Latest Insights from the EngX Community

  • We all have our cheese moved

    Change is something we all experience, yet few of us truly welcome it. Whether it's a new role, new technology, organisational change, or an unexpected challenge in life, our first instinct is often to resist. We become comfortable with what we know. We build routines, develop expertise, and find confidence in familiar surroundings. Then one day, something changes. For many years, one of the books that has stayed with me is Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr Spencer Johnson. It tells a simple story, but one with a powerful message: change is inevitable, and our success is often determined by how we respond to it. Like many people, there have been times in my career when I wanted to fight back against change. I wanted things to stay the same because the familiar felt safe. Looking back, I realise…

  • BEYOND A SINGLE CDE: Why ISO 19650 governance automation must be designed for platform diversity

    When we talk about a Common Data Environment (CDE), it can sound as though everyone is working inside the same type of system. My recent survey experience suggested something very different: the standard may be common, but the digital workspaces behind it are not. Why I looked at the platforms behind the process I have been exploring how automation could support information governance aligned with ISO 19650. During that work, one practical question kept returning: before we automate a review, approval or information-sharing process, what platform are people actually using to carry it out? ISO 19650 describes the information-management workflow that a CDE should support. In practice, information containers move through controlled states such as work in progress, shared, published and archived…

  • William Morris Mordey

    Guest blog by Alex Mordey Look at almost any electrical device in your home. The phone charger, the kettle, the television, printed or moulded beside the voltage figures, you will find a small wavy line: ∿. The alternating current sinusoidal wave (or Sine wave). It is one of the most reproduced symbols on earth, stamped onto every mains appliance ever manufactured, and almost nobody knows its origin. It was proposed in a single sentence, one evening, in a lecture theatre at the Institution of Electrical Engineers in 1889, by a self-taught telegraph clerk named William Morris Mordey. Ninety six years later the same Institution sat on the British committee that wrote his symbol into law. The AC Sine wave is only the most visible of his legacies. Behind it sits a body of work that helped build…

Latest IET EngX News

  • Curiosity, AI and the Future of Engineering - July's Highlights on EngX

    July on EngX was packed with thought‑provoking ideas, career reflections and practical engineering conversations. From exploring the decision‑making challenges behind artificial intelligence to rethinking how we design workplaces and infrastructure, the community shared a wide range of perspectives on how engineering continues to evolve. Alongside these future‑focused topics, personal career stories and lively forum discussions reminded us that some of the most valuable insights come from sharing experiences with one another. Here's a look at some of the content that stood out this month. Blogs worth a read Dead on Arrival: Why fresh produce needs a digital brain, not just a GPS This fascinating blog explored how digital twins, IoT sensors and predictive AI could help tackle one of…

  • June Highlights on EngX: Digital twins, decarbonisation and community conversations

    June on EngX brought together a fascinating mix of future-focused thinking, practical engineering challenges and inspiring community stories. From exploring how digital twins are transforming decision-making across industries to tackling the realities of decarbonising energy-intensive sectors, members continued to share insight, experience and expertise. Alongside these technical discussions, stories celebrating engineering talent, STEM education and inclusion helped showcase the people driving our profession forward. Here’s a look at some of the content that stood out this month. Blogs worth a read Digital twins in motion: why a multi-disciplinary debate matters now Digital twins have rapidly evolved from an emerging concept into a practical engineering tool, and this blog explored…

  • 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…

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

  • 288-metre glass elevator slashes commute time for Chinese schoolchildren

    A glass cliffside elevator in a remote Chinese village has cut a perilous three-hour journey for local schoolchildren to just 30 minutes. Children living in the remote Chinese village of Nizhuhe Village would have to hike cliffside trails through the Niujiu River Grand Canyon for over three hours to reach their boarding school, which sits at an elevation of approximately 1,650 metres. A vertical drop of more than 500 metres separates the village at the bottom of the canyon from the school at the top with children, aged six to 15, having to scale a very steep and slippery path up. This one-way journey has now been cut to just 30 minutes with the addition of the newly opened Fuyao Ladder, a 288-metre vertical lift attached to the canyon wall. Operating alongside the 268-metre Qingyun…

  • Living bacteria used to build complex computing circuits by MIT team

    Engineered bacteria that can function as transistors in an electronic circuit have been developed by MIT researchers. In electrical circuits, transistors function as switches that can turn the current on or off. In the biological circuits created by the researchers, bacterial switches control the flow of small molecules, which send signals to downstream circuit components. The team said that the technology allows for the creation of living “circuit boards” that can be printed onto a growth medium in a Petri dish. They designed two different types of bacterial transistor, along with three bacterial strains that relay information between them. Using these building blocks, the team were able to design nearly any type of circuit, including circuits with two or three inputs that can be directed…

  • Nasa’s Starling mission demonstrates GPS-free satellite navigation

    Nasa has found a way to allow orbiting satellites to estimate their position by referencing other objects in space rather than using traditional networks such as GPS. As part of the Starling mission, Nasa deployed its FALCON technology (Fast Autonomous Lost-in-space Catalog-based Optical Navigation), which could allow future spacecraft to operate more independently. Although GPS is widely used by satellites to estimate their position, it can prove unreliable and doesn’t work when moving away from Earthbound orbits. As Nasa prepares for more missions beyond Earth’s orbit, technologies such as FALCON can support lunar satellite swarms, distributed science missions and human exploration. The FALCON payload itself uses flight software known as Era-Core, which was developed by startup firm…