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Meet The IET Tribology Network Committee

The IET Tribology Network committee met on Tuesday 15th March in the IET headquarters at Savoy Place, London. It was our first meeting at this venue for a few years due to the refurbishment project. We took the chance to work off the generous lunch with a tour of the building kindly led by our Community Manager, Rob Allen. The consensus was clear: we were all very impressed with the renovated facility. The building seemed to be heavily in use, with a number of events running and capacity for more, and it looks likely to generate a good revenue stream to support the activities of the institution. We took the opportunity to inspect the view from the roof terrace and line up for a photo. From left to right: Dr Saurav Goel (Queens University Belfast), Dr Rich Baker (PCS Instruments), Dr Nathalie…

Geoff (not the first with this name) in Tribology
Present Around the World

Today, the 16th March 2016, the Wales North LN held the annual PATW competition at Bangor University. The competitors were from Bangor and Glyndwr Universities, all presented interesting topics, we heard about uses of graphene in sensors for liquid and gas, how to detect moisture in sealed phials and the setting up of a company to produce SMART watches that would integrate with the electronics in a vehicle. The winner was Paul Anfray from Glyndwr who presented about the SMART watches. Well done to all our competitors and many thanks to our judges and staff from Bangor University who provide excellent facilities in the School of Electronic Engineering.

David Crawford
50th Anniversary Of The Jost Report: Buckingham Palace Reception

I was honoured recently to represent the IET Tribology Network at the reception hosted by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in recognition of the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of the Jost Report : the event that publicly launched the new discipline of Tribology on 9th March 1966. The reception followed on from the technical seminar at the IMechE headquarters, which our Community Manager Rob Allen reported on , and at which Rob and I represented the IET Tribology Network together with fellow committee member Rich Baker. That event combined a rich technical overview given by leaders in the field, and a moving acknowledgement to the team of committee members and civil servants who created it - most notably with eloquent contributions by Professor Jost and Professor Dowson…

Geoff (not the first with this name) in Tribology
Women Engineers in the Great War and After - public event at the Science Museum

Women Engineers in the Great War and After 23 April 2016 Public event at the Director’s Suite, Science Museum, London Women’s professional participation in UK engineering began in earnest during the First World War and The Women’s Engineering Society was set up in 1919 to sustain this initiative during peacetime. Through sharing knowledge of how these women worked together, we hope to raise awareness of their crucial role during wartime. This free event will include lunch, open discussions, and an opportunity to plan for events to mark the Women’s Engineering Society centenary in 2019. It will also highlight historical resources available in the archives of the Institution of Engineering & Technology and other collections. This event is sponsored by the University of Kent Gateways to…

Anne Locker
How Do You... Inspect Glass?

A review by Prof. Lik-Kwan Shark on the Vision & Imaging Float Glass Inspection in the 21 Century talk. Can you imagine a life without perfect glass? I know I can’t, and that is why I attended a special event on “Float Glass Inspection in the 21 Century”, so as to find out what the glass manufacturing industry does to deliver flawless glass for my car, house, touch screen, … , just to name a few of my indispensable possessions. The event was held at the University of Central Lancashire, Preston on 2nd March 2016, and organised by the IET Vision and Imaging Technical and Professional Network. With Simon Aldred as the speaker who is from a world leading glass manufacturer (NSG, formerly Pilkington), and who has a lifelong interest and industrial expertise in light and glass, the talk was highly…

Phoebe Houssein
Caroline Herschel - One Of Many Reasons For Getting More Girls Into STEM / STEAM

In 1828 the Royal Astronomical Society awarded its gold medal to Caroline Herschel , the first woman to receive the prize. It wouldn't be awarded to another woman until 1996. Herschel was also the first woman to be paid for her contribution to science for the discovery of six new comets. On what would be her 266th birthday, Herschel has been honoured with a Google Doodle. The Doodle shows Herschel searching the skies for comets through her telescope. - The Telegraph It took 168 years for this medal to be awarded to another woman, Vera Rubin , in 1996. Vera developed an interest in science at 10 years old. (her father was an electrical engineer) It was her pioneering work on galaxy rotation rates and the descrepancy that she uncovered, that lead to the discovery of dark matter. I wonder…

Former Community Member
Electric Car lecture and demonstration at Bangor University

On the 15th March 2016, members, non-members and students attended a lecture about electric cars which was delivered by one of our volunteers, Ian Cook. The lecture explained battery technology, vehicle performance, charging intervals, environmental impact and costs. Comparisons were made with conventional petrol and diesel cars. The lecture was followed by a question and answer session with many far reaching questions being asked by the audience. The morning was rounded off with demonstrations of electric vehicles, Tesla and Nissan Leaf. Thanks to all who attended and also many thanks to staff at Bangor University who arranged the lecture room, refreshments and who advertised our event.

David Crawford
Travels in Additive Manufacturing (AM)

IET Central London Evening Lecture, Savoy Place, 09-Mar-2016 Presented by Dr. Chris Sutcliffe, Renishaw AM Products Division What exactly is 'Additive Manufacturing (AM)'? You may know it better as '3D Printing', 'Rapid Prototyping' or by a plethora of other names. That doesn't matter. It's a "simplicity machine" that allows complexity: with it, we can make ace stuff. Such as the "Magic Arms" which help a little girl to use her arms: Body specific, pretty cheap, lightweight and quick to repair. Chris took us on a whirlwind journey from inception to the current day, drawing on his personal experience at the forefront of this technology. (He'd just had to become an engineer at the age of 14 - the Spinning Jenny was invented on his childhood street in Liverpool.) The samples that were…

David Tabor
Munich - The Long Night Of The Museums 2015

The Long Night of the Museums 2015 Members of the IET Germany Local Network (LN) met up on Saturday 17th October to visit the "Lange Nacht der Museen" (LNDM), an annual event where Munich's museums stay open until 2 O’Clock the next morning. All Museums can be visited for just EUR 15 (about GBP10). Ten participants from all manner of different areas, from aerospace to automotive, braved the autumn chill to meet up at "Café an der Uni". Even buying the tickets was steeped in science and engineering: The sales tent at the city´s Odeonsplatz was part of an open-air exhibition organised by automotive manufacturer MAN, featuring antique buses and trucks. The ticket itself showed a portrait of the optical physicist, Josef von Fraunhofer. With the group free to choose to visit the different institutions…

Howard Gray
WET Design Visit

The SoCal Local Network were fortunate enough to have a fantastic tour of WET Design in Sun Valley. WET Design was founded by a group of former Disney Imagineers who wanted to design performing fountains. With over 200 installations worldwide, their performances bring together water, fire, ice, fog and lights in spectacular shows such as the Fountains of Bellagio , The Dubai Fountain , or the Cauldron at the Salt Lake City Olympics. WET Design offers an almost complete turnkey services from concept design and animations through the design and manufacturing of all the fountains and components through to in operations support to keep their systems at peak performance. Our tour started with a look at the creative process that WET goes through to help come up with the concepts taking into account…

Richard Tregaskes
Space Innovation Congress - Invitation To IET Members

Space Innovation Congress Dr Rita Andrews, Director of the Space Innovation Congress, is organising a Space Innovation Congress, taking place on the 7th - 8th April in London, UK - Its an event that aims to be a platform for commercial ventures, entrepreneurs and academia to come together and network, showcase the most cutting edge uses of space technology and connect with their peers. Rita has a number of complementary tickets available for IET members all you need to do is register here and enter the code innovation16IET - this will generate a £0 ticket. (please note dinner tickets are not included on this offer) Some of the speakers already confirmed: Jean-Francois Clervoy, Astronaut, ESA Jonathan Firth, Executive Vice-President of Spaceport and Program Development, Virgin…

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
Autonomous Vehicles - expert insights

The automotive industry is moving up a gear; an increased use of electronics and software is enhancing a car’s safety, connectivity and environmental impact and these three megatrends are also enabling a growth in automated driving features. Progress has seen a growth in on-road demonstrations, for example in March Delphi took part in a project that saw a vehicle drive 5,500km autonomously from San Francisco to New York. “A fully automated vehicle is the ultimate robotics solution. As Technical Director of Automated Driving, I can see and feel the excitement in our organisation. Our teams in Europe, US and Asia are working together in this new domain, developing ideas and technology that increase safety, fuel economy and connectivity in the vehicle,” says Delphi’s Serge Lambermont . As the…

Former Community Member
Women of Aviation Week – Valentine Tereshkova in profile

This week marks the 6 th annual Women of Aviation Worldwide Week which aims to foster gender balance in the air and space industry. Here at the IET Aerospace Network we are celebrating by taking a look at some of the inspiring women of the aerospace industry. For the final day of Women of Aviation Week 2016 we are celebrating Valentina Tereshkova (1937 – ongoing). Tereshkova was a Russian cosmonaut who was the first woman to have flown in space. She was selected from more than four-hundred applicants to pilot Vostok 6. Tereshkova was also inducted into the Soviet Air Force. For her role as pilot for Vostok 6, Tereshkova orbited the earth forty-eight times; spending nearly three days in space. In that one mission she clocked more flight time than all of the American astronauts before that…

Former Community Member in Space
Women Of Aviation Week – Therese Peltier In Profile

This week marks the 6 th annual Women of Aviation Worldwide Week which aims to foster gender balance in the air and space industry. Here at the IET Aerospace Network we are celebrating by taking a look at some of the inspiring women of the aerospace industry. Today we are celebrating Therese Peltier (1873 - 1926). Peltier was renowned for being a talented sculptor before her foray into aviation. However, she later went on to become known as the first woman to fly as a passenger in an aircraft (though this has been disputed). She was accompanied by fellow sculptor and friend Leon Delagrange. She went on to learn to fly by herself and made several solo flights, though she never earned a pilot’s license. Leon Delagrange proved to be a hugely influential figure in her life and his forward-thinking…

Former Community Member
Women of Aviation Week – Nancy Harkness Love in profile

This week marks the 6 th annual Women of Aviation Worldwide Week which aims to foster gender balance in the air and space industry. Here at the IET Aerospace Network we are celebrating by taking a look at some of the inspiring women of the aerospace industry. Today we are celebrating Nancy Harkness Love (1914 - 1976). Nancy Harkness Love discovered her love of aviation at a young age. By the age of 16 she had taken her first flight and earned her pilots license a month later. Known to be restless she was nicknamed the ‘Flying Freshman’ at school. She went on to earn a commercial license not long after school. To earn extra money she would take students for rides in aircrafts she rented. She married Robert Love in 1936 and they set up a successful aviation company where she was a pilot. She…

Former Community Member in Aerospace
Women of Aviation Week – Lilian Todd in profile

This week marks the 6 th annual Women of Aviation Worldwide Week which aims to foster gender balance in the air and space industry. Here at the IET Aerospace Network we are celebrating by taking a look at some of the inspiring women of the aerospace industry. Today we are celebrating Lilian Todd (1865 - 1937). This was a remarkable woman who was a self-taught inventor with a passion for mechanics. According to the New York Times, Todd was the first woman to design airplanes. Todd worked with patents and began to study law as part of the first Woman’s Law Class of New York University. In 1903 she began to focus on mechanics and aeronautics. Todd was especially inspired but the airships in London and the sketches she saw. Todd was the first woman in the world to build a heavier-than-air machine…

Former Community Member in Aerospace
Caithness Science Festival - Supported And Sponsored By The IET Scotland North Local Network

2016 Caithness International Science Festival - 14th to 19th March The Caithness International Science Festival is a festival of education, enlightenment and entertainment, where all Caithnessyoungsters are given the opportunity to experience science in work shops, shows and much more. The Festival has been organized every spring since 2003. The IET Scotland North Local Network are helping to supporting and sponsoring this event. Launch Event, 15th March 2016 Family Science Fun Day - Saturday, March 19th, Wick Assembly Rooms The 2016 Family Fun Day will be taking place on Saturday 19th March 2016 at the Assembly Rooms, Wick. This will be a day of fun and discovery from 12 noon to 4.30pm, as part of the 2016 Caithness International Science Festival. There will be many exciting exhibits, hands…

Lynsay Callaghan
Visit to RAF Valley

On the 9th March 2016, a group of members and non members visited RAF Valley on Anglesey. We were shown Hawker Aircraft being serviced and the workshop where various electronic devices are serviced by highly skilled staff. Of particular interest was 208 Squadron who have recently celebrated 100 years of service through two world wars as well as other conflicts, we saw a slide show showing the achievements of 208 Squadron over the years and also heard about the imminent closure of this fine Squadron later this year, a poignant moment indeed. Many thanks to the staff of RAF Valley who took the time to show us round and patiently answer all our questions.

David Crawford
Burnish your halo

We are looking forward to Michael Wilcockson's exposition on Business Ethics next Tuesday (15th). It promises to be a thought-provoking session on what is often regarded as an unimportant 'soft' topic. More details in the events diary. Pre-booking is essential ... and there are not many places left.

Andrew Dodd
Remote Diagnostic Systems

Nick Corbett CEng FIMechE of the Industrial Turbine Company (UK) Limited talked about Remote Systems Diagnostics to members of the Buckinghamshire Network on 8th March. The audience learnt interesting facts about aero-derivative turbines and found the examples, and discussion, of trend analysis thought-provoking. Nick had plenty of ‘war-stories’ coupled with a deep knowledge of the products supported by his team. Nick's considered answers to the audience's questions helped to illuminate further understanding of the topic.

Andrew Dodd
CPD: Explaining the benefits to your employer

As someone that regularly speaks to members regarding their professional development, I am often asked how they can justify time out of the office for training or opportunities to their line managers or companies. As we explored in our previous blog on CPD, not all learning requires formal training – in fact the 70:20:10 model explains that most learning actually occurs as part of experiential learning or on the job training (70% of learning is made up of it). However you may still need to take time to record and reflect on your learning during work time in order to get the most out of it. Some larger or more perceptive companies will already recognise the benefits of CPD and will have formal development schemes to help meet skills gaps or provide succession planning, but smaller or niche…

Kathryn Bain
Careers Event

Last night, 8 March, there were 50 attendees at a Beers and Careers held at the Espresso Library on East Road, Cambridge. Organised by the IET and I Mech E, attendees were able to discuss with companies, potential jobs and career prospects, in a relaxed and informal setting. Several attendees were interested in professional registration. Details are available on the IET website at http://www.theiet.org/membership/profreg/ or you can email cambsec@theiet.org. Because of the interest in this topic, we will look to organise a similar event focussing on registration.

David Blake
Women of Aviation Week – Helen Richey in profile

This week marks the 6 th annual Women of Aviation Worldwide Week which aims to foster gender balance in the air and space industry. Here at the IET Aerospace Network we are celebrating by taking a look at some of the inspiring women of the aerospace industry. Today we are celebrating Helen Richey (1900 – 1947). She was a pioneering aviator and was the first woman to be hired as a professional pilot by a commercial airline in the US. During her teenage years Helen Richey demonstrated a forward-thinking, rebellious streak and was one of the only girls to wear trousers. A determined woman, she learned how to fly at the age of 20 years old and when she earned her pilot’s license her family bought her a plane. Richet partnered with another female pilot (Frances Marsalis) to set an endurance record…

Former Community Member in Aerospace
Read The Latest Issue Of The ABU Technical Review

The latest issue of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union Technical Review is now available to download free of charge. This issue covers: IBC2015 and InterBEE2015 reports Technology Department training activity reports Technical Committee Meetings summary and presented awards Technical Review (ABU-TR264) (PDF Download Available) and backissues available here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/A_Punchihewa/publications?pubType=book

Phoebe Houssein

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