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.

  • IET Media Image Library

    IET Media Image Library

    To accurately reflect the dynamic, creative and progressive face of engineering today, the IET has produced a library of images. Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Dr Carl Sandom Is The Chairman Of Both The IET Functional Safety TPN And The Systems Safety & Cyber Security Conference.

    Dr Carl Sandom Is The Chairman Of Both The IET Functional Safety TPN And The Systems Safety & Cyber Security Conference.

    Dr Carl Sandom is the Chairman of both the IET Functional Safety Technical & Professional Network and the Systems Safety & Cyber Security Conference. He is a Fellow of the IET, a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist. Find out more by visiting the conference pages and to read Carl's Chair Welcome in full. Carl is the Director of iSys Integrity; an independent safety consultancy operating worldwide and specializing in safe systems acquisition, development and certification predominantly within the Aerospace and Defence domains. He has extensive experience of managing both programme and technical risks associated with systems safety programmes compliant with safety standards such as DO-178, DO-254, MIL-STD 882, IEC 61508 and Defence Standard 00-56. Carl has…

    Lynsay Callaghan
  • Product Service Systems Facilitated By Availability Contracts

    Product Service Systems Facilitated By Availability Contracts

    I am researching the optimum design for availability contracting when seeking to facilitate a Product Service System (PSS) through a servitization startegy.  Kashani-Pour et al (2016) in their paper "Product-Service Systems Under Availability-Based Contracts: Maintenance Optimization and Concurrent System and Contract Design" propose that such contracts can take three forms: Fixed Price Contracts Capability Contracts Availability Contracts For me the issue with all of these is one of risk and how to mitigate and offset the risk to the revenue stream when seeking whole-live approaches.  Consider the scenario of a long life complex manufactured engineering product (i.e. Cars, trains, aeroplanes, and shipping etc).  A significant percentage of operators who use such products to provide a service…

    Louis Redding
  • Developing a proposal for a new framework standard for sharing best practice in Engineering Services

    Developing a proposal for a new framework standard for sharing best practice in Engineering Services

    BSI and the Cranfield Centre for Through-life Engineering Services (TES Centre) are to participate in an initial planning workshop to establish a framework standard for sharing best practice in Engineering Services. “Through-life engineering services” (TES) comprise the design, creation and in-service sustainment of complex engineering products with a focus on their entire life cycle, using high-quality information to maximise their availability, predictability and reliability at the lowest possible through-life cost. Recent extensive industry consultation has highlighted that the time is right to establish new formal standards in Engineering Services and related fields to help share best emerging practice. In particular, a new National Strategy for TES, published in July, calls for the development…

    Louis Redding
  • London Conference Report By Toronto YP Chair

    London Conference Report By Toronto YP Chair

    As the IET Toronto Young Professionals Committee Chair, I had been nominated to attend the IET Young Professionals Community Volunteer Conference (YP CVC) 2016 and the IET Global Community Volunteer Conference (Global CVC) 2016. The YP CVC was organized by the Young Professionals Community Committee (YPCC) on June 16th 2016, at the Royal Society of Arts in London, UK. There were more than twenty international delegates attending the conference in addition to the YPCC. This conference provided a great opportunity for YP members, from different region of the world, to share experiences and ideas and get to know each other. In the morning, the YPCC exhibited the YP progress around the world, shared the best practice for engagement events, summarised the YP challenge and planned the future. In…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Fresh Ideas For A Healthy Local Network

    Fresh Ideas For A Healthy Local Network

    The Toronto LN recently sent an envoy of three volunteers to the IET Global Volunteer Conference, held at the newly renovated Savoy place in London. The two day event June 17-18th was a showcase of best practice sharing, problem solving and networking with volunteers from all regions of the world and a true testament to the dedication of IET volunteers working together to support all members and raise the profile of the engineering profession globally.  Our delegates returned to Toronto motivated and brimming with fresh ideas to add value to the Toronto Network Members. Amongst these actions are three core goals: • Improved communication with members • Wider variety of events offered • Strengthen the Young professionals section Work is already underway to make these targets a reality, starting…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Mega puppet sets out across Cornwall

    Mega puppet sets out across Cornwall

    The largest mechanical puppet ever built in the UK has been unveiled today, as it sets out on a 200km track across Cornwall and West Devon to celebrate the area's mining heritage.   The 10 metre-high Cornish Man Mining Engine has been created by Will Coleman, founder and director of Golden Tree Productions, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Cornwall and West Devon mining landscape being added to the Unesco list of World Heritage Sites. "I was brought up on the banks of the River Tamar with the stories and the legacy of Cornish mining all around me," said Coleman. "The landscape is deeply rooted in the impacts of that industry and in the successes and the struggles of the real people whose lives shaped our Cornish mining story” Read the full story on the E&T website...

    Former Staff Member
  • Speaker Highlight - The Annual Healthcare Lecture 2016

    Speaker Highlight - The Annual Healthcare Lecture 2016

    We are delighted to announce our keynote speaker for the Annual Healthcare Lecture will be, Chris Lewis, speaking on " When the Hyper-connected individual meets the Healthcare sector".  Chris is a highly regarded and experienced Telecoms Industry Analyst, having worked with Logica, Ovum, Yankee and IDC since 1984. He is one of the few industry commentators who can draw together the many varied technology and business components helping shape telecoms in the context of the future digital marketplace. Since 2013 Chris has built Lewis Insight into a reputable industry advisory business and has founded the Great Telco Debate www.telcodebate.com as a platform for debating the future of telecoms. He works with many different stakeholders in the emerging TMT market including industry organisations…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Student Diaries

    Student Diaries

    Want to hear what the uni experience is really like? Each term our IET student bloggers write up a diary entry of their experiences that semester. Read more...

  • Disadvantaged students get bursary help for aerospace engineering

    Disadvantaged students get bursary help for aerospace engineering

    A new bursary fund has been established in the memory of renowned engineer Jon Dennison, helping disadvantaged young people to learn more about careers in engineering. Read more...

  • Manchester Robot Orchestra ready to make stage debut

    Manchester Robot Orchestra ready to make stage debut

    Final preparations are underway for the debut performance of the Manchester Robot Orchestra later this week. Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Thanks for all those who attended yesterday's AGM & SRF TV Studio Visit

    Thanks for all those who attended yesterday's AGM & SRF TV Studio Visit

    Visit Report – AGM & SRF TV Studio Tour – 23 July 2016 This year’s AGM and subsequent visit to the Swiss SRF Studios was a great success.   Following a delightful Aperitif, and hearing that IET Switzerland would support his “not for profit” organization, Fabrizio Rincon delivered an enlightening keynote presentation, detailing the aims and goals of the Zurich FabLab.  We learned all about how the Zurich FabLab started and how they support the local community to fulfil their own Digital Fabrication Projects and ideas.  Fabrizio and another Board member in attendance were glad to receive our small donation, which should help to cover the cost of 5 Raspberry Pi 3 Starter Kits.   For those of you who don’t know, the Zurich FabLab is located in the City of Zurich (Hardplatz) and can be easily reached…

    Jeff Hunter
  • IET Volunteer Tools

    IET Volunteer Tools

    Over eight years of volunteering for the IET and I'm still getting to grips with the tools on offer to volunteers. I also see lots of newer volunteers tripping up because they didn't know what was available. I've prepared a few brief notes on the tools I'm aware of, feel free to comment or correct. Engineering Communities IET social media communities for geographical or technical groups. Marketing Toolkit Allows volunteers to design marketing materials, posters, certificates, flyers and newsletters, as well as ordering promotional items. There are a variety of templates to aid the creation of consistent publications. Rhythmyx CMS Allows the entry of events onto the IET events database, which feeds into the events listings on the appropriate IET Engineering Communities pages. Plus! for Events…

    Alex Barrett
  • Presentations By Local Networks In Americas Region

    Presentations By Local Networks In Americas Region

    IET local networks in the Americas made the following presentations during the global volunteer conference held on 17-18 June 2016 held at the Savoy Place office in London, U.K.

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Type Of Local Event To Be Organized

    Type Of Local Event To Be Organized

    What format of IET event are you interested in attending? *Site visit? *Technical Seminar? (in what field / topic) * Discussion forum? * Workshop? * Social Network event? * Others (please specify)? We want to organize events that meet your needs. Have your say below!

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Toronto LN Presentation - 2016 Global Volunteer Conference

    Toronto LN Presentation - 2016 Global Volunteer Conference

    We talked about the challenges and suceess of the Toronto LN. What do you think of it? You would you like to be included in the next presentation? What changes would you like to see in the next couple of years? Please have your comment posted below.

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • The IET EMEA PATW Regional Final - 23rd July 2016

    The IET EMEA PATW Regional Final - 23rd July 2016

    Congratulations to Marcel Schoemaker representing the Switzerland Local Network on being crowned the winner of the EMEA final of the 2016 PATW competition, with a fantastic presentation  on A technology that creates abundance: An ocean of opportunities  The runner up position was awarded to Hammam Mohamed  from the Bahrain Network with a presentation  called Indirect Evaporative Cooling Technology THE PRESENTERS (1) Breaking Through Darkness with Mobility - Nourah Al-Saad, Kuwait Local Network (2) A Platform To Optimize The Design Of Magnetic Components For Solar Power Applications -  Núria Egidos, Barcelona Local Network (3) SmartWindow – Your gateway to the digital world - Muhammad Ali Babar Abbasi, Cyprus Local Network (4) Antireflection layers of coloured solar cells - Radek Nevyhosteny…

    Christos Christou
  • Present Around The World (PATW):  The IET CC-EMEA Regional Final

    Present Around The World (PATW): The IET CC-EMEA Regional Final

    IET Present Around The World (PATW) is the IET's global competition for Young Professionals and Students within Engineering and Technology to develop and showcase their Presentation Skills.  The overview of the competition is attached herewith.   There are five regions of the IET i.e. IET CC-America, IET CC-Asia Pacific, IET CC-EMEA, IET CC-South Asia and IET CC-UK.  Every Region is commencing their PATW regional finals.  Then the winners will participate in the "Global Finals" at London UK. Now the schedule or agenda of the regional level competition is issued by the IET CC-EMEA (Please note that IET Local Network Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi are under CC-EMEA).  To download the Agenda or Schedule Click Here . To know, who have won the CC-EMEA Regional Finals and qualified for the IET Global…

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
  • Telecommunications in the Aftermath of WW1: programme now available

    Telecommunications in the Aftermath of WW1: programme now available

    Book now to secure your place on the conference Telecommunications in the Aftermath of World War 1: Civilian and Military Perspectives , to be held at Savoy Place on 10 August 2016.    Registration is now open online We have an excellent set of speakers comprising both engineers and professional historians .Their diverse perspectives examine the extent to which the interwar period was a formative one in the history of telecommunications. The conference fee is £20 and includes lunch. For further information contact K.Subramanian@leeds.ac.uk   Conference Programme   9.30- Registration 10.00- Opening Remarks (Graeme Gooday)   10.20- Maria Rikitanskaia (University of Lugano).  The ITU and Radio Amateurs. 10.40- Jeffrey Hughes (University of Manchester).  Scroungers and Soldiers: the Cambridge University…

    Anne Locker
  • Summer 2016 newsletter now available

    Summer 2016 newsletter now available

    Read our latest  newsletter  to find out about the work of the History Netowrk and our coming events, including a one-day seminar on post-WW1 telecommunications, to be held at Savoy Place on 10 August 2016.

    Anne Locker
  • The Arsonists Strike Again At Railway Quiz Night!

    The Arsonists Strike Again At Railway Quiz Night!

    Railway professionals came together recently in London at the Railway Network Young Professionals Group Quiz Night.  The event was held at Doggetts Coat and Badge pub in Southwark, London, where else would it be with views like that over the Thames?  Several teams took part in the quiz with Peter Sheppard once more acting as Quiz Master, this year in a smart uniform kindly supplied by Great Western Railway. After a competitive few rounds there was a break for a buffet which was sponsored by Ricardo Rail before the teams knuckled down to the final rounds of the quiz. The eventual winners with the unforgettable name were ‘ The Arsonists ’ who have committed to return next year to defend the title. The YP Group  would like to thank Ricardo Rail and Great Western Railway for their support. A big…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
  • LN Supports the Presentation College Career Day

    LN Supports the Presentation College Career Day

    An update into our continued activites supportnig the various educational facilities and institutions in the region. On the 23rd May 2016, representatives from our executive were present at the Presentation College Chaguanas Career day.  The following is a note from our Chair. The IET TT LN Vice Chair, Eng Drakes and Chair Eng. Chadee addressing students on the IET.  Principals, teachers and students gained some knowledge into the different branches of engineering and the possibilities.

    Jason Robert Rameshwar
  • NWED 2016 looks at status of female engineers

    NWED 2016 looks at status of female engineers

    23 JUNE in the UK each year marks National Women in Engineering (NWED). The celebrations this year were overshadowed somewhat by the UK’s referendum on whether to leave the EU, but nevertheless, there were 200 NWED events across the country, and over 350 school events, with tens of thousands of women thought to have attended. Read more.. .

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • School Gate SET Engineer

    School Gate SET Engineer

    The School Gate SET is a new online community of parents volunteering to help with Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in their children’s primary schools. Set up by Kate Bellingham, (UH Engineering Alumna, former Tomorrow's World presenter and eponym of the UH Bellingham Court), it will provide activity ideas, training and mentoring, through face to face training, a blog and other social media platforms.   Do you know a part-time or career break parent with a STEM background and a child in primary school who might like to get involved?   The target group are career-break parents who may have lost confidence in their STEM skills and are therefore unlikely to 'return' to STEM work and they are more likely to self-identify as 'parents' than with 'STEM'. However, we are also keen…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member