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  • 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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    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
    Julie

  • Is Resilience The New Risk ? (IET London Network).

    Focusing on the theme of field-based technologies, I took opportunity to attend a discussion on Flexible Digital Technologies for Resilient Communities hosted by the IET London Network. Increasingly business are being awoken to the benefits of community interactions. Whilst competitive edge remains valid for all business, there is now an increase seen where competitors are collaborating a lot more than they used to. This builds resilience into any industry as its those people behaviours that defines how successful the industry/community can become. The evening discussions extended out to review concepts such as technology assisted transactions that occur by automation based off community interactions. For Cyber Security, it was mentioned that understanding human behaviours will be key to making…

  • Engineering Extravaganza Event At The AMRC Rotherham South Yorkshire.

    On the 7th November 2017 the Engineering Extravaganza event was once again held at the AMRC in Rotheram. This event has now been consolidated into a twice yearly event for participating schools across the South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire area From its origins back in 2014 this has proved to be a very successful event which now embraces valuable inputs from the AMRC Training Centre and TWI based on the Advanced Manufacturing Park complex. The four PEI's once again delivered their interactive events where students get the opportunity to have an interesting hands-on experience whilst being able to perceive the Engineering profession in a more enlightened way than they may have experienced previously. For the IET, Andrew Elwood and Layla Graham our two SYLN SLO's provided an excellent and professional…

    Alan Chater
    Alan Chater

  • Portrait of an Engineer

    The stereotype of an engineer is alive and well amongst school children, according to new research by the Institution of Engineering and Technology. To dispel these engrained ideas of what a typical engineer ‘looks like’, the IET is celebrating the 40th Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards with a campaign to showcase engineering in a completely different light, dramatically highlighting the diverse career opportunities available in the industry through stunning and unexpected imagery. The IET has commissioned Rankin Studios, renowned for photographing everyone from Kate Moss and Madonna to The Queen, to style and shoot this year’s award finalists as well as previous affiliates in a series of dramatic and thought provoking images. Dubbed ‘Portrait of an Engineer’, the series was shot by award…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • Safety in Complex Systems

    Safety in Complex systems was the topic of our talk on the 21st October in Carlsbad, and for the first time via Skype for those who chose to join remotely. After defining Safety as the freedom from unacceptable risk of exposure to hazards, Dr. Graham Sutherland continued to discuss how planning for safety is fundamentally about uncertainty and future events the planners don’t yet know about and making educated guesses to control them. While safety can be occupational, functional or safety, for the purposes of this talk Dr. Sutherland concentrated on Systems Safety which is a specialty within systems engineering. The process of System Safety applies engineering and management principles, criteria and techniques with the goal of optimizing safety by identifying safety-related risks and eliminating…

    Richard Tregaskes
    Richard Tregaskes

  • IET Singapore Network Main Committee List 2017/18

    Jolyon Caplin, BSc MSc MIET Chair, IET Singapore Network 2017/19   Jolyon Caplin is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Singapore Polytechnic, serving since 1988. Jolyon is returning as Chair of the Institution of Engineering Technology (Singapore Network) having also served as Chair for the 2012/13 session and in several other Committee positions since 2001.  He joined the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) in 1978 as Student Member and has been Member since 1982.  He has started and supported many initiatives in IET(SN) including the Faraday Lecture Asian Tours from 2005 to 2008 with an adjunct engineering exhibition in Singapore.  His main drive is to develop youth interest and commitment to engineering. Bicky Bhangu, BEng Msc PhD MBA CEng FIET…

    Former Community Member
    Former Community Member

  • LAPC 2017 - Have You Got Your Ticket?

    LAPC 17 is nearly upon us. This will be the first time the IET has organised it and it’s fair to say we’re excited about it here in the office!   About the Event: LAPC 2017 is the largest annual UK event dedicated to the fields of Antennas and Propagation. Now its 13th successful year, the event regularly attracts delegates from academia, industry and government. The conference will again take place at the Burleigh Court International Conference Centre, Loughborough and follows a single-track format where invited talks in special sessions are alternated with open poster sessions co-located with an exhibition   If you haven’t booked your ticket, there are still a few places left, so make sure to book soon.   To get ready for the event, you can check out the programme for 2017 or read my blog…

    Former Staff Member
    Former Staff Member

  • International Construction Measurement Standard

    The Project Controls Network is a founder member of the International Coalition that has developed the ICMS Standard 2017.    The final Standard is in our files section , together with an article from the "Project Controls Professional Journal" by ARUP on how they are implementing the Standard on Infrastructure Projects.   The challenge for the ICMS Coalition Board is how to keep the impetus going, until the international Coalition Board meets in May next year to decide on the next Standard(s) to develop. Nearly 40 Countries will be represented and there appears to be much interest in the Standard within the profession.  The Standard has been welcomed by such organisations as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Please do feel free to share this with your colleagues and…

    Joanne Longton
    Joanne Longton

  • Design Workshop At The ETH (in Cooperation With The ETH MUN). Open To All. Entrance Is Free...

    Are you a Design Thinker.... ...or would you like to be one...?   IET Design Thinking Workshop Design Thinking provides Innovators with the ability to discover and shape real customer needs and value, which are the foundations of Innovation. Design Thinkers pose the right questions to the right people, work visually, generate many ideas, prototypes, exploit feedback and iterate fast - they focus on the "right things" to innovate. In this hands-on session, you will learn about the concept of Design Thinking and work in pairs to create a product using these techniques. If you are interested, and would like to participate, then please come along and help us to make this a memorable workshop. Entrance is free.   Venue / Address: ETH Main building: Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich (Room HG F 33.5) Date…

    Jeff Hunter
    Jeff Hunter

  • From Unmanned Ground Vehicles to Robo-Taxis: Changes to road transportation

    We are very pleased to be able to welcome Dr. Javier Ibañez-Guzmán as our speaker at the joint MFI / IET Germany National Meeting in Augsburg on December 2nd. 2017. Here are some details about the presentation and the speaker.   From Unmanned Ground Vehicles to Robo-Taxis: Changes to road transportation Abstract In the late 90s and at the beginning of the 21st century, considerable interest existed in the use of robotics technology for defence applications. The Prometheus and NavLab vehicles showed what can be done with autonomous vehicle in civilian applications.  In October 2010, Google showed the Google car and its potential applications.  Suddenly, autonomous vehicles were no longer an exotic topic and today considerable efforts are going into this area. This presentation will share experiences…

    Howard Gray
    Howard Gray

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