IET EngX® Community Insights

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IET White Paper - Cookies, Fake News And Single Search Boxes: The Role Of A&I Services In A Changing Research Landscape

The following is an excerpt from a new White Paper published by the IET on the growing importance of A&I databases. Librarians and researchers shared their thoughts on how they use search tools for academic research and highlighted the differences between curated resources and general search engines. "In recent years the principles that drove the development on the World Wide Web – access to information across international boundaries – have been increasingly eroded by commercial and political concerns. Students have become increasingly dependent on global general search engines as gateways to information, but at the same time these gateways are becoming less and less helpful. The challenges for professional researchers using the open web include the way cookies are used and the increased level…

Former Community Member
Black Friday is Coming!

Tomorrow is Black Friday and officially time for the holiday shopping to begin! Black Friday sees many retailers slash their prices, especially for technology. However IoT products will also be used to manage the high demands for online orders This Intel article discusses some of the ways that retailers will be using IoT, including RFID-based tags to track products from production to distribution, managing inventory, analysing retail trends and even customer engagement. As Black Friday grows even bigger, not just in the US, but in countries across the world, we can expect IoT to dominate in making Black Friday a slick operation for both retailers and consumers. However IoT doesn’t just play its part in making sure Black Friday happens it is also a chance for consumers to get their hands…

Former Staff Member
Keeping Safe This Black Friday And Cyber Monday

It is almost time for the biggest shopping days in the calendar with Black Friday on the 24 th and Cyber Monday on the 27 th However in the rush to get the deals the retailers dangle in front of us, I’m sure many of us are guilty of not considering the cyber security implications of what we’re buying when we’re online. This Techspective article gives some good tips for keeping safe when buying online (full advice in the article): Limit Personal Identifiable Information Increase Default Security Settings Use Strong Passwords Look Out for HTTPS If Possible, Use and Have Multiple Digital Identities Limit What You Do Over Public Wi-Fi and Use the Following Best Practices Before “Clicking” Stop, Think and Check if it is Expected, Valid and Trusted Use Credit Card or Secure Payments Versus Debit…

Former Staff Member in Cybersecurity
IET Northern Powerhouse (NPH) Consultation

IET Consultation Through this consultation the IET asks members to critically review the current proposals and status of the Northern Power House (NPH) and provide evidence that will shape the future of how the NPH is delivered and the benefits it will deliver. The questions to be reviewed as part of this consultation should include: Are the barriers (pillars) identified in the Industrial Strategy Green Paper and the NPH Strategy correct and how can they be addressed? Is the NPH working and if not what needs to be done to move forward? Is the current “focus” on infrastructure and influence the right focus, and if not where should this focus be? Are there any opportunities in the North for improving supply chain leverage and connectivity across different organisations, including SMEs? This may…

Gemma Hadley in Manufacturing
RF And Microwave TPN Committee Members 2017-18

The IET RF and Microwave Network Committee organises programme of activities for IET members, engineers and members of the public. All of these events and activities are made possible by the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers. If you would like to know more about volunteering your time to help with our activities, please get in touch with any of the current volunteers listed below or the Community Manager for the network Kafil Ahmed Chairman Balbir Virdee Vice Chairman Chris Mann Member Christopher Dodds Member Peter Gardner Member Gavin Watkins Member Wenlong He Member Spiros Grammenos Member Avtar Virdee Member Mark Barrett Member Evangelos Mellios Member Xiaobang Shang Member Maziar Nekovee Member Natalia D'Lima Community Manager Updated: 25th April 2018

Former Staff Member
Nanotechnology - What you missed ---> Our visit to the Binnig + Rohrer Nanotechnology Center BRNC / IBM Research Labs

...we are most appreciative and thankful to Dr. Roland Germann / Dr. Karin Vey, who kindly devoted their time in showing us around the Binnig Rohrer Nanotechnology Center (BRNC), at the IBM Research labs, Zurich. (Please check back here later for a full visit report).

Jeff Hunter
We have a new Chairman!

I am delighted to announce that the Project Controls Network has a new Chairman, Dave Perton . Below, read Dave's message to you all. You can also read more about Dave in an earlier blog I am delighted and proud to have been elected the new chairman of the Project Controls network. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing chairman, Alec Ray , for his hard work, dedication and vision in developing the network over many years, a benchmark I aspire to. I would also like to thank the committee, including Alec, for their ongoing support for me in this new role. The Project Controls network is one of the 21 Technical and Professional Networks (TPN) of the Institution of Engineering & Technology (IET) and is a collaboration with the Association of Costs Engineers (ACostE). The…

Joanne Longton
LAPC 2017

LAPC 2017 was held last week in Burleigh Court, Loughborough. The 2 day conference on antennas and propagation was another success with delegates hearing from a number of speakers and getting the opportunity to see a wide variety of posters and talk to the authors. There were a number of exhibitors on hand, of course, including the IET! During the dinner of the first evening, a number of awards were presented including the James R James Lifetime Achievement Award to Les Barclay. Did you attend the conference? I would love to hear what you thought! Let me know in the comments section below

Former Staff Member
Humans Of The IET YP - Matthew Connell

I would like to apologise for the lack of content these last few weeks. It's been hectic but we're back with our weekly features. Last week we met Ian . This week I'd like to introduce our new Marketing and Memberships Manager, Matthew Connel. He's an alumnus of the 2017 IET YP Leadership Programme and the team leader of the much-lauded Phone Charge Bike , and the incumbent UWA IET OC Treasurer. He is a Mechanical Engineering student currently studying at UWA. He already has a commerce degree under his belt from Notre Dame. Let's get to know Matt. Matt joined the IET through the 2017 Leadership Programme thinking it would be a great opportunity to develop his leadership skills, meet people in the industry, and improve his chances of standing out of the crowd. With his time on the Phone Charge…

Former Community Member
Midlands Power Group Event - Opportunities for Innovative Asset Management in the Transition to Distribution System Operator

On 12 th October, the IET Midlands Power Group were delighted to hold the annual Professor Toby Norris Memorial Lecture at Aston University. The venue was particularly pertinent as Professor Norris had a long connection with the university as Professor of Electrical Power Engineering and subsequently Emeritus Professor until his retirement in 2003. We were pleased to welcome another Aston Alumni, Andrew Roper, Director of Engineering and Investment at Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks, who delivered an excellent talk on Opportunities for Innovative Asset Management in the Transition to Distribution System Operator. Andrew described the challenges facing Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) as the nature of electricity supply at both local and regional level changes rapidly, outlining…

David Swanson
Flexible Digital Technologies for Resilient Communities: making our cities smarter and safer

IET Central London Evening Lecture, Savoy Place, London, 08-Nov-2017 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 speakers. Subtitle: "Supporting Each Other Before, During and After a Crisis" We had four speakers, each bringing his specialist expertise and knowledge to our panel: Richard Barnes, former Statutory Deputy Mayor of London, former Member of The Board, Transport for London and former Deputy Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority Robert Hall, London First Director, Security & Resilience Network David Allen-Rogers, Resilience lead from Alchemmy Consulting Ross Tuffee, Sales Director, Dogfi.sh First up, we heard from Richard who took us through…

David Tabor
MOD Abbey Wood Hosts Second Sustaining Airworthiness In Ageing Aircraft Seminar

Last year the Aerospace Network held a seminar on ‘Ageing Aircraft’ in London and, during the event, it was realised that the majority of those who would benefit the most from this type of event were based in the South-West. The Network therefore decided to organise a second, more technically-focused, event, which was held at MOD Abbey Wood on 18 October 2017. Speakers were chosen who could provide delegates with insight into innovative approaches and the latest technology. MOD speakers discussed examples of current in-Service ageing issues and provided a Regulator's view. With the personal support of Air Marshal Young, Chief of Materiel (Air) and Defence Engineering Champion, this second Ageing Aircraft event was aimed at facilitating the exchange of ideas between air teams. It also…

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
IET Singapore YP Committee List 2017/18

Tan Eng Hwa. BEng EMBA PMP MIET Data Protection Officer, IET Singapore 2017/2018 Chair, IET YP Singapore 2016/2018 Eng Hwa is Chairman of the Young Professional Section (YPS) and Data Protection of the Singapore Network. He has been actively volunteering with the Singapore Network since 2013 starting as Committee Member and has successfully run the inaugural Faraday Challenge on 15 Dec 2015. The event was a huge success and a second run in collaboration with the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore was successfully delivered on 21 May 2016. He was also the organising chair for the network’s 40 th Anniversary Dinner on the 2 Dec 2016. “To inspire, inform and influence the engineering community” is the mission of the IET and Eng Hwa truly epitomises this by stepping up to lead amazing…

Former Community Member
The application of DSP microcontrollers to motor drives and power conversion - abstract and presentation

On Monday 13th November 2017 IET Northumbria Netwrk hosted a presentation by Dr David Atkinson of Newcastle University on the following topic: The Electrical Power Research Group at Newcastle University has a requirement for real-time control in many of its research projects. These projects include many types of motor control applications and power conversion for energy systems. This talk described a general purpose DSP microcontroller based control system that has been developed for use by PhD students and Research Associates. After describing the hardware and software system, a number of application examples were given. Dr Atkinson has kindly consented to the the slides from his presention to be displayed in this blog.

Tom Fry
Small Satellites & Constellations Seminar

The Satellite Systems & Applications Network recently held an inaugural event with techUK covering the hot topic of ‘Small Satellites and Constellations’. The event was well received with over 90 delegates in attendance and unfortunately we had to turn people away due to the popularity of the event. Those present enjoyed an informative series of presentation and judging by the difficulties we had in getting people back into the lecture room after the networking breaks and lunch, those were popular as well. For those of you who were not able to secure a place at the event or just want to have a look at the presentation slides, these can now be found here along with a copy of the revised programme and the speakers’ biographies . Comment from Chris Brunskill, SSA TPN Chairman “One of the…

Deborah-Claire McKenzie
Northern Ireland Christmas Lecture: Engineering The Magic Of Christmas

Engineering the Magic of Christmas (sponsored by Catalyst Inc) Monday 18th December 2017, Ulster Museum, Stranmillis Road, Belfast Meet a real life elf, none other than local inventor Ciaran Larkin, who designs, manufactures and engineers toys for the global toy giant Hasbro. For 2 years Ciaran has been designing and building in his Belfast workshop then hand-delivering these top secret new toys to the USA to the company that created toys such as Nerf, Transformers and Play-Doh! He is one of the people that Hasbro goes to when they have an idea for a toy but don't quite know how to bring it to life- his own company name 'Made Real Design' sums up exactly what he does. After studying Electrical Engineering at Queens University Belfast, Ciaran went on to study Product Design to bring his hobby…

Eoin McGread
Do You Support Or Oppose The Use Of Nuclear Energy As One Of The Ways To Provide Electricity?

A new nuclear paradigm, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), provide a more practical solution than more conventional types of nuclear fission, and could spell big things for both the UK and the rest of the world.A new nuclear paradigm, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), provide a more practical solution than more conventional types of nuclear fission, and could spell big things for both the UK and the rest of the world. Why not join us for our next free evening EngTalk on the ever-controversial topic of nuclear energy on Monday 4 December? Building on the popularity of our Prestige Lecture series, EngTalks raises key questions and challenges the future of science, technology and engineering, and also enjoys an exciting showcase of relevant technology (and, of course, drinks and nibbles!). Did you…

Former Community Member
Join The IET Control & Automation Network Executive Team

The Control and Automation Network are looking for IET members to join their Executive committee. How can you benefit? Team members benefit from: extensive networking opportunities; training and professional development; the opportunity to promote your area of interest to a wider audience. What is expected of an Executive Team Member? The Executive members act as ambassadors for the Control & Automation 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; engaging in the online community ; developing the annual strategy; working with Control & Automation contacts to deliver hot topics We welcome applications from both UK and non UK IET members…

Former Community Member
PC Group - Information and Communications Technology

The group discusses all aspects of Personal Computing as well as Information and Communication Technology, and organises presentations of interest to members. Meetings are held at Newdigate Village Hall ( Click for Scalable Map ), Kingsland, Newdigate, RH5 5DA (OS Ref TQ195422) and are normally on the THIRD Wednesday of the month. The meetings generally start at 10.30 following coffee and biscuits. Visitors are welcome to our meetings. After the meetings there is an opportunity to have lunch at the local hostelry - The Six Bells. A menu for pre-ordering lunch is circulated during the meeting. Membership Membership is currently £5 a year. Click here for Application form (PDF) download. Newsletters Click here for Newsletters from current and past years. The newsletters contain reports of the…

Julie
Walking Group

Walks are arranged and are led by members. Don Andrews (01737 354801) is the coordinator. Please let him and the walk leader know if you plan to join the walk. Walks are generally on Tuesdays. Meet at 10.15 for a 10.30 start. Care should be taken using the postcode with satnavs, as the result is sometimes inaccurate. The map link is a better indication of location!

Julie
Groups

Walks Walks are arranged and are led by members. Don Andrews (01737 354801) is the coordinator. Click here for full details. Portfolio Group The Group meets every two months. Details from Tony Barnes . (01306 640006). PC Group - Information and Communications Technology The group discusses all aspects of Personal Computing as well as Information and Communication Technology, and organises presentations of interest to members. Click here for full details. Music and Theatre Group The group organises visits to musical events. It is coordinated by Norman Carpenter (01483 714634). Visits Visits to places of interest are occasionally arranged by our members who are invited to make suggestions to the committee.

Julie
Events Programme

Our monthly Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month in the East Horsley Village Hall , Kingston Avenue, KT24 6QT, off the B2039 just south of Horsley Railway Station (OS Ref. TQ090542; phone 01483 285019). The meetings normally start at 10:15 for coffee. Partners are welcome; no attendance fee is payable. Parking at the Hall is very restricted and members are requested to make best use of the space available. Please find details of our upcoming events in the events listing . The programmes for 2010 , 2011 , 2012 , 2013 , 2014 , 2015 and 2016 are available to download.

Julie
Membership

We extend a warm invitation to all retired engineers to become members of our RMS. The Application form (MS Word) can be downloaded here (if you have difficulty opening a .docx file then a .rtf file can be downloaded here ). Please edit the form and email it to the RMS Membership Secretary John Parker and the Treasurer Guy Meakin . Full instructions for payment are at the bottom of the form. Notes 1) PDF (Portable Document Format) documents can be opened in Adobe Acrobat Reader (very large download) or Foxit Reader (smaller download). Foxit reader should be able to open almost any PDF file. Foxit reader can be downloaded here . Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded here . 2) Persons participating in walks or meetings in private houses do so entirely at their own risk. Members should be aware…

Julie
About us

The Surrey Retired Members Section (RMS) of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Surrey Local Network was founded in 1989. It was set up to enable members of the IET who have retired from their normal full-time occupations to meet up with like-minded friends and colleagues on a regular basis. The major activity of the RMS is a meeting held on the first Wednesday of each month at East Horsley Village Hall. Proceedings begin with a time of social interaction over coffee followed by a talk given by a visiting speaker. The talks themselves are sometimes of a technical nature outlining, for example, recent developments in some aspect of engineering or perhaps reviewing the historic development of a particular technology; such technical presentations are interspersed with general-interest…

Julie

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