IET EngX® Community Insights

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.

Grid

List

Present Around The World - Winner of the Surrey Heat

And the winner is .......... Harry Smith who presented his topic 'How to paint houses in your sleep' based on his entrepreneurial work inventing a small robotic device that can assist with painting high walls in situations where doing so would be risky or complex to do so manually. The audience were captivated by this exciting idea that autonomous systems could make such a difference to household maintenance while also other exciting robotic ideas were shown that were inspired by this work such as a toilet that can automatically clean itself. We offer our warm congratulations to Harry on winning the Surrey Heat and wish him well in the next round. More information bout Harry's work can be seen at www.hausbots.com . Present Around the World is a global competition for young professionals and…

Mike Prewett
CPGCE 2017 PATW Winner Annouced

The winner of the 2017 CPGCE Present Around the World competition local heat has been announced as Mr Gideon Mentie for his presentation on 'Appropriate Technology for Developing Communities'. The competition was held at the University of Calgary on Saturday 25th March where judges enjoyed presentations from three competitors. Each competitor has to deliver a ten minute presention as well as a follow-up Q&A from the judges. Mr Mentie will now go on to represent CPGCE at the regional finals in the summer, the winner of which will travel to London for the global final where they will meet the winners from each of the IET's five regions. Robert Mayall, a CPGCE local winner became the 2014/15 PATW global winner. Good luck Gideon!

Former Staff Member
CANCELLED - Date Chosen For The Georg Fischer (GF) Piping Systems Visit

CANCELLED The date for the visit to GF Piping Systems in Schaffhausen has been fixed. The visit will take place on Monday 15th. May 2017. Please read Jeff Hunter's blog entry over at the Switzerland LN community page. There you will find an agenda and the registration URL. Registration closes on May 8th. and there are a limited number of places available, so don't wait too long before putting your name down. Howard Gray Germany Network

Howard Gray
CANCELLED - Planning Georg Fischer (GF) Piping Systems Visit

CANCELLED The IET Switzerland and IET Germany Networks are organizing a joint technical visit to GF Piping Systems in Schaffhausen on May 15 th 2017 . GF Piping Systems is one of the three divisions of GF (Georg Fischer) and traces its root back to 1802 when Johann Conrad Fischer established a copper smelting plant in Schaffhausen. The company is now a leading supplier of piping systems for the safe and reliable transport of liquids and gases. Address: Ebnatrasse 111, 8021, Schaffhausen, Switzerland Registrations If you would like to know more about plastic injection molding, get to see fully automated production cells and the largest injection molding machine in Switzerland , register to the visit by May 8 th here: https://localevents.theiet.org/252826 Agenda May 15…

Jeff Hunter
Engineering Excellence Award Dinner 2017 - First Joint Annual Dinner

Engineering Excellence Award dinner 2017, our first joint annual dinner with IMechE and IChemE went smoothly and successfully last night. A number of awards were presented during the dinner from each institution. IET awards including the Present Around the World Manchester heat award presented by myself and our guest from the CCUK, Jon Stevens and the IET Manchester Network Outstanding Achievement Award presented by Keith McCabe, the Chair of IET Manchester Network and our guest Tom H Laing representing the IET President. There were many opportunities to network with members from all institutions, and was also great to see familiar faces and meeting new people. There was a dinner challenge which everyone took part in, and the IET Manchester Young Professionals Network won the award, congratulations…

Former Community Member
Blackholes, Quantum Architecture, Cyber And Big Bang Theory. (IET London Network).

That’s right, the TV serial Big Bang Theory was mentioned at an event hosted by the IET London Network. Marika Talyor PHD gave a very insightful talk on Blackhole theories, Astronomy and Quantum Computing. Associated astrophysical topics where also reviewed. The talk focused on how black-hole theories have developed over the recent decades and matured enough now that they can be applied to the fast developing world of colloquial quantum computing. Explaining the theory of Event-Horizon Telescope and association to the Holographic Principal, parallels were drawn to quantum computing being described as a giant breathing hard-disk-drive whose state is determined by the activities of qubits as variables. So anything that goes into the HDD can have its effects calculated based off environment variables…

Rimesh Patel in Space
Mentor or 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 may be overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of information available and may not know where to turn, you'll have plenty of people around you who can offer support and opinions but finding impartial advice can sometimes be harder than you would expect. The IET could not run our professional development or professional registration services without the support of our volunteers and there are two key people you might consider seeking out on your path to Professional Registration - these are a mentor or a Professional Registration Advisor (PRA). There is often confusion over what these roles are and who you should contact…

Kathryn Bain in CEng
TV Piracy And Content Streaming

Very topically the MMC TPN ran its first half-day courses on Content Protection at Savoy Place yesterday, and the very same day there was a full-length article in the Guardian on the problems being posed to the Premier League by content streaming, mainly onto boxes running Kodi media software plus the extensions to provide access to illegal streaming sites! https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/mar/29/premier-league-illegal-streaming-tv-audiences What do people think about the current state of media piracy and the various countermeasures (not to say whack-a-mole) being deployed in an attempt to limit it? Perhaps we could start a discussion in the relevant part of the MMC area if there is enough interest?

Graham Turner
Your Journey To Professional Development (CPDs)

As you know, IET has introduced a policy of random reviewing of Professionally Active Registrants’ CPD returns starting from January 2017. Members will need to undertake a minimum of 30 hours of CPD a year. Useful links about CPD : What counts as CPDs/What should I do What’s the difference between CPDs and IPDs CPD Resources CPD video CPD poster Join the IET Professional Development online group (most of the links above can be found at their online group): find out more… IET Singapore talk For early career engineers – building your career Working towards and gaining Professional registration qualifications is an example of CPD Volunteer at Singapore Network Attending events organised by Singapore Network, find out more... Volunteering at the Singapore Network For established engineers…

Former Community Member
IET South Australia Student Event at University of Adelaide

University of Adelaide Students at IET BBQ event The IET always makes an effort early in the calendar year to introduce itself to students in all faculties at the University of Adelaide, where we have a particularly active group of Young Professionals. The IET Young Professionals in SA, capably managed by James Mitchell and well supported by GPA Engineering's Ben Macey , ran a free BBQ for around 300 students and staff on the Maths lawns on Monday 20th March 2017 from 12 midday to 2pm. Thanks go to our young Chefs, Bailey Sadedin (1st Year Flexible Entry Engineering), Conor Noonan (1st Year Mechatronics and Double Degree Computer Science), Aaron Lim (1st Year Mechanical Engineering) and Jordan McDonald (1st Year Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering). The IET would love to hold similar functions…

Former Community Member
Name That Tune....Railway Tune

For our April newsletter, rather than a Top Ten (we are running out of ideas now, so if you have any, please forward them on) we have put our thinking caps on and have a little quiz instead. Name that Tune....Railway Tune We want song title and artist (album as well if you know it) 1. She sent me a railroad ticket to take me to her lovin arms 2. Pick up my bag, run to the station, railman says you got the wrong location 3. Then it comes to be that soothing light at the end of the tunnel is just a freight train coming your way 4. You know I'm loaded, railroaded, I'm explosive, I'm a locomotive 5. Whistle blow, blue train roll What Are Your Favorite Train Songs? With so many to pick from, this is just a very short list. What are some of your favorites? Let us know below with your answers…

Lynsay Callaghan
IET Exhibiting At Railtex 2017 - Come Along And Visit Us On Stand T05

The IET and the Railway Technical and Professional Network (TPN) will be on stand T05 during Railtex 2017 where we are one of the supporting organisations . During the 3 days, we will have information on Professional Registration , IET Membership , information on ICRE18 and lots of information about the Railway TPN , so keep an eye out for updates on what will be available on each day. We will also be signing people up to the Railway Community page so that you can be kept up to date with what the Railway TPN Exec Team are doing, taking ideas for what you would like to see the TPN host in 2017/18 and beyond. There will also be the opportunity to give us a short interview to post on the community page, so why not drop by and give us your thoughts on a topical rail issue. We look forward to…

Lynsay Callaghan
IET South Australia Network's Women Engineering Night

The IET South Australia Network Young Professionals Section recently organized a very successful event: “Women In Engineering” Networking night with 3 guest speakers: Niki Robinson, Chair of SA/NT Engineers Australia, Catherine Sinclair, Senior Software Engineer and Lowen Patridge Brand Strategist and Marketer to discuss about their experience, the importanace of networking and personal brand. There were students/faculty from University of South Australia, Adelaide University and Flinders University as well as several engineers and other professionals from industry. As IET SA Network Chairman Rob said: "“ The event underlined the value women bring to engineering community and our continued commitment to supporting a diverse and inclusive workspace. We aim to hold more of these events…

Former Community Member
Speaker Highlight - The 3rd Annual Future Of Medicine – The Role Of Doctors In 2027

Join us at The 3rd Annual Future of Medicine – The Role Of Doctors In 2027 Professor Richard Baldock, University of Edinburgh will be joining us to speak on day. See Professor Baldock’s biography below: My background is in theoretical physics and my research in the Human Genetics Unit is directed to understanding the genetic control of development. In collaboration with Dr Duncan Davidson I have developed the atlas-based concept for spatio-temporal databases in biomedicine and in particular the Edinburgh Mouse Atlas and associated databases. In this context my research interests span image processing for 3D model reconstruction, spatio-temporal data-mapping, in situ gene-expression pattern analysis, bioinformatics, atlas-based biomedical databases, high throughput data capture and analysis…

Former Community Member
Speaker Highlight - The 3rd Annual Future Of Medicine – The Role Of Doctors In 2027

We are delighted to announce that our second speaker of the day at the very popular event The 3rd Annual Future of Medicine – The Role of Doctors in 2027 will be Professor Tony Young PhD FRCS(Urol). National Clinical Lead for Innovation NHS England Consultant Urological Surgeon and Clinical Lead for Innovation Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Innovation lead Essex Success Regime/STP President Institute of Decontamination Sciences Director of Medical Innovation, Anglia Ruskin University. Tony is a practicing frontline NHS surgeon, Director of Medical Innovation at Anglia Ruskin University, and has founded 4 Med-Tech start-ups. He has also co-founded the £500m Anglia Ruskin MedTech Campus which is set to become one of the world’s largest health innovation spaces. In 2014 he…

Former Community Member
The Elephant in the Room - Population Growth

Recently, Roger Batten , one of our exec team members was in print - his letter appeared in the New Civil Engineer magazine, which is the official magazine of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). For over 50 years, NCE has been the leading resource for civil engineering news and analysis, industry comment, technical features, product innovations and job opportunities. Roger and I got to talking about this after one of our committee meetings, and we thought that it would be of interest to members of our online community. Roger agreed to slightly expand on his letter and I would upload as a blog posting on our community area - fascinating topic and I hope may start some interesting discussion. Please do feel free to post your thoughts in the comment box below - look forward to reading…

Joanne Longton
11 Times Modern Life Has Been Disrupted By Multimedia

Let’s go invent tomorrow rather than worrying about what happened yesterday. —Steve Jobs, D5 Conference: All Things Digital, May 30, 2007 I can’t remember the last time I bought a music CD. Or a DVD. Definitely not a cassette tape. Can you? Instead I stream whatever music I fancy whilst on the move, or spend a lazy weekend searching Netflix for a film. Long gone are the impromptu Saturday night trips to Blockbuster in the rain to see if they had Gladiator or Love Actually on DVD for hire (then panicking a week later that they’re overdue). Missed Tuesday’s Eastenders? No worries, it’ll be available on BBC IPlayer for a month. In fact, why not download it for your morning commute? The world of media communications is fast-paced, and consumer uptake equally ravenous. The term used for one…

Former Staff Member
IET Surrey March 2017 Event - How To Hack A Bank

On Wednesday 22nd March IET Surrey members and non-members learned how to hack a bank! Not literally but rather the methods and technology cyber criminals use to attack largely financial institutions. In front of a packed lecture theatre at the University of Surrey in Guildford, presenters David Cash and Julian Storr - senior consultants with the NCC Group - explained how with often comparative ease cyber criminals can launch controlled attacks on an organisation. This may be from the first phishing email to the complete compromise of an IT infrastructure. Julian's and David's talk highlighted the ever increasing need for technical security controls and awareness and the need to continually review monitoring solutions. Feedback from the audience has been positive, and indication of the interest…

Mike Prewett
Young Professionals Programme (YPP) - From Hong Kong LN Younger Members Section

Young Professionals Programme (YPP) OBJECTIVES To nurture young professionals in the industry (and potential YMSC members) To promote the IET and its professional registration system To promote the IET Hong Kong and its 6 local TPNs To increase participation of YMS in STEM education Young Professionals Programme (YPP) would be an engineering elite programme open for graduate engineers of the year (or the year before also) annually. Interested individuals will be required to submit their CV as well as a completed application form consisting of introductory texts and their answers to some engineering topics. With reference to their CVs and application forms, a total of 10 candidates would be selected to join YPP. YPP would be offering the candidates chances to meet respected engineers in town…

Yiu Chi Wai
Youth Mentoring Programme - From Hong Kong LN Students Section

Youth Mentoring Programme - Great Start to an Engineer’s Journey It is not unusual to hear fellow engineering students sigh, that they are not certain where they would end up after graduating from their university; or even freshmen are not sure which engineering disciplines would be the best for them. Often times they would wish for someone to be there as their mentors to guide them through the maze of engineering. Embarking on a mission to help engineering students connect with the industry, the Students Section (Hong Kong) of Younger Members Section launched the Youth Mentoring Programme (YMP) in 2011, in an effort to clear some of the doubts young students have in their mind. Through the combination of technical visits, seminars, and most importantly, face-to-face networking sessions…

Yiu Chi Wai
CM Blog - Singapore Network Visit

Meeting with Chairman Bicky and Main committee members I visited the Singapore Network 15 – 18 March. Busy few days, meetings with Main committee, YPS and YPS sub-divisions listening to their sharings about views and vision for the IET. Together with YPS Chairman Tan Eng Hwa and YPS member Morgan, we shared about the IET with the NTU and PSB Academy On Campus group. Always good to see the old friends and many new faces at both main committee and YPS. Many exciting events at the Singapore Network in 2016 including their 40th Anniversary celebration event, site visits to Rolls Royce, Microsoft, Cisco, Faraday Challenge, and a new and vibrant On Campus group set up at PSB Academy. NTU PATW Competition Final 2017 Thanks to the NTU OC special projects team led by YIqi and OC in charge…

Former Community Member
Young Professionals Committee 2017

In a not so engineering fashion, this year our new marketing officer, Ms Irene Veliana has decided to interview all our newly elected committee by asking them 2-3 quick random facts about themselves. The result is nothing but astounding. Ms Veliana has created the beautiful committee charts which perfectly captured all the key people within the Young Professionals committee. The quick random facts about our committee will let everyone to get to know all our committee even better. We look forward to yet another productive and fruitful year here at IET WA Young Professionals Leon Marketing & Membership Team Lead IET WA Young Professionals

Former Community Member
Railway TPN Young Professional Visit To The Traffic Management Facility At Romford

The Young Professionals latest technical visit was to Network Rail’s new Traffic Management facility at the Romford Rail Operating Centre to see the UK’s first deployment of Traffic Management. Through the Digital Railway programme Network Rail, alongside industry partners, are creating a digital future for Britain’s railway. Their aim is to benefit passengers and support economic growth. As part of this programme of works a Traffic Management System is being developed and deployed. This system will help to reduce passenger delay at times when the service is in perturbation. Network Rail’s Traffic Management system interfaces with the signalling system, business systems and telephony systems to automatically schedule and route trains. We met on the platform at Romford and were guided to the…

Lynsay Callaghan
Introducing the New Railway TPN YP Chair, David Lawes

At the January 2017 meeting of the Railway TPN YP Group, the position of Chair was handed to David Lawes. David would like to pass on his Chair message. Message from David Lawes, Railway TPN YP Chair. I am truly excited to be the next Chair of the IET Young Professionals Rail Network, having been part of various rail committees for the past 4 years. Firstly, I’d like to say a huge thank you to my predecessor Matthew Bagshawe, who has looked after the committee for the past three years. Matthew grew the committee and its success and I aspire to build on what he’s achieved. For me what is most important about chairing this network is actively contributing to the promotion of the rail industry to young professionals. It’s key to our industry to inspire, employ and retain talent; providing…

Lynsay Callaghan

Welcome to the Community Insights blog!

Community Rules & Guidelines