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We're At Bird Cage Walk - It's Now A Reality

For those who haven't noticed, the IMechE and IET are now officially 'co-located'. As Chairman of the London Network, this is of course no surprise to me due to the impact it has on the Savoy Place based events. But even as an ordinary member, I have seen enough notifications, consultations etc. come by to have had my say and to have been made aware. I have even been to one of the open evenings at One Birdcage Walk where tours of the building (and samples of the good catering I must add!) were organised. Nevertheless it always seemed to this event. But it really dawned on me that we are now officially sharing the building, when I bumped in to Nigel Fine, our CEO, leaving the building - calling it his new office :) For those who haven't had the opportunity, go and check out our temporary home…

Davy Thielens
Event Review 2012-3

We had a very successful calendar of events for the 2012-13 season, covering topics as diverse as the aurora borealis, narrow boats, landmine detection and the Tornado steam locomotive. There was also a sold-out tour of the Glyndebourne Stage at the famous opera house. Here follows a summary of the season's events, with links to slides where available. Many thanks to all those involved in the organisation and delivery of these events. 2nd October 2012 Aurora Borealis Prof Mike Underhill 16th October 2012 Carbon capture and storage - an overviewb Dr Adina Popa 6th November 2012 A 59'6" Narrow boat that can travel as quietly as a canoe Dr Derek Wright 20th November 2012 Glyndebourne Stage Systems Tour Simon Yapp 6th December 2012 Detection of Landmines and IEDs David J Daniels CBE 8th Janurary…

Laurence Tondelier
When to use a Mentor and when to use a Professional Registration Advisor

If your goal is to achieve professional registration as a Chartered Engineer (CEng), Incorporated Engineer (IEng), Engineering Technician (EngTech) or ICT Technician (ICTTech) you will probably have many people help you along the way. Two key people you might consider seeking out are a mentor and a Professional Registration Advisor. Here I explain these roles and when to use each one. Mentor The role of a mentor is to guide you towards becoming a competent professional, able to contribute towards your company, the engineering profession and the community. A mentor can challenge you to enhance your performance and provide valuable guidance and motivation. If you are just starting out working towards registration or have got part way through and find yourself stuck on something, then a mentor…

Former Community Member in CEng
Triennial Review Of The HSE

The IET has recently contributed to the Triennial Review of the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The IET submission was generally supportive of the current role, structure and performance of the organisation. You can read about the IET submission or find out more about how the IET contributes to UK Government policy .

James Inge
21st Safety-critical Systems Symposium Videos

The Safety Critical Systems Club's 21st annual symposium was held in Bristol from the 5th - 7th February 2013. The IET supported the event and many of the presentations are now available on IET.tv For more details about the event programme, see the SCSC website . Speaker Title Day 1 - 5 Feb 2013 Allan Bain, Ministry of Defence Certification in the Defence Sector Ron Bell, Engineering Safety Consultants Ltd IEC 61508: Assessment, Certification and Other Assurance Measures Dewi Daniels, Verocel Certification in Civil Aviation Roger Rivett, Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Regulations Peter Sheppard, Bombardier Transportation Getting Accepted in the UK Rail Industry Day 2 - 6 Feb 2013 John Thomas and Nancy Leveson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA Keynote address: Generating Formal Model…

James Inge
Vantage Power looking to a 'green' future

Alex Schey & Toby Schulz with the green bus Photo credit: The Telegraph Two young entrepreneurs who have presented their innovative approach to electric and hybrid technology in lectures to the IET Surrey network have caught the attention of the national press. Alex Schey and Toby Schulz CEO and CTO respectively, of Vantage Power were featured in the Daily Telegraph (2nd July) to talk about their project to develop a self-contained system of engine and battery pack that can be fitted into vehicles already on the road. The North West London based company has already received its first cash investment, and importantly forged a link with the Ensign Bus Company, Britain's largest used bus company. So what was the attraction for these backers? Vantage' system is designed to cut fuel savings for…

Mike Prewett
Event Feedback For Lakeside Venue At University Of Surrey

Event catering at the Lakeside Restaurant, University of Surrey The Lakeside Restaurant is our main venue because of the excellent catering and for the ease of networking. However, there are a few drawbacks as it is not a tiered theatre and there may be sound reinforcement problems in the central area, however it has been what members have preferred over the years. If you are hard of hearing, you should talk to one of the organisers who may be able to offer you a better seating position. We offer refreshments as a 'bite-to-eat and drink', not as a full supper, and we are limited as to what we can offer from the available menu and pricing. If you have any constructive comment, or any suggestions of alternative venues in the area, then we are always pleased to hear from our members. Comments…

Mike Prewett
Surrey Satro Scores With Schools Once Again

A student receives the IET award from Martin Butterworth of the Surrey LN The 2013 Surrey Science Fair , organised by Surrey Satro and sponsored by local business and industry partners including the IET, was again a big success with attending students from primary age through to sixth form. This year's fair was held at the Brooklands Motor Museum in Weybridge and presented a wide range of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) based real-world jobs and careers using practical experiments and games to highlight that technology is fund and exciting as well as puzzling. The IET stand saw the return of the make-your-own LED torch kit, which proved popular with all ages. Specific experiments to demonstrate the basic principles of conductors and insulators which although simple also…

Mike Prewett
Confidence - A Sustainable requirement for Women Leaders in Engineering Career

I volunteered to write up my first blog on the IET Women's Network on the topic of the confidence a women needs to sustain in a male dominated engineering society. I believe confidence in one's abilities to present engineering ideas play a very important role in succeeding as an engineer. It's imperative while we work with majority of males around. It is perceived that majority of females divert to other careers due to lack of confidence in their engineering concepts. I could recall that out of nearly 16 female students in my undergraduates class, hardly 5-6 took engineering as a profession, and only one (myself) went to do a masters and then a Phd. The sustainability of female engineers in engineering careers is under question and it is quite obvious from the fact that we have very few engineering…

Former Community Member
Presentation Skills - Who Needs Them?

Many of us are asked to deliver presentations at work. Some people find this easy to do and enjoy the experience whilst others can feel a bit daunted by the prospect. If you are new to presenting or it has been a while since you last stood up in front of a group to speak, then you might find my top tips for presenting a helpful aid to get you started. Know your subject This will boost your confidence when presenting. Research your topic thoroughly and make sure your facts are accurate. You will be less reliant on your notes and better prepared to answer questions. Know your audience Understanding your audience is vital to writing and delivering a successful presentation. Pitch your presentation at the right level to keep your audience engaged. Structure your content Presentations flow well…

Former Community Member
Welcome to the IET Professional Development blog

Here the IET’s Professional Development staff team capture practical and informative tips to help you make the most of your professional development for a long and successful career in engineering and technology. IET Professional Development on MyCommunity is our online home. A place to share information and resources that we hope will inform and inspire you to invest the time and effort that your professional development deserves. Only you can truly drive your professional development, but there are many people and resources that can help make it really work for you. This blog will feature everything from starting out in your career, finding a suitable mentor and working towards professional registration to continuing your professional development beyond registration and into retirement. And…

Former Community Member
Change what you can, accept what you can’t… or influence?

Following on from our last blog on unconscious bias , many women (not just engineers) have emailed us asking for advice. If we can’t control the unconscious bias that we face in the recruitment process or even in the daily workplace, what do we do? Do we just work harder, change our attitudes and behaviours to ensure that we get noticed, or just accept what we can’t change? A lot of popular self help books focus on the mantra “change what you can, accept what you can’t”. When your career is at stake, I would suggest that is pretty bad advice! Instead: Pre-empt the bias that you face, anticipate it, address it openly without aggression! There are many instances in the recruitment process and beyond in the workplace where people will be making assumptions about you based on your gender.You can…

Former Community Member
Bloggers Needed!

Hello, We would be grateful if we could have some bi-weekly bloggers, here on the Women's Network My Community page. If you are interested then please e-mail me at womensnetwork@theiet.org . The content must be relevent to the subject of women in engineering and technology. This is a great way for My Community members globally, to share what's on their mind and spark some interesting thoughts and ideas. You can e-mail the blog content to me and I will post it on the blog area of the page. There will also be the option for comments to be left, underneath each blog! Thank you, Jo

Former Community Member
IET Vision & Imaging Network Best Paper Prize 2013*

The IET Vision and Imaging Network will make awards to the best PhD and MSc projects nominated by a University Department for the excellence of work in vision and imaging technologies. MSc Prize - £100, PhD Prize - £400 For more information please download the flyer. 2013 V&I Prize flyer * Sponsored by UniEntry.org

Lisa Miles
IET Connect

IET Connect is dedicated to helping past and present members of the Institution of Engineering and Technology* and their dependants in times of need. With the IET's Worldwide membership standing at over 154,000 individuals in 125 countries the needs of members are diverse. We offer information and advice, help towards the costs of care, carers' needs and disability, redundancy and employment support and financial assistance for a wide range of purposes. All support is tailored to help meet individual needs. *We also help former members of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. This is a great service that can be tailored to the individual! IET Connect are also on My Community. Why not join them to keep updated on the latest activity or visit the website .

Former Community Member
Future events in Switzerland

We are looking at the following possibe events in the next 12 months or so: Horizon scanning in November Visit to a brewery - probably near Berne, together with an "open" committee meeting - second half of September Gotthard tunnel - probably visit the southern part - Ceneri, with social event in Locarno the next day - early October? Desert solar power generation Fusion Resarch Snow and avalanche research - Davos - June or August 2014 - with social event next day Please give your comments on these and other ideas you might have!

Paul Hulbert
Why do some of our events not work out?

Yesterday we had an IET Switzerland committee meeting. We discussed (among other things) attendance at our activities. Recently we had to cancel an event because too few people registered. Other events work out really well. General trend is however a noticable decline in attendance. Why do some events succeed and others not? Starting time on a working day? Our host cannot open for us on a Saturday? Not an interesting subject? We would like your comments on this subject.

Paul Hulbert
Resources

Safety Resources Many areas of the IET have an involvement in safety-related work. Here is a summary of some of the safety-related resources available online from the IET. IET.tv Video Presentations: SIL Determination Seminar 2014 - London, 11 Dec 2014 9th International System Safety and Cyber Security Conference - Manchester, 14-16 Oct 2014 8th International Confrence on System Safety, incorporating the Cyber Security Conference - Cardiff, 15-17 Oct 2013 21st Safety-critical Systems Symposium - Bristol, 5-7 Feb 2013 How To Stop Data Causing Harm - Safety Critical Systems Club seminar, London, 4 Dec 2012 7th International Conference on System Safety, incorporating the Cyber Security Conference - Edinburgh, 15-18 Oct 2012 SIL Determination Seminar 2008 - 5 Dec 2008 Factfiles: EMC and Functional…

James Inge
Post ARSR / SWICOM thoughts

The Second Joint International Workshop on Applied Radio Systems Research and Smart Wireless Communications (ARSR/SWICOM 2013) co-organised by University of Bedfordshire and University of Manchester, took place at the University of Bedfordshire, Luton, UK. The objective of the workshop is to bring together early stage researchers and engineers from both academia and industry who contribute to the on-going trends and advances in applied radio systems and smart wireless communications research, such as cognitive radio, software defined radio, smart antennas, wireless sensor networks, etc. I attended the conference on behalf of the IET’s Antennas & Propagation Technical & Professional Network, and was impressed by the standard of the papers and posters presented. From a non-technical perspective…

Former Community Member
Women in STEM: it's time to take ownership of being female

Why do women feel they must abandon their female identity in order to work in science, technology, engineering or maths? Is this staement correct?

Former Community Member
Australia's Future Energy With Nigel Fine

IET Victoria was delighted to have Nigel Fine (Chief Executive and Secretary of the IET) deliver an opening address to its members at a seminar on the perceived effects of the recently introduced Carbon Tax on the generation of energy in Australia. The seminar consisted of a panel of representatives from various stakeholder organisations in the energy industry, each delivering their interpretation of the likely effects of the Carbon Tax on their respective methods of energy generation. This was followed by an open Question and Answer session with the attendees, with the late Robert Jones acting as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. The seminar took place on October 15, 2012 at the Kaleide Theatre at the City Campus of RMIT University in the Melbourne CBD. The Master of Ceremonies for the…

Rowan P
Bristol Present Around the World Results

The Bristol heat of the IET Present Around the World competition took place on the 15th of May - There were 7 very interesting and very well prepared presentations. There was a great diverstity of topics, ranging from the very technical, such as the use of fuel cells in aerospace, to more social with the role of women in engineering. The winner was Faraz Khan who took us on a journey into Interstellar Flights - his presentation " Propulsion Methods for Interstellar Flight " analysed all the possible methods (Nuclear pulse propulsion, Fusion rockets, Antimatter propulsion, Beamed propulsion) and quantified in detail that Intestellar flights is a possibility of the near fututre! The runner-up was Adam Hill who presented " Thermal Imaging Camera use of next generation maintenace of Aerospace Hydrogen…

James Inge
Vale Dr Robert Jones

IET Victoria was saddened to learn recently of the passing of one of its committee members - Dr Robert Jones. Robert was an enthusiastic member on the IET Victoria committee and was instrumental in the execution of IET Victoria's seminar on "Australia's Future Energy" when Nigel Fine (IET CES) visited in October 2012. He acted as the Master of Ceremonies on the night, and also assisted in forming the panel of guest speakers. The IET Victoria committee is grateful for his injection of ideas and determination to disseminate engineering truths to the wider public, and offers its condolences to the family and friends of Dr Robert Jones.

Rowan P
IET Local Network Prize - 2013 - RMIT University

Anthony Leigh Lyngcoln, who completed a four year Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical Engineering) degree with first class honours in 2012, was this year's recipient of the IET Local Network Prize at RMIT. Two representatives from the IET Victoria Young Professionals Section recently attended the RMIT University School of Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Awards Ceremony to present the IET Local Network Prize for 2013. Rowan Pattieson (Chairperson) presented the award on behalf of IET Victoria, and Sam Joy (Vice-Chairperson) was also in attendance to network with other industry donors, other award winners and their friends and family present on the night. The ceremony was held on 9 April 2013 in the Storey Hall 'Green Brain' , to recognise the academic and leadership achievements…

Rowan P

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