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.

  • Lego and the trouble with telling girls how to play

    Lego and the trouble with telling girls how to play

    This is quite an interesting read.  Let me know what you think by ;eaving a comment! ''There’s much academic research to back up the notion that girls and boys gravitate toward different toys. And babies as young as 18 months old show gender-related behaviors when playing with certain toys, differences that persist throughout childhood. Further research shows the perceived gender of a toy itself can have “significant impact on toy preferences and exploration,” wrote the authors of a  2003 paper , published in the journal  Educational Pscychology , about how children play with toys. Kids routinely favor the toy they believe is meant for them, based on their gender. But the decision matrix that ultimately influences widespread views on which toys are for which children includes inputs from parents…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Women in innovation: apply for infocus funding award

    Women in innovation: apply for infocus funding award

    Innovate UK has up to £200,000 and a package of tailored support to award to businesswomen who have exciting ideas and the potential to become leaders in innovation and deliver significant economic growth. This is the first women only Innovate UK competition and is part of a new ‘infocus’ initiative to encourage diversity in innovation. Each of the 12 finalists in the competition will receive a package of support tailored to their needs, and the four winners will each receive £50,000 to support their innovation project or activities. Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Celebrate National Women in Engineering Day with our evening networking event, ‘Be Inspiring, Be Inspired’

    Celebrate National Women in Engineering Day with our evening networking event, ‘Be Inspiring, Be Inspired’

    WES / Equate Scotland - National Women in Engineering Day  Thursday 23 June 2016, 7-9pm Registration from 6.30pm IET Glasgow: Teacher Building, 14 St Enoch Square, Glasgow, G1 4DB To mark this year’s National Women in Engineering Day, Equate Scotland is once again joining forces with WES Scotland and hosting an evening networking event in Glasgow. ‘Be Inspiring, Be Inspired’ will give you the chance to hear from a fabulous panel of invited speakers, before networking with like-minded people over nibbles and a glass of wine. Growing the number of women studying and working in engineering is a complex challenge! To make meaningful and sustainable change, we all need to work together – engineers, educators, employers and policy makers. You’ll hear first-hand from a panel of top professionals,…

    Lynsay Callaghan
  • IET On Campus GIKI Volunteer Committee (2016 To 2017)

    IET On Campus GIKI Volunteer Committee (2016 To 2017)

    Assistant Professor Dr.Husnul Maab On Campus Facilitator (Supporting University Faculty Member) Mr.Adeel Javaid President     0313 445 5758 Mr.Meesaq Ahmed Secretary     0303 091 1468 Mr.Muhammad Ahsan Ashraf Treasurer Ms.Rikki-Louise Davies IET OnCampus Student Coodinator (IET Staff at UK)

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
  • IET Islamabad Network (LN) Support To IET On Campus Groups

    IET Islamabad Network (LN) Support To IET On Campus Groups

    How can a Local Network support to IET On Campus groups? The IET Islamabad Local Network (LN) is a primary source of contact for the IET On Campus group (University Student Chapters) for additional support as they are made up of IET volunteers who are professionals within the Engineering and Technology field. They may be able to help the IET On Campus group with:   Industry contacts/links, Early career support and advice, Advice on how to run events/activities, Information about IET products/services, Promotion of your events and possibly even funding for your events if you work closely together. The relationship between the IET On Campus group and the LN is mutually beneficial so the IET On Campus group should communicate regularly, particularly when planning/organising events. The IET has…

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
  • Engineering the future of Scotland

    Engineering the future of Scotland

    A briefing from IET Engineering Policy Group Scotland. The document can be found attached or on our Policy pages.   The Engineering Policy Scotland Group has produced this briefing which calls on Scottish Parliamentarians to recognise the role of engineering in: providing jobs; creating opportunities and; shaping the future of Scotland. Engineering, whether in manufacturing industry, information technology, construction or energy, underpins vital sectors of the Scottish economy and provides the platform for innovation in which the Scottish economy can grow and create jobs to compete with the rest of the world. This report contains recommendations on investment in key areas such as education; research and innovation; as well as energy and communications infrastructure. The importance of harnessing…

    Lynsay Callaghan
  • IET On Campus IST Volunteer Committee (2016 To 2017)

    IET On Campus IST Volunteer Committee (2016 To 2017)

    Assistant Professor Saima Siddiqui On Campus Facilitator  (Supporting University Faculty Member) Mr Syed Meesum Haider President     0308 505 6797 Mr Hafiz Umer Farooq Secretary     0313 560 4295 Mr Awais Ali Raza Treasurer Social Media and Online PR Manager Ms.Rikki-Louise Davies IET OnCampus Student Coodinator (IET Staff at UK)

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
  • Review of 'A New Era in Earth Observation' event

    Review of 'A New Era in Earth Observation' event

    As we develop an increasing on-orbit capability to collect gigabytes or more data from our remote sensing satellites, the challenge of getting it back to the ground becomes increasingly demanding. To provide insight into the solutions being developed to address this challenge, the Satellite Systems and Applications TPN arranged an evening seminar, held at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire, where representatives from Airbus Defence and Space described how their technologies are powering the European Data Relay Service, otherwise known as EDRS or the “Space Data Highway”, to help achieve this goal. The session included presentations on the upstream hardware, presented by Martin Agnew, and the downstream service strategy, presented by Jacquie Conway, both based at Airbus Defence and Space in the…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member in Space
  • 11th ITS European Congress - Glasgow - June 2016

    11th ITS European Congress - Glasgow - June 2016

    The ITS European Congress and Exhibition is Europe’s largest event in intelligent transport systems and services, representing the annual appointment for the European ITS community to share knowledge, experiences and make business.   In 2016, the 11th ITS European Congress will take place in Glasgow from 6 to 9 June at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre. With the main theme “Delivering future cities now”, ITS Glasgow will be the largest networking event in Europe for ITS stakeholders who will make the necessary contacts to cooperate on initiatives and projects. Get involved in the discussion using #ITSGlasgow16 on Twitter and  click here  for further information.   Visit the exhibition: Participants can register for a free 'exhibition visitor' badge at ITS Glasgow 2016 in order to…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
  • Call For Papers - 26th International Symposium On Industrial Electronics (ISIE)

    Call For Papers - 26th International Symposium On Industrial Electronics (ISIE)

    Call for papers The 26th International Symposium on Industrial Electronics (ISIE), sponsored by IEEE Industrial Electronics Society will be held in Edinburgh 19-21 June 2017. Industry experts, researchers and academics will gather together to share ideas and experiences surrounding frontier technologies, breakthroughs, innovative solutions, research results, as well as initiatives related to industrial electronics and their applications.  ISIE 2017 offers you the opportunity to join an interesting and attractive technical programme: Regular papers: Manuscripts to be submitted as full papers, maximum 6 pages, in PDF format, according to the IEEE instructions.  Deadlines: Reception of full paper: 15 December 2016  Paper acceptance notification: 01 March 2017  Camera-ready paper reception: 10…

    Lynsay Callaghan
  • Designing A Security Roadmap For Your Enterprise – Quick N Easy Approach!

    Designing A Security Roadmap For Your Enterprise – Quick N Easy Approach!

    Yes! Cyber Insurance does influence the security roadmap. Researching cyber security in 2011 showed that this requirement will become an important factor to the security posture of an organisation. In Picture 1, each requirement represents a specific business need. In order to satisfy the requirement, a vendor products feature is utilised. To implement the feature, Capital expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational expenditure (OPEX) should be taken into consideration. For example, if the latest software version is a requirement by the customer, then the estate will have high capex costs, in addition, if it is specialist software, then higher OPEX administration costs are usually seen in runtime/BAU environments. To know what features to utilised, typically the product is introduced for a temporary…

  • Alternative Aircraft Propulsion Systems

    Alternative Aircraft Propulsion Systems

    Dr Paul Robertson of Cambridge University Engineering Departrment presented an outstanding talk  on Thursday 19 May on the technical merits and drawbacks of propulsion systems for light aircraft.  The talk included a discussion of the merits of different propulsion systems, the performance of electric and hybrid aircraft, and the future opportunities for commercial flight without fossil fuel based engines.  Videos of hybrid aircraft developed and built by the Engineering Department, were shown.

    David Blake
  • Are Cost Models Within The Rail Sector Doomed to Failure when the Manufacturing Company Seeks To Adopt a Product Service System

    Are Cost Models Within The Rail Sector Doomed to Failure when the Manufacturing Company Seeks To Adopt a Product Service System

    As some of you will know, I have been, and continue to be, involved in research relative to Through-life Engineering Services and how such product support can be used to inform the business model.  As manufacturing organisations seek to redefine the corporate and operating strategies by the process of servitization as they move to adopt a Product Service System novel cost models are required.  Work, research, and interest within these areas continues to grow at exponential rates both within academia and the commercial world. There are becons of success which are often cited, they being Rolls Royce, Xerox, Mann Trucks, and Bombardier Transportation to name but a few.  These companies whilst being manufacturers now gain most of their revenue from advanced integrated service systems supported…

    Louis Redding
  • Award Presentation

    Award Presentation

    On behalf of the IET Toronto LN, Jenny Yu present the Stan Thurger Award at Sherian College on 17th May 2016. The winner this year is Gurpreet Sarpal. Jenny took the opportunity to introduce IET to the winner. As the Americas PATW final will be held in Toronto, he is encouraged to attend the event and to participate in future competitions.

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Lady Mary Heath - Not Entirely Forgotten

    Lady Mary Heath - Not Entirely Forgotten

    ''Amy Johnson did the first flight to Australia, Amelia Earhart flew the Atlantic, the first female to do so. And they are both celebrated and remembered. But before all this there was Mary Heath, and of course she has been entirely forgotten.'' 'A bitter rivalry with Amelia Earhart, a mixed-race marriage and a ban from flying because of her menstrual cycle: The incredible and utterly tragic story of 'Lady Icarus' - the first person to fly solo across Africa' Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Mersey & Western Cheshire Network - 2016 Recognition Evening

    Mersey & Western Cheshire Network - 2016 Recognition Evening

    Mersey & Western Cheshire Network recently held a Recognition Evening on 5 May 2016 which was hosted by  Michelle Richmond, Director, IET Membership & Professional Development. Michelle gave an update on IET strategy and talked about volunteering at the IET.   The event recognised those members who had been recently registered for CEng, IEng and EngTech, plus recent elections to Fellow and also those members who had recently joined the IET. It also recognised those members who volunteer to support the IET in the region.   A special Volunteer Recognition Award was presented to  David Parr, Professional Registration Advisor, to commemorate his outstanding contribution to the IET. The Harry Currie Award for developing the Young Professionals Section was presented to Sheng Yuan, Chairman of the…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
  • TalkingPro 'Share Your Story' Campaign

    TalkingPro 'Share Your Story' Campaign

    Welcome to the TalkingPro 'Share Your Story' Campaign. This is an opportunity for you to share your story with aspiring young adults. Please complete the form below to submit an entry for the TalkingPro online career resource. This process may take up to 15 minutes to complete. Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • IET Stevenage - CoderDojo - More Volunteers Needed

    IET Stevenage - CoderDojo - More Volunteers Needed

    You may already be aware that the IET Women's Network  launched it's first ever Coder Dojo event in our Stevenage office 30 April, where young people, between 7 and 17, can learn how to code, develop websites, apps, programs, games and explore technology. CoderDojo is a global movement to help to put aspects of engineering and  technology on the radar of youngsters. The event is open to both boys and girls with a  heavier emphasis on the girls  as this is where more encouragement is needed. Currently, I am looking for more volunteers to get involved as and when they can.  Dojo's take place once a month, on a saturday from 14:00 - 17:00.  The club focuses on Scratch, HTML, CSS and Java Script. IF  you are interested in volunteering and would like more information, please get in contact with

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • WE50: Last Chance To Nominate

    WE50: Last Chance To Nominate

    The Top 50 Women in Engineering (WE50) is open to all women in Britain who work in the engineering sector, and is being run in partnership with the Women’s Engineering Society (WES), key employers and associated organisations. Nomimations close 23 May 2016 Read more...

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • Lockheed Martin - Space Fundamentals Training Program - call for candidates

    Lockheed Martin - Space Fundamentals Training Program - call for candidates

    Lockheed Martin is currently seeking two candidates for their Space Fundamentals Training Program. (SFTP). SFTP was established in 2015 as the means of inspiring students to enter the space/aerospace field and provide them with space education and professional development. Over the course of 8 weeks, students complete a 5-week online curriculum developed by Lockheed Martin as well as a 3-week travel component that includes hands-on instruction, networking opportunities with industry professionals and practicum experience. More information about the program can be found in the attached documents.   This year’s program will expand opportunities to students from 5 countries around the world and will feature a 3-week travel component that will take students to Denver, Colorado and Washington, DC…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie in Space
  • Are we nearly there yet? - Safety challenges on the path to Autonomy

    Are we nearly there yet? - Safety challenges on the path to Autonomy

    On the 17 th May 2016 the IET will be addressing the question ‘are we nearly there yet? - Safety challenges on the path to Autonomy’ at Active Safety Europe 2016: ADAS to Autonomous Conference in Munich. This IET session will address how we demonstrate the technological maturity, reliability and safety of the software required for automated driving for all stakeholders involved on public roads. What’s the OEM’s perspective?: Exploring the ADAS glidepath vs. straight to autonomy, considering the requirements for higher level autonomy systems. Safety vs. Risk: Understanding the safety improvements achieved by ADAS, considering their potential risks, how to manage these risks and the limitation of current guidelines. Using safety arguments and expected driver behaviour in order to design for the…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
  • IET Islamabad Network Volunteer Committee

    IET Islamabad Network Volunteer Committee

    Eur Ing Tauqeer Hussain Shah BSc MSc PE CEng MIET Chairman  |  hs tauqir@yahoo.co.uk CEO of Water Supply and Sanitation Services, Bannu, Pakistan Dr.Jawad Saleem BSc MSc PhD PE CEng MIET Vice Chairman  |   jay.sheikh@gmail.com Assistant Professor EE Department, COMSATS University, Abbottabad, Pakistan   Mr.Nouman Abid Chuhan MSc B.Tech-Hons HND PET IEng MIET Secretary  |  Online and Social Media Manager  |  ieng. noumanabid@gmail.com Lahore, Pakistan IET Islamabad Local Network  |   ietuk.islamabad@gmail.com    Dr.Mohamed Saeed BSc MSc PhD PE CEng MIET Treasurer  |   msaeedbaloch@gmail.com Associate Professor EE Department and Director QEC, UCEST, Lahore Leads University, Lahore, Pakistan Dr.Abdul Majid BSc MSc PhD PE CEng MIET Manager Events & Marketing  |   Abdmajid73@gmail.com Assistant…

    Nouman Abid Chuhan
  • Transport Section: Technical Visit To Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL)

    Transport Section: Technical Visit To Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL)

    Technical visits are real highlights of our Singapore Network activity, presenting opportunities and insights that are difficult to obtain without the reach and influence of a professional organisation. 20 members and aspiring engineers were able to appreciate such an experience with the visit on 12th May 2016 to tunnel works on the Woodlands section of the Thomson-East Coast Line. This 43km new line will add 31 new stations to the existing rail network, with 7 interchange stations to link with the East-West, North-South, North-East, Circle and Downtown Lines. The visiting team assembled at the Hampshire headquarters of the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and each person was issued with the personal protection equipment essential for entering the T206 construction site where the Earth Pressured…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member
  • A Thriving IET Community In Canada

    A Thriving IET Community In Canada

    Did you know that the IET has four active Local Networks in Canada? Look out for the next issue of Member News (August 2016) that has updates on the activities of the Ottawa, Toronto, Canadian Prairies Group of Chartered Engineers (CPGCE) and the Western Canadian Group of Chartered Engineers (WCGCE) Networks.Did you know that the IET has four active Local Networks in Canada? Look out for the next issue of Member News (August 2016) that has updates on the activities of the Ottawa, Toronto, Canadian Prairies Group of Chartered Engineers (CPGCE) and the Western Canadian Group of Chartered Engineers (WCGCE) Networks. And if you live in Canada and can't wait to read the next issue then take a look at their online communities: IET Ottawa Network A group that promotes science, engineering, technology…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member