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  • Manufacturing TN Meeting 4th July

    The Manufacturing Technical Network (TN) held its first in-person/hybrid meeting for over 2 years at Savoy Place today. In a lively meeting full of challenge and discussion we finalized details for the remaining 2022 programme of events and started the planning process for 2023. Upcoming 2022 events include Future Roles In Manufacturing, a series of 3 meetings including an in-person networking opportunity covering Digital Manufacturing and a workshop event looking at the Future for Manufacturing Automation. This latter event is being organised jointly with the Robotics and Control & Automation TNs. In 2023 we are very excited to be be supporting an IET Annual Prize for Manufacturing apprentices. We are also planning a series of events covering the following subjects: Sustainability…

  • Resilience – How can we enable it?

    The topic of resilience has become even more prominent in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, the IET’s Resilience Working Group has produced a short paper called ‘ Engineering a more resilient world ’, featuring the thoughts of engineers across sectors including from energy, digital, design and manufacturing. This thought leadership piece contains recommendations to government, the research, education and engineering communities that: Government should embed a whole system approach to resilience and resilience planning, Ambitious targets should be set for research into this area, and Resilience should become an integral part of the training engineers receive. Which measures has your organisation taken to improve its response and recovery to future shocks…

  • Space Traffic Control Webinar

    The Satellite TN recently had a webinar on Space Traffic Control, with a presentation by Dr Stuart Eves, SJE Space Ltd. Due to the overwhelming number of questions that were posted during the Q&A session, there wasn’t time unfortunately to get around to responding to all of them. Stuart has kindly post event reviewed the questions and provided responses which you can see below. If you missed the webinar the first time around, or would like to watch again OnDemand you can access it here . Q: What will be the impact by space debris or satellites to earth in case there are situation like Carrington event or any solar flares nowadays ? Stuart: A solar event of the size of the Carrington CME in 1859, would probably interrupt some satellite-provided services for a period of time, partly since…

  • Spotlight on Apprenticeships in Aerospace seminar - now available On Demand

    Following on from our recent online seminar on 20 June, if you didn't get an opportunity to watch live that day, you can now catch up and watch OnDemand and listen in to hear more from our speakers i.e. Sir Julian Young, IET President and former Air Marshall and two former aerospace apprentices Dilani Selvanathan, Herotech and Tom Sutherland, Leonardo.

  • NEW BOOK/EBOOK! Technologies and Techniques in Gait Analysis: Past, present and future

    NEW BOOK/EBOOK! Congratulations to Book Editor, Professor Nachiappan Chockalingam and to all the chapter contributors on the publication of this new IET Book: Technologies and Techniques in Gait Analysis: Past, present and future Gait analysis is the study of the walking or running pattern of an individual. This can include spatial and temporal measurements such as step length, stride length and speed along with angular measurements of various joints and the interplay between various parts like the foot, hip, pelvis or spine when walking. Gait analysis can be used to assess clinical conditions and design effective rehabilitation; for example, following limb injury or amputation, or other disorders such as a stroke or Parkinson's diagnosis. It can be used to influence intervention decisions…

  • Nigel Fine retires after 13 years as Chief Executive and Secretary (CES) of the IET.

    When it was announced at the start of the year that I would be stepping down as Chief Executive and Secretary of the IET, my leaving date seemed a long way off. Now it is just a matter of days to go before I start the next chapter of my life, spending more time with my family and seeking new personal challenges. I have been incredibly privileged and honoured to lead our institution for the past 13 years. I have learned something new every day, which is not surprising as we have over 150,000 members in almost 150 countries, a community of more than 4,000 volunteers, many programmes and events to inspire the next generation of innovators and problem solvers, and bursary and scholarship schemes to help young people study engineering. Our state-of-the-art venues, public engagement work, a large…

    EngX Editorial
    EngX Editorial

  • Pioneers of Tomorrow Day at Farnborough 2022

    With an estimated shortage of over 173,000 professionals in the #STEAM sector, it is vital for the industry to inspire the next generation of leaders and close the skills gap that has been persistent across the last four years. In collaboration with Farnborough International and ADS Group, the @IET_Aerospace and @IET_Satellite TNs are proud to be a part of @PioneerTomorrow, a dedicated day to inspire, engage and recruit the industry’s future workforce. Taking place during the highly-anticipated Farnborough International Air show on Friday 22 July, Pioneers of Tomorrow will bring the world of aerospace to the next generation of leaders and has not only been developed to inspire and inform the next generation, but to provide a platform for the global aerospace industry to address major concerns…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie in Space

  • Draft for Public Comment: IET Code of Practice for Electrical Safety Management, 2nd edition

    We are happy to announce that the Draft for Public Comment for IET Code of Practice for Electrical Safety Management 2nd edition has now gone live. The CoP sets out the principles for effective electrical safety management and does not reference standards or legislation. It identifies the need for a management system, not the detail of how the activity should be done but does outline what might be expected in a successful management system. This second edition has been updated to include considerations around the management of change, the implications of outsourcing work on the electrical equipment and installations, and an updated self-assessment tool to identify what systems exist and how effective they are in managing responsibilities. We welcome review and comment from all interested…

  • Are you raising the bar in the field of cyber security?

    If you are breaking new ground in cyber security, have you considered entering the E&T Innovation Awards? There's still time to enter the Best Innovation in Cyber Security and Information Assurance category. In this video, Chair of Judges Gemma Moore, Director at Cyberis, details the category: tv.theiet.org/EmbedPlayer.aspx Enter now by 4 July at eandt.theiet.org/innovation

  • Calling all young pioneers - enter the E&T awards now for free!

    There's still time to enter the Young Pioneer of the Year category in the E&T Innovation Awards! Entries close on 4 July, and the great news is that entries remain free for this category only. More about the Young Pioneer of the Year category At E&T, we’ve identified seven critical tech and engineering challenges we’ll need to tackle today to make tomorrow better. These are: Sustainability Mobility (travel, transport and movement of goods) Switch to Alternative Energy Sources Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Global Family Trust and Truth Inspiration The E&T Young Pioneer Award shines a light on innovation and creativity and uncovers amazing tech ideas that are borne out of issues that young people care about. We want to use this award to find a new generation…

    Jane Neufville
    Jane Neufville

  • Volunteering opportunity: Technical reviewers needed for the renewable power generation conference

    The IET Renewable Power Generation (RPG) conference brings together the topics of renewable energy technology, power generation and systems integration, with techno-economic issues. All renewable energy generation technologies are within its scope. I’m looking for a number of suitably qualified technical reviewers to help review the technical papers submitted for the IET Renewable Power Generation (RPG) conference. Reviewers evaluate and score papers, as well as give invaluable comments and feedback. As a reviewer, you’ll need to have expertise in a minimum of two areas from the technical scope of the conference. There are many benefits of volunteering as a technical reviewer such as: Advanced access to emerging ideas in renewable power generation Keep up-to-date with the latest research…

  • The Tokyo 2020 Track Bicycle - Tony Purnell, British Cycling

    A talk at Cambridge University Engineering Department on 30 June at 1900 hrs. Tony Purnell, former Head of Technology at British Cycling, will talk about how engineering helped Great Britain top the cycling medal table at the Tokyo Olympics. Professor Tony Purnell FREng, FRSA was the Head of Technical Development at British Cycling, where he worked across all aspects of technology – from improving data analysis to assisting the coaches with the development of organisational software and tools to optimise rider performance. Tony Purnell is Visiting Professor at Cambridge University Engineering Department, and a Fellow-Commoner in Engineering at Trinity Hall Cambridge. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Manchester University and a masters the MIT Sloan School of Management. His dissertation…

  • Re-cycling and Harvesting Energy, a Proposal by Dr Harry Haralambos Athanassiadis

    This paper is a quick proposal due to the extreme urgency of this Project and a call for participation by other Engineers and Scientists to help in this difficult period of high Energy costs. According to (1) it is now possible to develop semiconductor structures on paper. Because of this latest development I am proposing a special WALLPAPER to convert the heat of a room into electricity and store it into the special batteries of the Home/Business. This excessive heat can be the heat of the central heating system of a Home/Business during the cold weather periods or the environmental heat during the summer periods. Let’s put some ideas all together. Please see my proposed idea of the special wallpaper. With the same technology and principles, we can design special roof tiles and remove…

  • Bio-tribological studies of non-UHMWPE Polymers and Composites

    30 June 2022 12.30 BST. Register Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has been the main polymeric articulating implant material for the hip implant. Acetabular cup is made of UHMWPE in its unmodified form or with partial cross-linking and with Vitamin E added into it as the anti-oxidant. Many efforts in the past have been made on finding an alternative material to UHMWPE in the hope of improving upon the already excellent tribological performance of this polymer. Several of UHMWPE composites and other polymers such as polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and polymer gels have been researched with some even tried in for in-vivo tests. In this talk, we will review the tribological performances of non-UHMWPE polymeric materials for the acetabular cup application and compare those with…

  • Railway Earthing & Bonding Technical Seminar, 28 and 29 June 2022

    It’s nearly time for us to open our doors for Railway Earthing & Bonding technical seminar 2022! We’re delighted to be back in person at IET Birmingham to meet, discuss and collaborate. Don’t miss out on your last chance to join us and colleagues from across the railway sector. Railway systems interface directly with people, so making sure that an electrified site is properly Earthed and Bonded is critical to eliminating any potential safety issues, protecting equipment and reducing expensive downtime. Delegates will gain technical, practical insights into the latest guidance live from the IET's new code of practice, Guide to Earthing and Bonding for AC Electrified Railways to protect equipment, reduce expensive downtime and most importantly, maximise safety. A copy of the new code is included…

  • IET Control and Automation Technical Network - We need your help in scoping out our Sustainability in Control Webinar idea

    We are looking to host a series of control webinars in 2022 covering sustainability in the control and automation looking at improving efficiencies, materials, how big the problem is and how we measure this along with how to get improvements. We are just scoping this out just now, but if you have a technical topic, or a problem that you are working on or have solved and would like to share this, please get in touch lcallaghan@theiet.org or comment below.

  • UK renewables – limitless energy or a precious resource?

    I am delighted to announce the Energy Panel have produced another report this month, authored by Jeff Douglas, this 12 page report examines the available renewable energy sources in the UK. Written for those looking for a high-level view of the UK’s transition to a net zero energy system, we look at future energy needs, options for delivering a net zero system, energy independence and more. The UK has significant renewable energy development opportunities, yet even for the most modest demands considered, the new sustainable resources required for heat, transport and industry are significant multiples of current capacity. Critically, today’s system choices and decisions could substantially increase those multiples. Almost all our existing sustainable power plants are scheduled to retire before…

  • Draft for Public Comment: IET Code of Practice for Grid-Connected Solar PV Systems, 2nd Edition

    We are happy to announce that the Draft for Public Comment for IET Code of Practice for Grid-Connected Solar PV Systems, 2nd Edition has now gone live. This Code of Practice sets out the requirements for the design, specification, installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of grid-connected solar photovoltaic (PV) systems installed in the UK. We welcome review and comment from all interested parties. The page is now live and we look forward to hearing from you.

  • Our Cyber Security publications you might be interested in

    Hello everyone, I thought I would take some time to throw a spotlight on some of our Cyber Security publications. Over the years the Codes & Guidance team has worked on many publications in this important sector, and I think many of them will be of interest to the practitioners out there. Code of Practice: Cyber Security and Safety Written in conjunction with the National Cyber Security Centre, this Code of Practice helps engineers and their management to get to grips with their responsibilities around a cyber-attack. Filled with information on the principles of functional safety and cyber security, this book is aimed at becoming a valued resource as time goes on. Good Practice Guide: Cyber Security for Ports and Port Systems While not necessarily an area that is commonly associated…

  • Summer STEM activities for children of all ages!

    This summer season why not come on a journey with us to see where your imagination and creativity can take you? Rain or shine, IET Education has lots of activities to keep your child busy over the summer holidays. Children aged between 4-11 years old can make air powered cars and rubber band powered helicopters or learn about bridges that don’t seem joined up. Air powered cars (theiet.org) Rubber band helicopter (theiet.org) Da Vinci bridge (theiet.org) Or for those with an adventurous spirit, think of a way to get a lighthouse keeper back to shore safely or you could spend a night under the stars and learn about the materials your tent is made from and what constellations you can see in the night sky! Lighthouse keeper transfer - IET Faraday Challenge Day (theiet.org) Materials…

  • How Can Technology Be Leveraged to Improve the Lives of Ukrainian Refugees?

    The UN estimates that more than 6.4 million Ukrainian refugees have been forced to flee their homes and seek safety as a result of the Russian invasion . This is one of the largest and fastest refugee movements in Europe since the end of World War II putting enormous pressure on host countries' border control and public services. Poland is currently receiving the largest number of refugees - 3.4 million and counting - with the population in Warsaw increasing by 17% in just a month. This blog provides examples of some of the technologies that have previously been leveraged to support displaced populations. Refugees need support and resources at each step of their journey. Short term, refugees will need food, water, medical assistance, temporary shelter, and internet access to access information…

  • Annual Systems Engineering Conference (ASEC) 2022 – Save the Date

    Colleagues in INCOSE UK have just announced the dates for their annual conference for 2022. INCOSE UK are pleased to announce that the Annual Systems Engineering Conference (ASEC) 2022 will be held at The Crowne Plaza Hotel, Newcastle on 22 and 23 November 2022. The UK’s leading Systems Engineering Conference, ASEC, is a two-day event, attracting an extensive range of professionals from industry, government and academia. INCOSE UK first hosted ASEC in 2010 and, now in its 13th year, the conference has developed to include technical presentations on contemporary Systems Engineering theory and practice, tutorials run by leading Systems Engineering Professionals, an exhibition of Systems Engineering organisations presenting their products and services and a systems research showcase. The…

  • IET Control and Automation Doctoral Dissertation Awards is now taking submissions

    Do you know a student who deserves to win this year? The winner will receive £500 and the chance to share their research in an IET webinar. The Prize recognises a student for their research excellence in the field of Control and Automation. The award is open to all relevant students who were awarded their PhD in the general area of Control and Automation, at a UK university, between 1 October 2020 up to 30 September 2022 and nominations are now open. Get more information here Apply for the 2022 awards by 5pm on 27 October 2022 with references also to be submitted online by this date. Read the University interviews with the 2021 and the 2020 winners 2020 winner - Marta Zagorowska 2021 winner - Licio Romao

  • 2022 IAC Student Paper Competition – UK Selection – Call for Abstracts is OPEN!

    2022 International Astronautical Congress - Student Paper Competition - UK Selection The UK selection of two entrants for the international finals at the IAC is carried out by the British Interplanetary Society (BIS) Space Education and Outreach Committee in joint partnership with the IET ) Satellite Technical Network. The UK selection process extends until after the main IAC abstract submission activity to allow students to make as much progress as possible on their project work before our selection takes place. The annual International Astronautical Congress (IAC) is the world’s largest astronautics/space engineering conference, organised by the International Astronautical Federation (IAF). As part of each IAC, there is a student paper competition (the E2.1 Student Conference) with…

    Deborah-Claire McKenzie
    Deborah-Claire McKenzie in Space

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