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.

  • Stepping Into Alan's Size 12 Shoes

    A previous Vice President (Alan Watts) started a VP Blog providing some insight into the working's of the Board of Trustees. I've been asked if I will step into his shoes to continue the blog.  It rather reminds me of the pictures you see of small children after getting into the dressing up box tottering around in high heel shoes way too big and since I normally wear a dainty size 5 this might be a good analogy!  If you want to know what happened at the most recent Board of Trustees meeting held in February 2018 then ...     Before I blog about the most recent Board of Trustees meeting, a bit about me.  I’ve been a volunteer since I was a YP (in the last millennium!) when I got involved in Solent Network, care of my Dad who was also a Fellow of the Institution.  I’ve had roles both within Solent…

    Virginia
    Virginia

  • Midlands Power Group - Student Poster Evening

    Last night we held the annual MPG Student Poster event where students from our local universities present their ongoing project work to a panel of judges.  This year the event was hosted by Aston University - our sincere thanks go to Lee and Wen for organising the event in the Great Hall.  We had 22 excellent posters presented with both post-grad and under-grad submissions from Aston, Birmingham, Coventry, Staffordshire and Warwick.  All the posters and accompanying presentations were of a very high standard which made the judging decisions particularly challenging.  For the first time, we also included a student vote where all participating students could vote for their favourite poster.    In total seven prizes were awarded, some sponsored by the IET and others from two corporate sponsors…

    David Swanson
    David Swanson

  • Tom Hlaing - Volunteering Has Helped My Career And Presented Opportunities Beyond My Day-to-day Work

    Tom Hlaing talks about how being an IET volunteer has greatly benefitted his career and presented opportunities beyond his day-to-day work.  From his journey as a Student Member, to volunteering with IET Local Networks, Boards and Committees , he has learnt valuable skills to get ahead in industry and is now influencing international strategy and operational business improvements with the IET.    Tom has made a difference to how the IET is run both at a local and international level. He came on board as a student to fight for a wider range of lecture topics and industry events and as he’s risen up the volunteering ranks he’s more recently been involved in managerial and structural changes. Watch Tom's story... Read the full supporting article about Tom's journey as an IET Member and volunteer…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Let It Snow! (Actually, Please Don’t) Millimetre-wave And Terahertz Colloquium 2018

    We weren’t going to let the snow stop us – find out more about the MMwave and ThZ colloquium held on 1 st March in Austin Court   Despite the ‘Beast from the East’ causing more than a few travel issues and some very cold delegates and organisers (!), the IET Colloquium on Millimetre-wave and Terahertz Engineering & Technology 2018 went ahead last week in Austin Court, Birmingham. The delegates who battled the cold to make it, heard a diverse and interesting programme  with speakers from the QMUL, Lancaster University, the Science and Technology Facilities Council and of course the University of Birmingham. The last minute amendments even meant we were able to hear about the University of Birmingham’s new facilities, which a lot of the speakers were then interested in visiting! During the breaks…

    Former Staff Member
    Former Staff Member

  • Join The IET Project Controls Network Executive Team

    The IET Project Controls Network are currently recruiting members to join their team. The Executive members act as ambassadors for the network, the IET, and the wider community. As part of a dynamic and focused group, the team regularly participate in various activities such as:  attending team meetings; sourcing and delivering new content/events; engaging in the online community & Social Media; developing the annual strategy; working with Project Controls contacts to deliver hot topics. Team members benefit from: extensive networking opportunities; training and professional development; the opportunity to promote your area of interest to a wider audience. Are you interested in applying? We encourage you to apply for this unique chance to give something back to your community.  Please send…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Midlands Power Group Event - Generator Control Systems

    On 21st February the Midlands Power Group were delighted to welcome Mark Horley, a Senior Power System Engineer, of National Grid to Austin Court to deliver a talk on the transmission owner/operator experience of connecting generators to the power system.   Mark talked in considerable detail about how National Grid goes about ensuring generator compliance with the requirements of the Grid Code and Connection Agreement through a structured programme of data evaluation and control system testing.against a range of conditions. The talk was well attended and generated many questions which Mark proceeded to answer during his presentation.  MPG has received some very positive feedback from attendees including one example " ..... thanks for organising an excellent lecture on Wednesday, it made the…

    David Swanson
    David Swanson

  • Events Flyer Downloadable File

    We update the events flyer as often as we can and as planned events firm up. I see from the feedback that the downloads are in single figures. Is this useful? Could the format be improved? What do you want to see in the flyer, and in the events programme?

    Alex Barrett
    Alex Barrett

  • ESAS 2018 - In Partnership With The IET

    In partnership with the IET, Atkins, IEMA and IIRSM The Environmental and Safety Assurance Symposium (ESAS ) is the MOD’s flagship Symposium focusing on Equipment Safety and Environmental Management.  18th and 19th September at MOD Abbey Wood, Bristol, BS34 8JH Hosted by DE&S and in partnership with Atkins, IET and  IIRSM The DE&S Environmental and Safety Assurance Symposium (ESAS)  is the UK MOD's flagship Equipment Safety and Environmental event held at MOD Abbey Wood Bristol. The Symposium is attended by over 500 people from the MOD, Industry and Academia over a two day period.  This Year's Theme ESAS hosts up to 350 MOD and industry delegates each day and this year will be based upon the theme of “Disruptive World Challenges” – agility in Defence safety and environmental decision making…

    Lynsay Callaghan
    Lynsay Callaghan

  • IET - WHEN GOOD BECOMES GREAT

    The search is now on for engineers, apprentices and technicians who have made an exceptional contribution to engineering and technology. We are looking for nominees who have stood out from the crowd with a defining moment of  greatness , whether through innovation, research or commitment in their roles. Who has gone that extra mile and made an impact in engineering and technology? Who do you know who has achieved  greatness  in their career to date? NOMINATE Award categories: The Achievement Medals  (Global):  Recognise an exceptional contribution to the advancement of engineering and technology and volunteering. Apprentice of the Year :  Recognises apprentices on an IET approved apprenticeship scheme that are making good progress towards their apprenticeship qualification, whilst making a…

    J. Maraj
    J. Maraj

  • Visit To Royal Signals Museum 2nd May

    The details of the vist to the Royal Signals Museum Blandford are now confirmed.    Registration details have been added and are active.   A number of people have already registred so if you are interested I would encourage you to register early ( click read more then  click here ) to avoid disappointment as the visit is limited to 20 people.

    John Savage
    John Savage

  • ACostE forthcoming events - March 2018

    As you all know, the Project Controls Network is a collaboration between the IET and the ACostE. The purpose of the network is to advance the knowledge and understanding of Project Control.  I am delighted therefore to share details of a couple of forthcoming events in March organised by the ACostE regions. Alan Muse will deliver a talk on 21st March entitled “International Construction Measurement Standards (ICMS)” at  the Royal Overseas League, Park Place, St James’s Street, London SW1A 1LR.   Details on the flyer . Another event on the same date, but different region will see John Rossiter giving a presentation on "Extensions of time under NEC3 explained" at the Centre, Birchwood.  Further details in our files section.  You can register for this event online

    Joanne Longton
    Joanne Longton

  • Joint PEI Collaboration

    Please Note - Our local Joint PEI Committee has recently been further strengthened by the inclusion of the IChemE and (pending committee agreement) the IStructE in the near future. Our local Joint PEI/STEM committee which also has the IOM3 on it makes it possible to further strengthen our STEM outreach going forward. For further information, this committee also has the:- STEM learning, EngineeringUK & local STEM Hub Derbyshire Education Business Partnership Ltd (DEBP Ltd) as members. This creates a strong local vibrant arrangement to support STEM related events.

    Alan Chater
    Alan Chater

  • BMW Group Plant Tour - November 2017

    A short report from Alec Clelland about our plant tour of the BMW Group's headquarters in Munich on 24th. November 2017. Thanks to Alec for organising this.   14 IET members and friends turned up for a Friday afternoon visit to the main Munich BMW factory. Such visits are so popular that the reservation had to be made nearly nine months in advance. We started off in the futuristic "BMW Welt" with a display of BMWs from the modest Isetta to the latest Rolls-Royce. After a short film about the company we walked across the road to the actual factory and started with the enormous sheet metal presses, each weighing tens of tons but amazingly well damped - they have to be, as the factory is within the city limits and space limitations means it is built over several floors. We moved on to car body…

    Howard Gray
    Howard Gray

  • IET And EI Nigeria Joint Energy Lecture

    The Nigerian Energy Landscape: A Historical Insight to Energy Policies and its Effects on Future Industrialization Efforts  The speaker was Dr Norbert Edomah of Pan Atlantic University and Dr Edomah gave a comprehensive overview of the past, present and future of energy in Nigeria. How it all began? The first coal-fired power plant in Nigeria Energy for Industrialization What supported industrialization Global energy landscape in the 20th century Things that went wrong Energy and Industrialization: Rethinking the future  Have a look at the slides for more details on this interesting topic or visit the Energy Institute Nigeria Media Centre  for an overview.

    Lynsay Callaghan
    Lynsay Callaghan

  • ACostE and ECITB Survey for Higher level Project Control Qualification

    In conjunction with ECITB, ACostE are seeking advice and guidance from organisations and individuals involved with Project Control and associated disciplines as to  the need for a higher level qualification. Currently the Apprenticeship and RQF is at level 3.  Interest has been shown for a higher level; either level 5 (foundation degree) or level 6 (full degree).  The development of suitable Apprenticeships and qualifications can only be pursued if sufficient industry interested is expressed.  This is a pre-condition from Ofqual. ACostE and ECITB need to have support from industry/users if they are to justify a case for these higher level qualifications. Please help by completing the survey

    Joanne Longton
    Joanne Longton

  • Career Manager Tutorial Series Available Now

    Career Manager Series now available on IET.tv  Following the success of our initial tutorial video, “Applying for Professional Registration”, a complete series of tutorials is now available on IET.tv.  These short videos, between one and five minutes long, focus on the different aspects of Career Manager.    The series link option, allows you to view all of the episodes in one area:  All episodes available now at:   https://tv.theiet.org/?series=1060 If you have any questions or comments about Career Manager then please don't hesitate to contact us at: careermanager@theiet.org

    Kathryn Bain
    Kathryn Bain

  • Ottawa LN PATW 2018

    The Ottawa LN held its PATW 2018 first round on February 24th at Carleton University We had only three entrants attend with others calling off sick on the day. Nevertheless, we had an excellent competition with three very talented entrants that provided our judges with a tough decision as to who had won this Ottawa LN PATW round. Each presenter gave excellent presentations on their chosen topics: Amazon Dynamo Database Analysis                                                                                           R ishamdeep Kaur Using your Heart's ECG signature as an authentication factor to replace passwords                  Mohamed Abdelazez Refactoring procedures to improve maintainability in software development                              Gurpreet Kaur Saran Our winner is Mohamed…

    David Mann
    David Mann

  • How 3D Scanning And Printing Improve Time To Market

    This lecture given by Francois Pare from Creaform addresses: How a Canadian Company is Utilising 3D scanning and printing to speed product development The principles behind both 3D Scanning & Printing The place of these technologies in the innovation cycle Competitive positioning of companies using 3D    From the early prehistoric discovery of how to control fire to the printing press, from the telephone to the Internet, it is our ability to think and innovate that drove us to where we are today. Innovation is key for businesses but, with the fierce global competition, time to market is critical when working on product development. Engineers and designers are faced with an immense pressure to come up with new products and innovate—faster! How can they deal with these mounting daily challenges…

    David Mann
    David Mann

  • Toronto PATW 2017-18

    Event will be held in Toronto on 24 March 2018.

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Young Professionals (YP) - NTU Yunnan Garden Campus Visit-20th December 2017

    Dr John Tan, Chairperson of Young Professionals (YP) Malaysia visited NTU Yunnan Garden Campus on 20th December 2017 together with Dr Tiang, Dr Lim and Dr Wong, who are also serving YP Malaysia committee.  Dr John Tan was invited by Professor Shum Ping, Director for Centre of Optical Fiber Technology to give a talk on IET Young Professionals initiatives and leadership skill. The sharing session was supported by the graduate students and research staffs, as well as YP Singapore committee members. It was followed by a guided tour to The Photonics Institute.  Lunch meeting The visit was concluded after the lunch session when YP Malaysia representatives departed to Changi Airport for their return trip to Kuala Lumpur. IET Singapore would like to express our sincere gratitude towards YP Malaysia…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Chairman's Blog

    A new event has been added to the calendar, hold the date: Management of Risk in Glasgow on 17th May 2018. Registration from 6pm, talk at 7pm.This talk will look at the practical aspects of managing risk from a project delivery point of view. It is free to attend and open to non-members. Further details are at  https://communities.theiet.org/communities/events/item/27/27/19930  registration is required, to ensure we can provide enough refreshments. We also have a number of other exciting events in the planning stage, including an update to our smart cities presentation a couple of years ago, this time we hope to hold the event in Birmingham. We are also looking to hold another prestige lecture in November, watch this space for more details. Early in 2019 we hope to have a presentation on the…

    Dave Perton
    Dave Perton

  • EPSRC Initiatives

    A couple of recent initiatives from EPSRC may be of interest   EPSRC Early Career Forum The EPSRC Engineering Theme are recruiting new members for their Early Career Forum, an informal advisory stream with a membership reflecting the breadth of the early career engineering community.  Applications are now being accepted to diversify the Forum, and EPSRC welcome applications from both early career engineering academics (holding a permanent academic position or fellowship) and engineering users from industry, the third sector or government organisations. If you would be interested in applying, further details are available online Nominations close at 16.00 on 04 April 2018. EPSRC Big Ideas We are seeking adventurous and exciting ideas from the research community that will have the ability to…

    Joanne Longton
    Joanne Longton

  • 12th UKACC International Conference On Control - 2nd Call For Papers

    5th–7th September 2018 Sheffield, United Kingdom Website Twitter The Twelfth International UKACC Conference on Control will be held September 5-7 in Sheffield, UK. The conference theme is grand challenges for Control and Systems Engineering that addresses the emerging theoretical concepts and expanding the scope of applications. Topics of interest to the conference include, but are not limited to: General Systems and Control •   Robust and optimal control •   Optimisation and decision making •   Modelling, identification and signal processing •   Health monitoring and fault diagnosis •   Systems theory •   Sensors and actuator systems •   Embedded and  real-time systems •   Stochastic and hybrid systems •   Intelligent systems •   Complex systems •   Autonomous systems Control and Systems Applications…

  • Spare A Bitcoin, Guv?

    A sell-out crowd of 180 members and guests packed out the Turing Lecture Theatre at Savoy Place for the second IET Central London Evening Lecture of 2018 to learn and be entertained by Dai Davis, the renowned lawyer and engineer.  Plus ça change , plus c'est la même chose... Bitcoin and other virtual, digital currencies are a hot topic and the new "Big Thing"; but what's really new? Dai set out in his lively, enthusiastic, interactive and knowledgeable style to explain it to us.   Important note: These are the author's personal recollections and interpretations, which are likely to suffer from errors and selectivity. There is no endorsement from the IET or the speaker. We started with a definition of money: nice and simple - it serves as a medium of exchange, is accepted without question and…

    David Tabor
    David Tabor

Community Rules & Guidelines