Latest Insights from the EngX Community

  • Looking back: the 1926 launch of The Electrical Age for Women

    By Daniel Belteki, Graeme Gooday and Anne Locker Introduction What was so special about June 1926? It wasn’t just that Britain was emerging from the extraordinary near paralysis of a General Strike the previous month, nor that a Conservative government was trying – unprecedentedly – to legislate for the UK to have a National Grid for mass electricity supply. This was also the moment that saw the arrival of a brand-new magazine: The Electrical Age for Women . Under a variety of names, this stylish publication ran for another six decades, with its young parent organisation, the Electrical Association for Women vigorously campaigning for the benefits of electricity in homes and businesses. That magazine is available for all to view (see link above) as a route into a past world that many now…

  • Building More Than Robots: How ShockSoc Rebuilt a Hands-On Engineering Community

    This academic year has been one of rebuilding, growth, and hands-on engineering for ShockSoc, the Leeds Electronics and Electrical Engineering Society. From the beginning of the year, our aim was to make the society more active, accessible, and practically useful for students across the School of Electronic and Electrical Engineering. We wanted ShockSoc to become more than just a society name, we wanted it to be a place where students could learn new skills, meet others with similar interests, and apply engineering concepts outside the lecture theatre. At the start of the year, a major focus was re-establishing the society’s presence and encouraging new students to get involved. Through Freshers Fair, social media, course group chats, and direct engagement with students, we worked to make…

  • Value Engineering in the Aerospace Industry: Balancing Performance, Cost, and Innovation

    The aerospace industry is defined by extreme demands: uncompromising safety standards, high performance requirements, long operational lifecycles, and massive capital investments. Whether for commercial aircraft, defense systems, or space exploration vehicles, every component and system must deliver maximum reliability while staying within strict budget and schedule constraints. This is where Value Engineering (VE) becomes indispensable. Value Engineering is a systematic, organized approach to improve the "value" of products, systems, or processes by analyzing their functions - defined simply as: Value = Function / Cost In aerospace, value is not just about cutting costs; it means delivering the necessary performance, safety, and quality at the lowest possible total lifecycle cost. It…

    Paul Lino Galutira

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

  • UK offshore wind to get £9bn boost from Japanese investment deal

    The UK and Japan have announced new investment deals that will see Japanese firms invest more than £9bn on UK infrastructure and financial services and up to £9bn on UK floating offshore wind. The announcement was made during a summit meeting at 10 Downing Street between UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Takaichi Sanae, Prime Minister of Japan, who is currently visiting London as part of a European trip. The two leaders announced numerous deals relating to technology and business cooperation, including the UK-Japan Frontier Technology Partnership. This new partnership will see the UK’s expertise in software and research combined with Japan’s hardware and manufacturing capabilities to accelerate developments in AI, quantum, nuclear and defence tech. According to a statement from the…

  • Britain faces ‘deindustrialisation’ without energy bill relief, says Make UK

    Britain risk rampant deindustrialisation if domestic energy prices remain at current levels, Make UK has warned. The body warned that an increasing number of manufacturers are moving production overseas, or actively considering doing so, in response to soaring costs. Electricity in the UK is more expensive than in many of its European counterparts and remains more costly than it was before the 2022 price spikes driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. This is largely because the UK relies on gas to provide a consistent base load energy supply and the fuel has been subject to significant market volatility. British manufacturers have been hit particularly hard, while businesses looking to expand or modernise have faced delays connecting to the grid. While the government has said it will…

    E+T Magazine
  • Social media ban for under-16s to launch in the UK next spring

    Keir Starmer has announced plans to ban people under the age of 16 from social media using the same model that was deployed in Australia late last year. During the announcement, the Prime Minister said he hoped the measures would be introduced next spring and aimed to avoid the lengthy delays that plagued the Online Safety Bill (OSB). Australia’s implementation, which the UK intends to replicate, impacts all platforms whose purpose is to enable social interaction alongside the posting of user-generated material. The law affected platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, although the UK does not intend for messaging services including WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the ban. Australia’s enforcement strategy does not penalise children or parents. Instead…