Latest Insights from the EngX Community

  • How to use Corporate Venturing (an alternative to venture capital, offering faster routes to market)

    Commercialising innovation always needs funding and venture capital is not the only answer. The new corporate venturing world now stands beside venture capital, and it offers some unique advantages. However, Corporate Venturing needs navigating and steering. Join us for a webinar on the 17 th June when we will hear from Maija Palmer of Global Corporate Venturing on How to use Corporate Venturing and how it is now beginning to augment venture capital but with the promise of better and faster routes to market. Who should attend this webinar? Start-ups who may want to reach the market faster or are unsure about raising further investments. Those who want to work in an ambitious start-up. One of the many stalled companies facing a funding gap Private Equity funded companies with no…

  • Bo Yang: A Story of Mentorship and Growth

    Mentorship is often discussed as a tool for early career development yet its value does not diminish as engineers become more senior. Bo Yang’s experience through the IET mentoring programme shows how guidance from an experienced volunteer can help established leaders sharpen their impact refine their narrative and step confidently into wider influence. “I didn’t seek a mentor to learn how to do engineering, but to refine how I position leadership and articulate impact at a systems level.” When Bo first connected with her mentor Colin, she was already operating at Director level. She was leading large teams and delivering complex engineering programmes, but her challenge was no longer technical depth. Instead, her focus had shifted to scaling impact across organisations, strategy, and…

  • From Wind, Water and Uncertainty: The Engineering Lessons of the Golden Gate Bridge

    On 27 May 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge opened to the public, completing what was then the longest suspension bridge in the world. Spanning the turbulent Golden Gate strait between San Francisco and Marin County, the bridge represented a decisive leap in structural engineering, construction safety, and aerodynamic understanding. Nearly ninety years later, it remains a working piece of infrastructure and a reference point for engineers designing at the limits of scale. The engineering problem in context Before construction began in 1933, many experts believed a bridge across the Golden Gate was infeasible. The strait is over 1.6 km wide, with depths exceeding 100 m, powerful tidal currents, persistent fog, and strong winds flowing directly in from the Pacific Ocean. The site also lies near…

Latest IET EngX News

  • AI, Engineering Skills and Real‑World Challenges: May's highlights on EngX

    As we wrap up May, it has been another thoughtful and wide‑ranging month across the IET EngX community. From deep dives into engineering history and emerging technology challenges to open conversations around skills, wellbeing, and global impact, members have continued to share insight, experience and practical knowledge. Here are some of our top highlights from across EngX in May. Top Discussions This Month The forums have been as active as ever, with conversations spanning cutting‑edge technology, career development, and practical engineering challenges. A number of threads explored AI and digital transformation, including discussions such as Beyond hype: uncovering the critical research axes and future trajectories of AI‑driven digital transformation and Zero Trust was not built…

  • From Space Stories to Smart Systems: April on EngX

    April on EngX brought together a thoughtful mix of emerging technologies, industry insight and personal journeys. From a closer look at how 5G networks are evolving behind the scenes to fresh perspectives on the continuing influence of broadcast media, the blogs this month highlighted both the pace of change and the importance of understanding the fundamentals. Alongside these, inspiring career stories and reflections on the history of space exploration added a more human dimension, while discussions across the forums explored automation, energy systems and real‑world engineering trade‑offs. Here’s a look at some of the content that stood out this month: Blogs worth a read Massive MIMO: the brains behind 5G networks This detailed post from Soubhagya Ranjan Mohapatra explores how Massive…

    Lisa Miles
  • March Highlights on EngX: AI Insights, Inclusive Voices and Engineering Impact

    March was a month packed with fresh technical thinking, practical guidance, and human‑centred stories across the EngX community. From deep dives into industrial AI to personal reflections from engineers shaping their workplaces, here’s your roundup of what captured attention and sparked conversation this month. AI in Manufacturing: Why So Many Initiatives Stall One of the most thought‑provoking reads this month came from Dr Paul Johnson , whose article AI in Manufacturing: Why Most Initiatives Fail & How to Deliver Real Engineering Value explores why organisations continue to struggle with turning AI investment into meaningful operational outcomes. Johnson illustrates this through a real‑world predictive maintenance example where an AI model successfully identified early warning signs…

Latest Partner News

  • Josie Harries discusses how Domino is working to increase support for women in the workplace

    Encouraging women to choose careers in STEM subjects has been top of the agenda for many years – but what fresh ideas can you introduce within the workplace to attract and support female employees? At Domino, we are committed to improving the gender ratio in leadership roles within a business to 40% by 2030. This target, endorsed from Board level down, now stands at 25%, from a starting figure of 18%. Support networks Recently we re-launched our Women@Domino global network to promote inclusion within the business and facilitate the sharing of ideas and experiences, as well as networking, mentoring, events and training. Gender was also one of three key areas in our new Inclusion & Diversity strategy. The network is not limited to female employees; male colleagues are encouraged to participate…

  • Road to Engineering event introduces children to the world of engineering

    BAE System's Submarines Academy for Skills and Knowledge (SASK), Barrow-in-Furness successfully hosted the 6th Road to Engineering event which took place over three action-packed days. Over 200 children from the Furness area participated in the event which aims to inspire future careers in Engineering. This year's theme was 'Adapt and Change' following the British Science week theme. Supporting the event were the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Barrow District of Associate Engineers and the Royal Institute of Naval Architects who contributed valuable insight, merchandise and STEM packs for schools. Stephen Rowe, Project Director of Engineering Transformation said, "It was a privilege to attend the Road to Engineering event and…

  • H&MV Engineering appointed as principal designer and contractor for the Thorpe Marsh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

    H&MV Engineering has been appointed as principal designer and contractor for the delivery of the 400 kV grid connection and electrical infrastructure for the Thorpe Marsh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – the largest of its kind in the UK and among the largest in Europe. This landmark project, led by Fidra Energy and backed by major investment from EIG and the UK Government’s National Wealth Fund (NWF), has now reached financial close with construction commencing immediately. Located on the site of the former Thorpe Marsh coal-fired power station in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, the 1,400MW / 3,100MWh facility will be capable of exporting over 2 million MWh annually, supplying clean energy to approximately 785,000 homes. Once operational in mid-2027, it will be three times larger than…

Latest articles from E+T Magazine

  • Two-in-one propulsion system could transform how microsatellites manoeuvre in space

    A new “best of both worlds” rocket system could enable tiny satellites to perform multiple manoeuvres in space using a single fuel tank. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, US have developed a rocket propulsion system that combines the power and speed of traditional chemical thrusters with the precision and efficiency of electric thrusters. Chemical thrusters enable small satellites to perform short, fast manoeuvres, such as quickly ascending or descending, while electrical or electrospray thrusters enable them to perform slower but more precise manoeuvres, such as travelling bit by bit through space. Combining the two types of thruster could give small satellites more flexibility in space and would mean that they would only have to carry one fuel…

  • New optical system mimics human eye to help self-driving cars adapt to light

    A new optical system that mimics the human eye’s ability to adapt from bright to dark conditions in seconds could help self-driving vehicles better navigate their environment, according to a study. Self-driving vehicles and sophisticated robots use advanced cameras, computer algorithms and AI to perceive their surroundings. However, these ‘artificial eyes’ struggle to remain reliable when the surrounding environment changes from bright to dark. In a study, co-led by Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) in the US, researchers took inspiration from the mechanics of the human eye to develop a new optical system that can rapidly adapt in changing light. “Self-driving cars are exposed to a mixture of light levels in use – imagine the contrast of the dark sky with the bright headlights…

  • National Grid anticipates major power surges during England’s World Cup matches

    The National Grid is preparing for massive peaks in electricity demand during the World Cup, with Scotland and England’s group games anticipated to drive especially high usage. According to the National Energy System Operator (NESO), games that feature domestic teams could see demand rise by up to 600MW – equivalent to the output of a single massive generator unit at a major thermal power station. NESO expects that it will generate around 40–50% of the demand from renewable sources, and that requirements will be roughly 20% lower than during 1998 World Cup matches – largely down to the improved efficiency of televisions and devices, which use much less energy than those in use during past tournaments. As the largest World Cup ever staged, featuring 40 more games than any previous tournament…