine their narrative and step confidently into wider influence. “I didn’t seek a mentor to learn how to do engineering, but to refine how I position leadership and articulate impact at a systems level.” When Bo first connected with her mentor Colin, she was already operating at Director level. She was leading large teams and delivering complex engineering programmes, but her challenge was no longer technical depth. Instead, her focus had shifted to scaling impact across organisations, strategy, and…

  • Volunteer Spotlight: Alan Rossney

    Alan’s path into engineering began with a spark of childhood wonder. One of his earliest memories is watching Star Wars: A New Hope and seeing Luke Skywalker repair R2‑D2. The idea of being skilled enough to fix a robot without even checking a manual stayed with him from that moment on. This curiosity only grew during the summers he spent working in his father’s auto‑electrical garage, where he became familiar with the practical side of engineering through batteries, alternators and starters. At school, physics became his favourite subject and electronics captured his imagination, leading him naturally toward a B.Eng (Tech) in electronic engineering. “My favourite subject in school was physics, and my favourite topic was electronics, so applying for electronic engineering felt like a natural…

  • When the Green Check Proves the Wrong Thing

    The risk is not generated code. It is confidence without evidence. AI can help a software team produce a plausible first draft faster. Approval still depends on evidence. A pull request that reads well, passes continuous integration and arrives with tests can still fail to show that the risky behaviour is safe. Near the end of the day, a small pull request lands in the review queue. It changes retry behaviour around an external payment provider. The changed lines are easy to read. CI has passed. The summary says the change improves resilience when the provider is temporarily unavailable. A few unit tests simulate a failed call, then a successful one. The retry code runs. The code follows a familiar pattern. Nothing looks careless. There is plenty for a reviewer to accept. The code is…

    Kostakis Bouzoukas
    Kostakis Bouzoukas

  • Driving inclusion and innovation in manufacturing

    The future of manufacturing is being shaped by rapid technological change, from AI and automation to emerging concepts like soft robotics and even manufacturing in space. But alongside these advances sits another equally important challenge: ensuring that the people driving this innovation reflect the diversity of the society they serve. That is why the collaboration between the IET Manufacturing Technical Network and the IEEE UK & Ireland Women in Engineering (WIE) event, Disruptive Technologies for Manufacturing and Automation, is so significant. Taking place on 16 June, this hybrid event at IET London: Savoy Place, with online access available, brings together engineers, researchers and industry professionals to explore the technologies reshaping manufacturing. It also creates a platform…

  • Dead on Arrival: Why Fresh Produce Needs a Digital Brain, Not Just a GPS

    Over a third of all fresh produce never reaches a consumer. Cold chain intelligence, digital twins, and predictive AI are the engineering solution, and the industry is only just waking up to it. Key Takeaways ✓ According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (UN), FAO, around one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted — for fresh produce, farm-to-fork losses range from 25% to 50% depending on commodity and region. ✓ Current supply chain systems track movement (location, ETA, temperature) but not condition (remaining shelf life, spoilage probability, commercial value). ✓ Perishability intelligence platforms use digital twins, IoT cold chain sensors, and ML-based shelf life prediction to close that gap in real time. ✓ The architecture scales from a single airport node…

    Dr. Mohammad Harris
    Dr. Mohammad Harris

  • Decarbonising in Energy Intensive Industries: Engineering Pathways Under Real-World Constraints

    Why energy intensive industries present a unique challenge The drive towards net zero has accelerated investment in renewable energy, electrification, and low-carbon technologies across many sectors of the economy. While significant progress has been made in areas such as power generation and transport, energy intensive industries (EIIs) continue to present some of the most complex decarbonisation challenges. Industries including steel, cement, chemicals, oil and gas, glass, and automotive manufacturing play a critical role in modern economies. They provide the materials, products, and infrastructure that underpin society, but they also account for a substantial proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions. Steel and cement production alone are responsible for approximately 14–16% of global…

    Dr Paul Johnson
    Dr Paul Johnson

  • North Devon Robotics Challenge 2026

    The fourth North Devon Robotics Challenge took place on Wednesday 18 th March 2026 at North Devon College in Barnstaple, Devon. Teams of Year 7 students from schools in Devon had been given a set of challenges at the start of February to work on in their schools, before presenting their work in a spirit of friendly competition at North Devon College. The teams worked in pairs on four challenges; three involving programming Edison robots to meet engineering specifications, and a fourth challenge to design a conceptual robot. Since North Devon College are working with Maritime South-West this year on maritime projects based in Devon, the conceptual robot was required to perform some task related to the maritime industry in Devon. The aim of the competition, sponsored by the Institution…

  • Supporting women into leadership in STEM starts with changing the system

    Throughout my career, one pattern has stood out. I’ve seen talented women step back from leadership opportunities, not because they lack the ability, ambition or potential, but because the environments around them weren’t built with them in mind. And for women facing additional barriers, including disabled women in STEM, these challenges can be even more pronounced. We’ve made real progress in encouraging more women into science, engineering and technology. But progression into leadership still tells a different story. Progress isn’t just about entry, it’s about what comes next Across the sector, there’s growing recognition that representation at entry level is only part of the solution. Too often, the focus is on opening doors, without asking what happens once women step through…

  • WISE (Women into Science and Engineering) Young Professionals Committee Spotlight

    For more than a decade, the WISE Young Professionals Committee (WYPC) have been driving practical change for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). In 2024 the committee celebrated ten years since its original formation, marking a decade of work that has challenged workplace culture and addressed the barriers women continue to face across the sector. One of the committee’s proudest achievements is the Unfiltered STEM podcast, launched in July 2023. The podcast creates a space for honest conversations about life in STEM and explores topics that resonate with early career professionals. With more than 1,700 plays and over 1,000 streams, it has reached an audience closely aligned with the committee’s mission. Most listeners are women aged between 23 and 34, reflecting the…

  • Circular Economy: Designing Aerospace Parts for Reuse, Repair, and Recycling

    Our earlier blog post outlined how Value Engineering (VE) optimizes aerospace products and systems, striking a careful balance between performance, safety, and cost over the full lifecycle. At its core lies the simple but powerful equation, Value = Function ÷ Cost. While VE focuses on delivering essential capabilities at the lowest possible expense, the industry now faces a pressing additional requirement, greater sustainability and resource efficiency. This brings us directly to the Circular Economy, an approach that builds on established VE principles. It involves designing components and systems so they can be reused, repaired, refurbished, remanufactured, or recycled. The goal is to keep materials and their inherent value in active use for as long as possible, while significantly cutting…

  • Digital Twins in Motion: Why a Multi-Disciplinary Debate Matters Now

    Digital twins have rapidly moved from a conceptual innovation to a practical engineering tool that is reshaping how we design, operate and optimise complex systems. From aerospace and manufacturing to infrastructure and media, the ability to create a dynamic, data-driven virtual representation of real-world assets is opening up new possibilities for insight, efficiency and resilience. On 24 June 2026 , the IET will bring this conversation to the forefront with the webinar Digital Twin Dynamics: A Multi-Disciplinary Debate . This online event gathers voices from across several Technical Networks to explore not just what digital twins are, but how they are evolving and where they may lead next. This blog offers a preview of that discussion, highlighting both the technical foundations of digital…

  • 5G Standalone, VoNR and Network Slicing: The Trio That Makes 5G Smarter

    Most people think 5G is about speed. And yes, faster downloads are part of the story, but speed is the easy bit. The really interesting transformation is happening underneath, in the architecture. Three technologies, 5G Standalone, Voice over New Radio, and Network Slicing, collectively change what a mobile network can be: not just faster than 4G, but fundamentally smarter. 5G Standalone: breaking free from 4G When operators first launched it, most did not build a new core network, they bolted 5G radios onto the existing 4G core, a mode called Non-Standalone (NSA). It was pragmatic and got 5G to market years earlier. But when your 5G radio is anchored to a 4G core, you inherit that core’s limitations: its latency, its rigidity, its inability to support the features 5G was actually designed…

  • Support for carers in engineering

    During Carers Week 2026, we’re recognising how vital carers are and sharing the ways we can support you. This year’s theme, ‘Building Carer Friendly Communities’, is about creating spaces where carers are understood, supported and empowered to thrive. You’re not alone Every day, around 63 million people worldwide care for someone close to them (source: carersworldwide.org ). In the UK, there are 5.8 million unpaid carers, over half of whom are also juggling care with paid work (source: carersuk.org ). Many people don’t recognise themselves in those numbers. They’re just doing what needs to be done. Caring responsibilities might begin with helping a parent after an illness, supporting a partner through a difficult time, or looking after a child with additional needs. It becomes part…

  • IET Electromagnetics and the collaboration with International Workshop on Antenna Technology (iWAT 2026)

    At the end of March, the IEEE International Workshop on Antenna Technology (iWAT 2026) came to Liverpool, bringing together researchers, industry specialists and students working at the forefront of antenna and electromagnetic design. Over three days at the University of Liverpool, the workshop offered a reminder of the value of smaller, more focused events, not just for sharing research, but for building meaningful professional connections. iWAT has a distinctive format. All oral presentations are invited talks, which keeps the programme tight and ensures a consistently high technical standard. Alongside this, poster sessions play a central role, creating space for deeper conversations and more informal exchanges. It’s a structure that encourages dialogue rather than one‑way communication…

  • Harnessing Nigeria's Wind: The Case for Vertical Axis Wind Turbines, why VAWTs could be the missing piece in Nigeria's clean energy puzzle and why this conversation starts now

    Nigeria is a country of staggering contradictions. It sits atop some of the world's largest crude oil reserves, generates enough natural gas to power a continent, and basks in some of the most abundant sunshine on earth. Yet over 85 million of its citizens wake up every morning to uncertain, unreliable, or entirely absent electricity. Businesses across Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt spend a combined $14 billion every year running diesel generators and its not because they want to, but because the grid forces them to. We have chased solar. We have debated gas. We have mourned our transmission infrastructure. But there is an energy resource sitting above every rooftop, along every highway, and offshore every coastal state in Nigeria, one that barely anyone in this country is talking about…

  • The Smart Revolution - Transforming Manufacturing with Robotics

    The smart revolution: how robotics is reshaping manufacturing and end‑of‑life processes Manufacturing is at a turning point. Across sectors, organisations are being asked to produce more sustainably, make better use of materials, and deal responsibly with what happens when products reach the end of their working life. At the same time, labour shortages, safety concerns and rising costs are putting pressure on traditional ways of working. Against this backdrop, robotics, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems are starting to move from the edges of manufacturing into the mainstream. Not as a silver bullet, but as practical tools that can help industry rethink how products are built, used, repaired and recovered. A recent IET Manufacturing Technical Network webinar explored what…

  • Strategic E-Waste Management in Modern Manufacturing: A Closed-Loop Approach

    As of mid-2026, the global manufacturing sector stands at a critical intersection between industrial growth and environmental accountability. Electronic waste, or e-waste, covers all discarded electrical and electronic devices, parts, and materials, and it has become one of the fastest growing waste streams globally, with volumes expected to exceed 78 million metric tons annually by 2030. For a long time, manufacturers viewed this material simply as an unavoidable cost of production or a waste disposal problem. Today however, it is widely recognized as a valuable secondary resource and a core component of the circular economy model. Modern manufacturing facilities are no longer just places where goods are made and waste is produced. They are evolving into integrated hubs for material recovery…

  • Celebrating Pride in the Quarter at IET London: Savoy Place

    The ‘Pride in the Quarter’ project is a public art trail across central London, featuring 17 large lion and lioness sculptures, running from June–August 2026. Each of the lions are individually designed by London-based artists and tell a unique story inspired by the city’s culture, communities and creativity. Visit the London Heritage Quarter website for more information . IET London: Savoy Place have sponsored a lion, which is situated in Embankment gardens right outside of the venue. Our lion highlights the story of Sara Josephine Baker , a formidable physician who saved the lives of thousands of children through her pioneering public health work. Today, she is also recognised as an important LGBTQ+ figure, born into a time when living authentically as a part of the community was not accepted…

  • The ZX Spectrum and Sinclair C5: A Strategyzer Perspective on Success and Failure

    What Sir Clive Sinclair's Greatest Hit and Most Famous Flop Can Teach Us About Product Strategy I have just finished Strategyzer's Mastering Business Testing course. One of the most interesting aspects of the training was its exploration of four key risks associated with a product idea: desirability, feasibility, viability, and adaptability . While re-reading my notes and thinking about how I could apply these concepts, I remembered watching The Rise and Fall of Sinclair on YouTube, a video that examines the rise of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1982) and the decline of the Sinclair C5 (1985). I often quote the Sinclair C5 as an example of a product that was ahead of its time, so I thought comparing these two brainchilds of Sir Clive Sinclair would make for an interesting exercise. This is…

  • Looking back: the 1926 launch of The Electrical Age for Women

    By Daniel Belteki, Graeme Gooday and Anne Locker Introduction What was so special about June 1926? It wasn’t just that Britain was emerging from the extraordinary near paralysis of a General Strike the previous month, nor that a Conservative government was trying – unprecedentedly – to legislate for the UK to have a National Grid for mass electricity supply. This was also the moment that saw the arrival of a brand-new magazine: The Electrical Age for Women . Under a variety of names, this stylish publication ran for another six decades, with its young parent organisation, the Electrical Association for Women vigorously campaigning for the benefits of electricity in homes and businesses. That magazine is available for all to view (see link above) as a route into a past world that many now…

  • Building More Than Robots: How ShockSoc Rebuilt a Hands-On Engineering Community

    This academic year has been one of rebuilding, growth, and hands-on engineering for ShockSoc, the Leeds Electronics and Electrical Engineering Society. From the beginning of the year, our aim was to make the society more active, accessible, and practically useful for students across the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering. We wanted ShockSoc to become more than just a society name, we wanted it to be a place where students could learn new skills, meet others with similar interests, and apply engineering concepts outside the lecture theatre. At the start of the year, a major focus was re-establishing the society’s presence and encouraging new students to get involved. Through Freshers Fair, social media, course group chats, and direct engagement with students, we worked to make…

  • Value Engineering in the Aerospace Industry: Balancing Performance, Cost, and Innovation

    The aerospace industry is defined by extreme demands: uncompromising safety standards, high performance requirements, long operational lifecycles, and massive capital investments. Whether for commercial aircraft, defense systems, or space exploration vehicles, every component and system must deliver maximum reliability while staying within strict budget and schedule constraints. This is where Value Engineering (VE) becomes indispensable. Value Engineering is a systematic, organized approach to improve the "value" of products, systems, or processes by analyzing their functions - defined simply as: Value = Function / Cost In aerospace, value is not just about cutting costs; it means delivering the necessary performance, safety, and quality at the lowest possible total lifecycle cost. It…

    Paul Lino Galutira
    Paul Lino Galutira

  • Sustainable Transport:Mapping Accessibility in UK Cities

    Mapping Accessibility in UK Cities The lecture was presented by Duncan Smith , Associate Professor in GIS and Visualisation at the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA), UCL. The lecture, held on Wednesday 13th May 2026, took place at the flagship IET venue at Savoy Place, London, in the Turing Theatre. The lecture primarily covered transportation challenges that we all face on a daily basis. Transportation Challenges: Sustainability, Productivity & Health Transport is a major source of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and is also vital to the economy. The talk presented these issues effectively through the analysis of tabulated data. It provided an interesting perspective on how transport accessibility impacts our daily lives. Transport is something we all rely on every…

Community Rules & Guidelines