IET Partner News Spring 2015

Transcription

Issue 26| Spring 2015
Issue 26 | Spring 2015
n
Fast-growth
industries compete
Corporate
to attract top skills
Partners
and talentget their
training day
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Introducing
Emma Quigley,
Queen Mary
MoD Apprentice
new
ofhosts
the Year
IET network
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A new model for
engineering research
Bel's direction
and education in
chimes with IET
China
Published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology
partner programme
n
Interplanetary
smartphone guides
Glider challenge
Rosetta through
space a soaring
success
Working to engineer
a better world
The IET has joined forces with ITN
Productions to make an online news
programme to promote greater
understanding of the role engineering
plays in our everyday lives.
Natasha Kaplinsky presents the programme, which
features many different faces of engineering in
the 21st Century – demonstrating how important
engineering and technology are to society and to
economic growth.
The programme celebrates the success of innovative
engineering and technology organisations – and
showcases efforts from the IET and others from
Government and industry to inspire more young
people, particularly girls, to pursue a career in
engineering.
Please share the programme content to build
awareness of the fantastic work that engineers
do – and help spread the word that we need
more of them.
www.theiet.org/itn
Foreword
Inside this issue
News
Welcome to the Spring 2015 edition of
Partner News. Within this issue we have
highlighted some of the exciting projects
our Academic, Ministry of Defence (MoD),
International and Corporate partners are
embarking on, as well as the endeavours of
the IET itself.
We report on the various award
ceremonies which took place towards the
end of last year, including Apprentice and
Technician of the Year as well as the REME
Best Unit award. We would like to take this
opportunity to congratulate all winners and
nominees of the awards. Included is a case
study of Emma Quigley, winner of the MoD
Apprentice of the Year, who now works as a
trainee at Devonport Naval Base in Plymouth
following the completion of her MoD
technician apprenticeship.
Featured in this issue is an update on the
various IET events which have taken place
throughout the past year, including the
IET Annual Partnership Event which was
held on 10th December and the Graduate
Forum Roundtable. Also in 2014, the IET
joined forces with ITN Productions to make
an online news programme to promote
greater understanding of the central
role engineering plays in our society and
economy.
The University of Leeds reports on its
£4.3 million investment in a National Facility
for Innovative Robotic Systems, which has
the most advanced suite of robot building
equipment in the UK and offers the latest
3D printing and high-precision technologies.
This exciting new national facility is a
powerful asset for both the University and
the robotics sector.
Finally, we give an update on recent
Partnership agreement signings between
the IET, as well as featuring reports from
QinetiQ and Sellafield Ltd who have both
been awarded by the IET for their high
quality, long-standing Initial Professional
Development (IPD) Schemes.
We hope that you enjoy reading this issue.
If you’d like to give us feedback on any of our
articles, or if you have any questions, please
email partnernews@theiet.org.
Sally Davidson Jones
Partnership and Development Manager
IET partners discuss the challenges ahead
Engineering UK STEM talent
Round table discusses graduate employability concerns
IET partners make the news
Fast-growth industries compete to attract top skills and talent
IET campaign to help recruit and retain female engineers
MBDA apprentice receives IET accolade
Phoenix rises in excellent company
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Armed Forces
Introducing Emma Quigley, MoD Apprentice of the Year
Developing the future’s military technical engineers
Squadron rewarded for engineering excellence
New development opportunities for REME engineers
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Academic
Work-based MSc produces Chartered Engineer
Aston students are doing it for themselves
University of Leeds opens innovative robotics centre
New research will help robots know their limits
Hertfordshire students celebrate registration success
No disruption to services
One small step for industry leader, one giant leap for young engineer
Lightning prediction systems in the modern world
Student competition lights up the University of South Wales
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International
Universities unite on international carbon capture research project
A new model for engineering research and education in China
IET India Academic Affiliate numbers continue to rise
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Business
QinetiQ awarded for longstanding IPD scheme
Tata Steel unbending over professional recognition
Turning a passion into a career
Video plants the seeds of inspiration for STEM careers
Kainos joins the IET’s corporate partner family
Twenty years of first class training
GCHQ engineers rewarded for accreditation success
Local initiative aims to promote STEM careers to women
Interplanetary smartphone guides Rosetta through space
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Partner News is produced by the IET. For any enquiries, please refer to pages 34-35 for contact details.
Edited by Keri Allan, with special thanks to Laura Beard and Natasha Gill.
© 2014: The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the permission in
writing from the Managing Editor. Copying of articles is not permitted except for personal and internal use. The IET
is not, as a body, responsible for the views expressed in Partner News.
Partner News | Spring 2015 3
news
The IET's Mark Organ, Tim Hamer and William Webb.
IET Partners discuss the challenges ahead
T
he IET Annual Partnership Event
brings together the Partnership
community, providing important
opportunities to network. 2014’s
event, held in December, was
attended by representatives
from our Corporate, Academic
and MOD partnerships at BMA
House, London.
Each year, the event focuses
on a theme of interest to the
wider engineering community
and aims to stimulate a lively
debate. The theme of the latest
event was inspiring innovation by
building on our strengths, which
was expanded on by the keynote
speaker, Professor Phil Sutton
from Imperial College London.
The event began with
IET President William Webb
discussing how engineers have
changed the world and why
Institutions now need to learn
to adapt too. He ended his
presentation with an update
and fly-through video of what
IET London: Savoy Place will
look like following its two-year
renovation and also where next
year’s Partnership Event will be
taking place.
Company registration
schemes on the rise
Tim Hamer, IET Director
of Knowledge, followed by
highlighting some of the
great successes that have
come from our partnership
Keynote speaker, Professor Phil Sutton from Imperial College London.
4 Partner News | Spring 2015
communities throughout the
year. Tim discussed the excellent
collaborative work carried out in
various partner organisations,
including the huge leap seen
in the number of companybased registration schemes as
well as a number of successful
partnership events which took
place throughout 2014.
Individuals from partner
companies took the time to
speak on the successes within
their organisation that have
arisen as a result of collaboration
with the IET. Our thanks goes
out to Royal Mail’s James Baker,
Duncan Kemp from MoD and
Barry Mills from the University of
Derby for sharing their stories.
Addressing the barriers facing
engineering in the UK
The event was closed with
Professor Sutton’s keynote
speech. During his talk he
discussed the UK’s track
record in science, technology,
engineering and maths (STEM)
and highlighted the current
areas of opportunity within the
engineering world.
Professor Sutton was keen
to both highlight and address
the barriers to success the
engineering community currently
faces; such as a shortage of
sufficient STEM people with the
right skills.
To conclude, he highlighted
the need to work together for
mutual benefit; through the
effective coupling between
industry, academia and
government he believes we
should be able to bridge the
skills gap and make progress
in addressing these current
barriers to success.
The next Partnership Event
will take place on 4 November
2015 in the IET’s newly
refurbished London home:
Savoy Place. Please save the
date in your diary and come and
enjoy the opportunity to network
with individuals from across
IET partnerships and listen
to engaging speeches in our
spectacular, newly refurbished
venue.
To view pictures of the
day, please visit our Flickr
page: https://www.flickr.
com/photos/ietpartnerships/
sets/72157649838217175/
news
Engineering UK STEM talent
Liz Alleston, Head of Corporate Partnerships at Teach First, discusses how business can help recruit new
STEM teachers as well as directly inspire the next generation.
T
he UK currently faces a
critical shortage of science,
technology, engineering and
maths (STEM) specialist
teachers. This problem
is especially acute for
schools serving low-income
communities, where recruiting
and retaining high quality
teachers is significantly more
challenging.
This means that pupils
living in these low-income
communities tend to
underperform in these critical
subjects. Less than a third of
students eligible for free school
meals achieve a science GCSE
at grade A*-C, compared with
70 per cent of their wealthier
peers, and less than half of
these young people achieve a
maths GCSE above a D grade.
In turn, this has created a
serious shortage of home-grown
STEM graduates. A recent report
warned that 40,000 additional
STEM graduates are needed
each year to fill the 104,000
graduate-level jobs our economy
needs to thrive.
At Teach First, we are
passionate about getting more
specialist STEM teachers
working in schools in lowincome communities, where
they can inspire young people
from all backgrounds. This is
why we partner with businesses
such as Rolls-Royce to engage
young people with the possibility
of careers in engineering or
technology.
This year, the company
announced a three-year
partnership with us to support
the recruitment and training of
75 new STEM teachers and take
its own STEM programme out to
our network of 850 schools as
part of its target of reaching six
million people through STEM by
2020.
Together, we will deliver
an extensive skills-based
volunteering programme that
will engage schools across the
UK, opening up the world of
engineering to more than
11,000 pupils.
Teach First has been working
with the IET for six years to help
address the shortage of STEM
teachers. We are now looking to
partner with more engineering
and technology businesses
to inspire the next generation
of innovators and heads of
industry. Get in touch with
us today to find out how your
business could be part of this
movement.
Find out more about
partnering with Teach First
by contacting Liz Alleston
on +44(0)20 3117 1945 or
lalleston@teachfirst.org.uk.
Round table discusses graduate employability concerns
T
he IET Graduate Forum
hosted its first round table
discussion last October,
which proved to be hugely
successful. Focusing on
the looming skills gap and
the need to produce ‘realworld ready’ graduates,
the discussion was chaired
by Yvonne Baker, CEO of
Myscience. Informative
insights were provided by a
number of representatives from
across academia, industry and
the Armed Forces including the
Royal Engineers, Arup and the
MoD.
The purpose of the day
was to better understand the
issues faced by both those who
produce graduates and those
who employ them. Attendees
were encouraged to highlight
what they felt was the biggest
problem they have come across
to date regarding skills that
graduates require, and which
skills graduates seemed to lack.
After a networking lunch, the
afternoon was spent discussing
solutions to the problems
highlighted and the experience
of those in industry compared
with those in academia.
The feed back from the
day was very positive and
has aided us in organising
and facilitating future IET
Roundtable events.
If your organisation has
an IET-accredited graduate
development scheme and
you think that joining this
free and exciting initiative
would be of benefit, please
email Sally Davidson Jones
at sdavidsonjones@theiet.org
for further information.
news
IET partners make the news
Many of the IET’s corporate partners feature in a new online programme produced by ITN Productions.
T
he programme, produced
on behalf of the IET,
aims to promote a greater
understanding of the central
role engineering plays in our
lives. Many IET corporate
partners took part in the
production, including BAE
Systems, BT, Imperial College,
Mott MacDonald, Royal Mail
and the British Army. There
are also interviews with Nick
Boles MP, Minister for Skills
and Equalities and Sir Mark
Walport, the Government’s Chief
Scientific Advisor.
TV presenter Natasha
Kaplinsky hosts the
programme, which celebrates
the success of innovative
engineering and technology
organisations. From the
engineering behind the Kit
Kat to the technology ensuring
Royal Mail delivers our letters
on time, the programme
includes it all.
“Engineering is central
to Britain’s future economic
success but this could be put
in jeopardy if we do not have
enough young people coming
into the sector to help with the
major issues that affect us all,
such as energy security, the
next generation of transport
systems and high-speed
broadband,” says Nigel Fine,
TV presenter Natasha Kaplinsky with IET President William Webb.
IET Chief Executive.
“There is a serious skills
shortage in engineering and we
hope that this new programme
from ITN Productions will help
to inspire, inform and influence
people to understand that
engineering is an exciting and
rewarding career path with
excellent prospects.”
The programme will also be
used to inspire more young
people, particularly girls, to
pursue a career in engineering
– helping to address the skills
shortage currently facing the
industry.
The ITN Productions/IET
programme can be watched
in full at www.theiet.org/itn.
Please feel free to share the
programme with colleagues
and contacts to build
awareness of the fantastic
work that engineers do and
the career opportunities
available.
news
Fast-growth industries
compete to attract top
skills and talent
S
ix fast-growth engineering
and technology industries
– space, robotics, 3D printing,
new energy networks, food
manufacturing and cyber
security – could significantly
boost the UK economy but
action is needed now to ensure
that skills shortages and a lack
of investment do not hamper
their potential.
A new report from the IET,
Ones to Watch, singles out six
of the UK’s most promising
and innovative engineering and
technology industries where
the UK is already among the
global leaders – or has the
potential to achieve that position
in the near future. Senior-level
representatives put forward
a compelling case for why
these industries represent an
enormous opportunity for the UK
to build businesses with global
capability – and create jobs that
can grow the economy.
I E T O N E S T O WAT C H
But, the report argues, to
achieve their full potential, there
are also some shared challenges
to overcome: competition for
skills, skills transformation,
investment, faster adaption of
new technology and diversity.
“These promising and
exciting industries offer the UK
tremendous opportunity for
growth and global leadership,
says Nigel Fine, IET Chief
Executive.
But we also hear straight
from the horse’s mouth that the
biggest barrier to that growth
is meeting the need for high
numbers of engineers and
technicians with an increasingly
transformational skill set.”
“We need to act now. The last
thing we want to happen is that
these innovative new industries
fail to achieve their potential
because they don’t have the
skills, talent, technology and
investment they need to grow.”
1. NEW POWER NETWORKS: THE REBIRTH OF ELECTRICITY
New power networks:
the rebirth of electricity
The UK is in the midst of an ambitious programme
to decarbonise its electricity sector. From a supply
perspective, it is replacing coal-fired power stations with a
diverse mix of renewable and low carbon energy sources at
large sites and within communities. On the demand side,
we are turning to low carbon electricity rather than fossil
fuels to heat our homes and workplaces and provide power
for transport.
During 2015/16 the UK’s spare electricity generation
capacity will drop to its lowest levels on record according to
UK energy regulator, Ofgem.
Some industry observers believe this could see the country
struggle to keep the lights on in the case of a cold winter
or due to any major delays to the next generation of energy
generation coming on stream. While others would dispute
the severity of the situation, what is certain is that we will
have to work ever harder to make sure this utility which we
I E T O N E S T O WAT C H
4 . A D D I T I V E M A N U FA C T U R I N G : A N E W I N D U S T R I A L R E V O L U T I O N
Some industry observers believe the UK could
struggle to keep the lights on in the case of a
cold winter or due to any major delays to new
energy generation coming on stream.
take for granted is there when and where we need it. As
a result of this, the business of managing and distributing
power in the UK is beginning to undergo revolutionary
changes and engineers are the people who will play a
pivotal role in keeping the lights on.
Although penetration of 3D printing in the UK is still in its very early stages, it remains an important focus for investment by industry and Government.
Renishaw: leading the application of 3D printing in the UK
Gloucester-based engineering technologies company
Renishaw is one of the first UK companies to offer
a metal based 3D printing machine, and a recent
collaboration with bicycle manufacturer Empire Bikes
demonstrates the capability of the technology.
A new generation of engineers
“The electricity industry has been very unfashionable, but
that is now changing,” says Simon Harrison of engineering
consultancy, Mott MacDonald. At the heart of this change
is the need to create a smart grid which will transform
fundamentally the way the UK manages the transmission,
distribution and consumption of power by 2020.
Empire specialises in providing ‘elite’ bicycles and
using Renishaw’s additive manufacturing technology,
the company created a Titanium mountain bike frame
designed to be both strong and 33% lighter than the
original.
It is here that the most exciting opportunities lie. Dave
Openshaw is Future Networks Senior Advisor at electricity
network operator, UK Power Networks. He says that
engineers have a vital role to play in developing new
ways of managing the electricity grid, including the use
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3D printing the new shape of industrial manufacturing, PWC, 2014
Technology and Skills in the Aerospace and Automotive Industries, UKCES 2013
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Semta/IER Employment Forecasts 2012
4
Shaping Our National Competency In Additive Manufacturing – Technology Strategy Board, 2012
5
Wohler’s annual worldwide reports 2013 and 2014
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Shaping Our National Competency in Additive Manufacturing, Technology Strategy Board 2012
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The additive manufacturing technology enabled the
company to work on the frame in iterative stages, with
improvements to the design being made right up until
the final production stage. Equally important, for a
company selling to a premium market, the technology
allowed the production of bespoke frames, with
one-off versions being as cost effective to produce as
those manufactured in higher volumes. Customisation
options include the rider’s name.
In terms of the structure the frame was made from
components later bonded together with the 3D printer
able to handle complex shapes and hollow areas.
Jessica Bestwick, who works for Rolls Royce, was recently awarded the IET’s
Mary George Prize for Apprentices.
IET campaign to
help recruit and
retain female
engineers
T
he IET’s 2014 Skills and
Demand in Industry survey
revealed that only six per
cent of the total engineering
workforce is female. This figure
has remained the same since
the survey began back in 2008.
Worryingly, this year’s survey
also found that 43 per cent of
employers are taking no action
to tackle the issue.
Launched by IET Deputy
President Naomi Climer,
who will become the IET’s
first female President this
October, the aim is to collect
and share as many case
studies as possible, in order
to help organisations share
best practice on recruiting and
retaining female engineers.
These can be found at www.
theiet.org/women-engineers.
Finally the IET will be
proactively supporting the BBC
and other media channels’
Expert Women campaign,
which is all about getting more
female experts interviewed on
television, radio and online.
If you have any thoughts about organisations or individuals who
are doing good work in this area, please contact IET Women’s
Champion Jo Foster via womensnetwork@theiet.org.
The IET’s media team would love to hear from any female Fellows
who would be interested in being a media spokesperson for
the IET. Please contact communications@theiet.org for more
information.
news
Jade Aspinall, winner of the IET Apprentice of the Year award, 2014.
MBDA apprentice
receives IET accolade
Young female engineer named IET Apprentice of the Year scoops £1,000 prize.
J
ade Aspinall, an apprentice
at missile developer and
manufacturer MBDA UK, has
been awarded the title of IET
Apprentice of the Year.
When she began at the
company, her first responsibility
was to work on a Brimstone
radar seeker attrition project.
Brimstone is an air-launched
ground attack missile developed
by MBDA specifically for
Britain's Royal Air Force.
After this, Jade worked with
a principal engineer to create a
training module for new starters
and other apprentices that
allowed them to understand
the assembly, engineering and
logistics processes behind the
build of a Brimstone Seeker. The
development of this project has
meant that MBDA has been able
to save both time and money.
Jade has also given
promotional and motivational
speeches at numerous events
on the importance of women in
engineering and has promoted
engineering to young people,
employers, parents and MPs.
The latest in a series of
national awards
As IET Apprentice of the Year,
Jade has won a £1,000 prize,
two years’ free membership
of the IET and payment of her
professional registration fees.
She received her prize at a
prestigious awards ceremony
in London last November,
hosted by science presenter,
Steve Mould. But this award
is by no means Jade’s first
accolade - she has already been
named SEMTA Skills National
Apprentice of the Year and Best
of British Engineering Winner.
“It’s amazing to have been
chosen as the IET Apprentice
of the Year 2014,” she says. “I
am very grateful for the support
I have had throughout my
apprenticeship and I’m hopeful
that this win will encourage
other young people to start a
career in engineering.”
“Jade should be very
proud to have been named
IET Apprentice of the Year.
The award recognises that
she is one of the most
exceptional young individuals
working in her field.” William
Webb, IET President, notes.
“Apprentices and technicians
are essential to the success
of engineering companies
but rarely receive accolades
for their contribution to
that success. These awards
provide an opportunity for all
in the profession to celebrate
the best apprentices and
technicians.”
news
Phoenix rises in
excellent company
Top tech talent triumphs at IET awards.
T
wo exceptional technicians
were awarded for their
achievements at a prestigious
ceremony in London last
November.
James Winson, an assistant
telecoms engineer at Atkins
Global, was handed the IET
Technician of the Year award,
with Corporal Aled Phoenix taking
away the award for IET Armed
Forces Technician of the Year.
Alongside Jade Aspinall
(see left), the technicians were
awarded their prizes by science
presenter Steve Mould.
Proven skills and industry firsts
In 2013, James started working
as the telecoms design engineer
for a number of projects under
the London Underground (LU)
Station Stabilisation Programme,
worth £330 million. His objective
was to work collaboratively with
LU engineers to introduce new
internet technologies such as
James Winson, IET Technician of the Year.
local area networking and high
definition CCTV onto the LU
infrastructure to create better,
more reliable, future-proof
communication systems.
James was also asked to
tackle a noise issue at the west
London station – here he had to
design a PA system of delivering
announcements that complied
with London Underground
standards and also satisfied the
requirements of the noise order
issued by the local council.
James worked with an acoustic
consultant to provide a suitable
solution – an industry first.
Aled joined the Army in
2008 and completed training
in ground system electrical
engineering with the Royal
Electrical and Mechanical
Engineers (REME).
He has won this award
following his performance
on Operation Herrick 18 in
Afghanistan. Posted as the
Cpl Aled Phoenix receives his award from IET President William Webb.
only electrical engineer in a
demanding patrol base, he was
part of a reconnaissance team
and also in charge of keeping
the vehicles in the mission
moving forward, and in worst
case scenarios, recovering
broken or disabled vehicles.
At base camp, Aled was also
in charge of managing all power
generators, including those that
run the accommodation tents,
the operations bunkers and camp
security. Throughout all this work,
Aled established a reputation
for delivering high quality work
and for also having the ability
to diagnose and repair complex
faults efficiently and safely within
these dangerous environments.
Engineering - much more than
fixing cars and household problems
The technician awards include
a £1,000 prize, two years
free membership of the IET
and payment of professional
registration fees.
“I am extremely proud that
my achievements have been
recognised in this way,” James
says of his award. “Engineering
is not just about fixing cars or
household electrical problems,
I hope my work shows that, and
that more young people will be
encouraged to join the sector in
the coming years.”
“I am extremely pleased and
proud to have won the award – I
hope it will help raise the awareness
of all the other apprentices and
technicians that work within the
armed forces,” Aled adds.
Find out more about the IET
Apprentice and Technician
Awards at www.theiet.org/
apprentice-awards.
MOD
AVM Julian Young, Ryhs Davies (winner), Rose Wheelhouse-Thomas (runner up), Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, Jonathan Derwin (runner up), Barry Brookes (IET President 2013-2014).
Competition brings out the best in the
MoD’s young engineers
T
he best of the MoD ’s
apprentices – including a
large contingent from across
DE&S – battled out the annual
Tom Nevard competition held
this year for the first time at
Shrivenham.
The competition first took
place in 1952 in memory of Tom
Nevard, a former MoD official
who guided the careers of many
young apprentices. Tom Nevard’s
grandson Richard is a Liveryman
with the Worshipful Company
of Engineers and is a regular
attender at the competition.
He was there to see a keen
contest between the apprentices,
who came from across DE&S,
including the naval bases and
Defence Munitions Gosport,
along with representatives of the
Defence Support Group. Abbey
Wood apprentice Rhys
Davies was celebrating
with victory in the phase one
handskills contest for his nerf
gun with the Gosport duo of
Rose Wheelhouse Thomas and
Jonathan Derwin as joint runners
up.
The phase two handskills
winner – the task was to
build a steam engine – was
Devonport’s Kersey Segger with
Gosport again providing the joint
runners up in Craig Kitcher and
Macauley Binner.
In the team event the 2014
MoD apprentice of the year
Emma Quigley led her joint team
of DE&S and DSG apprentices
to victory by making the most
impressive of the teams’
paintball tanks.
DE&S’ Director Technical,
Air Vice-Marshal Julian Young,
underlined how important
and pleasing it is that the
organisation continues to host
the annual event. And he
added how much apprentices
could learn about performing
under the pressure of top
competition, especially when
trying to overcome engineering
challenges.
“The event brings together
apprentices from across
the MoD in keenly-fought
competition,” he said “This year
our apprentices were faced with
the most original of challenges,
with individuals and teams
needing to design, build and
test equipments.
“While it was great fun,
especially to see the paintball
tanks on the range, our
apprentices had to demonstrate
the qualities expected of
acquisition project managers,
having to trade-off size and
technical complexity in
their design against ease of
manufacture and performance
on the rough-grass course.
Similar skills needed to be
applied in producing the nerf
guns and steam engines too.
“Thus I was not surprised
that some equipments did
not perform quite as well as
envisaged, which is of course
paralleled in real-life capability
concept demonstrators, and
I am sure that many lasting
lessons of principle will have
been learned. However, the
spirit and commitment shown
by our highly enterprising
apprentices never fails to
impress me, and I am proud of
our organisation for investing so
well in our future workforce.
“It has been an extremely
worthwhile competition and the
highlight of the training year.
I am looking forward to next
year’s already.”
armed forces
Introducing Emma Quigley,
MoD Apprentice of the Year
Emma Quigley is 2014’s MoD Apprentice of the Year. Announced last summer,
Emma formally received her award at a London award ceremony in December.
T
his national competition
seeks to find the Ministry
of Defence’s (MoD) top three
apprentices, and Emma was
exceptionally proud to be given
the gold award.
Emma now works as a
trainee engineer at Devonport
Naval Base in Plymouth,
a role she took on after
completing her MoD technician
apprenticeship. But her love for
the Royal Navy actually began
at quite a young age.
Joining the Naval Cadets
“I’ve had an interest in the Royal
Navy since I joined my school’s
Combined Cadet Force when I
was 14,” she says. “I joined the
naval section, progressing my
way through that and becoming
head cadet. I went on a few
courses, went onboard ship
thanks to visits to the dockyard,
and this really sparked that
original interest.”
When her time at school was
nearing an end Emma began
to look at her options. She was
interested in science and maths
and also didn’t want to move
away from her family. When
she came across information
on the Defence Equipment
and Support apprenticeship
online, she thought it was the
perfect opportunity to learn, and
contribute, without having to
leave home.
From classroom to dockyard
Three years in length, Emma
spent her time alternating
between the classroom and
Plymouth’s dockyard. Over
these years she achieved
a number of qualifications
including a BTEC in engineering
and an HNC in marine
engineering and has gained a
lot of practical experience in the
workshop and onboard vessels
through placements.
She’s had the opportunity
to design and develop devices
of her own, and for her HNC
workplace project, Emma was
tasked with designing new
lockers for use onboard the T
boats.
“Because a submarine is
very compact it involved taking
out bits of kit and redesigning
the whole layout of that section
and the compartment itself,”
Emma says.
“There’s quite a lot of
work involved, I designed
the lockers using AutoCAD
and had to come up with all
my own measurements, etc.
I was working down on the
boat, liaising with Naval staff,
Babcock and then the MoD.
It had to be checked to make
sure that my changes wouldn’t
affect the boat’s stability – they
had to check all the effects my
design would have on the rest
of the boat.”
Emma’s design was
approved and the lockers were
produced and have now been
implemented and are used
across all of the fleet’s T boats.
Completing the apprenticeship
early
Emma worked very hard and
was actually able to get her
qualifications signed off early,
completing her apprenticeship
six months in advance of her
colleagues. This, along with
achieving distinctions in all her
grades, was the reason she was
nominated for the award by her
apprentice manager.
Her manager also noted that
she came up with original ideas
throughout the scheme and
was also a proactive member of
the apprenticeship community,
going above and beyond what
was expected. For example,
she took on extra work, such
as organising the Defence
Equipment and Support’s
apprentice community project.
She was shortlisted as one of
Emma and colleagues taking part in the Tom Nevard Memorial Competition.
the final eight, and invited up
to MoD Abbey Wood in Bristol,
where she was interviewed. A
few days later she got the call
that told her she’d won the top
award.
Being awarded MoD Apprentice
of the Year
“I was really chuffed! I’d
put in a lot of work during
my apprenticeship, so for it
to be recognised was really
rewarding,” she says. “The
award has also opened up new
opportunities. I’m able to go
out and shadow new people,
and I’ve had the chance to go
into schools and talk about
the apprenticeship. I love that
I can tell pupils about the
options available and how an
apprenticeship allows you to
gain experience while you’re
also getting your academic
qualifications,” she enthuses.
On completion of her
apprenticeship Emma secured
a job on the Devonport base
and is now focusing on learning
as much as she can about
submarines and their systems
over the next two years. She
already has plans in place for
what she’d like to do next.
“Hopefully I’d like to progress
onto the role of Assistant Project
Contract Manager. That role
entails looking after everything
going on onboard: checking
what the surveyors are doing,
liaising with contractors, making
sure the work is getting done.
From there I’d like to move
up to Deputy Project Contract
Manager and eventually be in
charge of the whole boat.”
armed forces
Developing the future’s
military technical engineers
Staff Sergeant Houston introduces the role of the Royal School of Military Engineering’s Professional
Engineering Wing.
T
he Royal School of Military
Engineering’s Professional
Engineering Wing is responsible
for providing higher education
courses in infrastructure
engineering, reconstruction
and development projects
on operations. Training is
delivered to selected junior
non-commissioned officers
and senior non-commissioned
officers who have proved
themselves as high quality
tradesmen as well as showing
their command, leadership and
management skills in previous
roles within the Royal Engineers.
A public and private partnership
The wing operates within a
public private partnership
arranged between the Ministry of
Defence and Holdfast Training
Services, which allows the
students to receive training
from lecturers from Mid Kent
College. All courses are military
led with highly experienced
staff responsible for ensuring
that the operational focus of the
course material is maintained.
This combination of experienced
military staff and civilian
instructors provides the students
with a well-rounded education.
The technical branch of the
wing provides foundation degrees
in construction management,
building services engineering
and electrical engineering. All
courses are full-time and run for
two years. All training delivered
is focused on the wing’s five
pillars of engineering, which
IET Certificate and prize for the most meritorious student on the Clerk of Works
Electrical course – SSgt Kenny Houston.
involves students being trained
in infrastructure consultancy,
engineering design, project
management, contract
management and facilities
management.
Encouraging professional
development and registration
Although the main focus
is gaining an academic
qualification, students are
encouraged to conduct
continued professional
development by attending
IET events. This ensures that
they learn the importance of
developing their skills and
knowledge in order to ensure
that the Royal Engineers are up
to date and not left behind in
what is happening in industry.
Additionally, they are made
aware of the importance
of becoming professionally
registered. It is embedded into
the students that it demonstrates
to employers and peers that they
are committed to professional
engineering and standards. This
can provide the potential for
higher earnings and improved
career prospects.
Twenty-eight students
recently completed their courses
and embarked on their first
employment as Military Clerks
of Works. They moved into
several different roles, including
positions within specialist
trained Royal Engineer teams,
construction supervision cells
and the Defence Infrastructure
Organisation.
IET Certificate and prize for the most meritorious student on the Clerk of Works
Mechanical course – SSgt Harry Thapa.
armed forces
New development
opportunities
for REME engineers
I
Representatives from 657 Sqn LAD REME receiving their award.
Squadron rewarded for
engineering excellence
T
he REME Best First Line Unit
Award is bestowed annually
for continued excellence in
engineering and support to
operations worldwide. 2014’s
award went to 657 Squadron
(Sqn) Light Aid Detachment
(LAD) Royal Electrical
Mechanical Engineers (REME),
which provides aviation support
to the Special Forces (UKSF)
worldwide.
657 Sqn, a sub unit of 9
Regiment of the Army Air Corps,
is based at RAF Odiham and
forms part of the Joint Special
Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW)
along with 7 Squadron RAF.
The squadron has displayed
exemplary commitment,
technical excellence and
considerable drive supporting
UKSF on both operations and
demanding exercises.
From the most junior soldier
to the unit OC, 657 LAD has
worked tirelessly to ensure
aircraft availability remains high
without compromising standards
and ensuring safe operating
capacity was not breached.
Commitments, manning gaps,
training requirements and
career progression have all
been carefully balanced to
ensure quality of life remains
sustainable; despite the
workload, unit morale remains
high and they are excellent
ambassadors for the Corps.
The LAD has worked
relentlessly to maintain and
manage the mixed fleet of
Lynx Mk-7 and Mk-9a aircraft,
astounding all with its engineers’
resilience and ability to
generate operational output. In
Afghanistan they provided an
exceptional 100 per cent aircraft
availability for tasking, testing
their technical resolve and sheer
determination to succeed, in
the harshest of environments.
Concurrently, the unit has been
stood-up, at short notice, to
cover the UK national standby.
This further increase in
operational output, beyond
the LAD resource, has tested
the dogged determination and
resourcefulness of all LAD
supporting trades and engineers.
Without their relentless work
ethic, steadfast team spirit and
desire to succeed, operations in
Afghanistan and the UK would
have been significantly denuded
of aviation support.
n conjunction with the
Corps Military Technical
Training at Bordon and
Arborfield, REME has
implemented a delivery model
to allow all soldiers going
through Phase 2 and Phase
3 training the opportunity to
gain an apprenticeship.
In the fifteen years that
this programme has been
running, REME has seen this
go from strength to strength
- today every trade group has
the opportunity to gain a full
advanced apprenticeship level
3 framework in its chosen
trade discipline. This allows
tradesmen and women the
opportunity to gain national
accreditation as they go
through their military career.
To supplement this, REME
can now offer these soldiers
the opportunity to gain
professional registration with
one of the leading institutes.
In August 2014 approval was
awarded to REME to offer IET
membership to anyone who
completed their advanced
apprenticeship Level 3 in
engineering.
This offer is open to all
REME engineering trade
groups, improving links
with the IET and continuing
to allow soldiers a fast
track route to professional
accreditation. At the same
time increases REME’s
level of influence as one of
the largest apprenticeship
providers in the country.
REME tradesmen working on a 6x6 Coyote tactical support vehicle.
academic
L-R: Catherine Elliott from Engineering Council, Lee Carwardine, BP, the IET’s Roy Bowdler and Richard Binns and Noel Perera from Northumbria University.
Work-based MSc produces
Chartered Engineer
Lee Carwardine is
the first Northumbria
University MSc
professional engineering
graduate to achieve
CEng reports Dr Noel
Perera, Senior Lecturer
and Programme Leader.
A
t Northumbria University
our major contribution
to ‘UK Plc’ is through our
teaching, research and
enterprise activities to up-skill
the engineering workforce. This
led to Northumbria University’s
involvement in the development
of the MSc Professional
Engineering programme in 2008
in conjunction with three other
higher education institutions,
professional engineering
institutions and the Engineering
Council.
This programme provides a
work-based, distance-learning
approach to achieving an MSc
qualification, while acquiring
the necessary competencies
for Chartered Engineer (CEng)
professional registration. These
two highly valued academic and
professional qualifications equip
engineers with the necessary
knowledge and skills for further
career progression.
“The MSc in Professional
Engineering at Northumbria
University was an obvious choice
for me in order to achieve the
required further learning to
become a Chartered Engineer
with the IET,” says Lee. “The
structure and flexibility of the
course enabled me to acquire
valuable work experience whilst
also developing academically.
Valued academic and
professional qualifications
“Achieving the MSc and
subsequent CEng registration
has enabled me to further
my career into the oil and
gas sector with BP, becoming
a key member within the
site engineering team as an
instrument and protective
systems engineer.
“The course has undoubtedly
been a key enabler in opening
up career opportunities
and I would not hesitate in
recommending the MSc to any
of my colleagues who wanted
to further their engineering
career.”
“It gives me particular
pleasure to see Northumbria
University's Professional
Engineering programme deliver
its first IET CEng,” continues
IET Senior Registration and
Standards Advisor Roy Bowdler.
“The university has an excellent
track record of engagement with
employers and was an early
adopter of the gateways workbased learning concept. Lee
has demonstrated strong career
development by completing
an advanced apprenticeship,
HNC, HND and BEng (Hons)
before relocating to the northeast.
Having extended his experience
in the petrochemical sector
during his MSc, he joined BP last
year. Lee is clearly a very able
Chartered Engineer and valuable
acquisition for the company.”
academic
Aston students are doing it for themselves
Report by Dr Kate Sugden, Placements Tutor at Aston University.
E
mployability is currently a
hot topic both within the
IET and more widely in the
engineering sector as the skills
shortage impacts on business.
Placements and graduate
schemes are excellent ways to
address these issues but some
students are taking brave steps
into the unknown and going it
alone.
In Birmingham, students are
able to call on support through
the Birmingham Skills for
Enterprise and Employability
Network (BSEEN) project.
This innovative scheme
provides an attractive package
of intensive business startup support for students and
graduates launching their own
business ventures. Supported
by the European Regional
Development Fund (ERDF), it
is delivered in partnership with
Aston University, Birmingham
City University and University
of Birmingham.
Support and funding to go it alone
The programme provides new
businesses with a dedicated
incubator space where
budding entrepreneurs can
benefit from day-to-day help
and advice from the project
team and socialise and share
ideas with people involved in
other new start-ups.
Participants benefit from
workshops that equip them
with the skills and knowledge
they need to succeed in their
businesses. Grant funding
is also available, alongside
further training, mentoring
from industry experts and
career guidance.
Petalite is one company
that has been supported
by BSEEN. The company
is run by Aston graduate
Leigh Purnell and staffed by
several other Aston graduates
and students. Petalite has
designed a mobile phone
charger based on an external
flux battery that charges
to 100 per cent in just 15
minutes. The device is small
enough to fit in your pocket
and eradicates the need to
plug your phone into a power
socket or a computer USB
slot. If your smartphone needs
charging, you can simply
connect it to the flux battery
and continue with your day.
Sense Audio is a social
enterprise formed by Aston
placement students Nitesh
Sharma, Tobias Williams and
Manjinder Sangar (pictured
below). They produce
bespoke handmade audio
amplifiers and speakers as
well as delivering educational
electronics workshops. Their
product idea originated
from a first year module
on entrepreneurship and
Aston Enterprise gave them
the confidence to take their
engineering product to market
for their placement year.
These two inspiring
examples illustrate how by
creating the right environment
of support and innovation
students and young graduates
can benefit tremendously from
starting their own businesses
while invigorating local
communities by providing new
jobs, ideas and exceptional
role models.
The Petalite charger.
Charging in action.
academic
The official opening of the National Facility for Innovative Robotic Systems at Leeds University.
University of Leeds opens
innovative robotics centre
A
Government-backed centre
is set to put Leeds at the
forefront of UK robot design and
construction. The £4.3 million
Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC) National Facility for
Innovative Robotic Systems
opened at the University of
Leeds’ School of Mechanical
Engineering in October.
The centre has the most
advanced suite of robot
building equipment in the UK,
offering the latest 3D printing
and high-precision assembly
technologies.
“We looked at the most
innovative and exciting robots
being developed across the
world and asked ourselves
what kit we’d need to build
something even better,” says
the facility’s Director, Dr Rob
Richardson.
“Leeds already has a great
track record in robotics for
surgical applications, patient
rehabilitation, prosthetics,
and exploration, but the new
facility will revolutionise our
ability to turn new concepts into
reality. We’ll be able to make
robots that are smaller, more
intricate, more flexible and more
integrated than ever before.”
A resource for both academia
and industry
The facility is being funded
as a resource not only
for researchers but also
for industry, and forging
partnerships with companies
interested in developing stateof-the-art robotics is a key
objective.
The new equipment includes
one of the world’s largest
multi-material 3D printers,
capable of making objects with
both rigid and soft parts. The
facility also features a second
3D printer capable of working
at a smaller scale and a Laser
MicroJet cutter, which focuses
a laser beam through a jet of
water to cut any hard material,
even diamond, with extreme
precision.
“If you think about it,
combining hard and soft
materials is critical to some
of the most effective physical
systems we know,” says Rob.
“The human body, for instance,
has soft tissues, flexible
cartilages, elastic tendons
and rigid bones all working
closely together. We hope to
be able to use this inspiration
to build robots with ever more
integrated parts and increased
capabilities.”
Another machine allows
researchers to print electronic
circuits onto robots in three
dimensions, rather than relying
on conventional flat circuit
boards. Electronic test and
measurement equipment
will enable the creation of a
new generation of miniature
microwave and ultrasound
sensors for surgical robots.
The facility is also equipped
with a 3D visualisation studio
that allows robot builders
to inspect digital models of
robot designs in fine detail.
Researchers are developing a
new micro-assembly station that
uses remote motion-sensing
equipment to translate hand
movements into very precise
actions by a robot arm, allowing
users to build mechanisms too
small for the unaided human
hand.
You can find out more about
the centre’s work at www.
robotics.leeds.ac.uk.
academic
New research will help
robots know their limits
R
obots that can think and act
without human intervention
are moving from fiction to
reality. The nuclear, aerospace,
manufacturing and agricultural
industries are starting to develop
autonomous systems that can
carry out tasks that are either
too difficult or too dangerous for
humans, while driverless cars
are already with us.
Researchers at the Universities
of Sheffield, Liverpool and the
West of England, Bristol have
set up a new project to address
concerns that might arise around
these new technologies.
“This project brings together
teams to develop formal
verification techniques for
tackling questions of safety,
ethics, legality and reliability
across a range of autonomous
systems,” explains Professor
Michael Fisher, principal
investigator at Liverpool.
“Each of the institutions will
make a distinctive contribution
to the project, with Liverpool’s
focus being the development
and extension of our leading
formal verification techniques
and tools. These provide strong
mathematical proof about the
decisions the systems will make
and so allow us to apply these
techniques across a broad variety
of complex autonomous systems.”
The Bristol Robotics Laboratory
(BRL), a collaboration between
UWE and the University of
Bristol, will research, develop
and demonstrate verifiably
‘ethical’ robots.
“If robots are to be trusted,
especially when interacting
with humans, they will need to
be more than just safe,” says
BRL’s Professor Alan Winfield.
“We’ve already shown that a
simple laboratory robot can be
minimally ethical, in a way that
is surprisingly close to Asimov’s
famous laws of robotics.
Professor Sandor Veres, Sheffield Robotics.
We now need to prove that such
a robot will always act ethically,
while also understanding how
useful ethical robots would be
in the real world.”
Finally, the University of
Sheffield brings to the project
key expertise in autonomous
control, learning and decisionmaking.
“We need robots that can
make difficult decisions but
they must also be able to
manage this in situations that
are complicated by humans,”
says Professor Sandor Veres
of Sheffield Robotics. “Our
project will demonstrate the
abilities of robotic systems
to take decisions based on
ethics, law and safety grounds
and provide further guidance
to legislators and robot
developers.”
Hertfordshire students celebrate registration success
N
ovember saw the
University of Hertfordshire
hold its annual School of
Engineering Prize Day, where
students who have shown
excellent progress in their
studies are presented prizes
in front of family, friends and
VIP guests.
Hosted by the Dean of
School, Professor Reza
Sotudeh, and supported
by numerous professional
bodies and industry
partners, the event saw
IET Head of Membership
Mark Organ award the IET
Prize for the best student in
the final year of the BEng
(Honours) degree in electrical
and electronic engineering.
He also presented certificates
for Engineering Technician
(EngTech) professional
registrations to 49 Hertfordshire
students who had achieved
professional registration while
undertaking their year in
industry.
“I’m delighted to be able to
present not only the IET prize
but also be able to celebrate
such a fantastic achievement
in professional registration.
Industrial placements provide
essential experience of a
working environment and
give students the opportunity
to assess how their skills
can be best deployed within
it,” he says. “Achieving
professional registration
at the end of a placement
demonstrates to prospective
employers and peers alike
that they are a professional in
their field and committed to
their discipline.”
To find out more
about student technician
registration contact your
academic account manager
or visit www.theiet.org/
student-technician.
business
academic
No disruption
to services
With the number of London Underground passenger
journeys predicted to reach half a million daily by
2021, keeping this hugely complex system on track is
a major technical challenge.
M
aintenance works are
disruptive and costly for
the service so knowing where
and when to deploy resources
to maximum effect is critical.
Loughborough University
is part of a project to deliver a
Remote Condition Monitoring
(RCM) System to provide
reliable and timely health
assessments of assets crucially their Remaining
Useful Life - and use this
information to predict the
time and location of failures.
Maintenance can then be
organised precisely and costeffectively, with the minimum
of lost customer hours.
Finding a system
architecture capable of
integrating all the technical
data from multiple
interconnected sub-systems
and delivering it to multiple
stakeholders, is only the start
of the challenge.
An RCM system creates
a paradigm shift: static
schedules and depth of
maintenance regimes are
replaced with dynamic
processes. These, in
turn, demand changes in
organisational practices and
procedures. Therefore full
operational and financial
benefits of an RCM system
cannot be realised unless the
soft systems are engineered
too.
Loughborough is modeling
the organisational processes
within the overall enterprise
system to identify the
potential impact. Helping
people to understand the
new process helps them to
manage the transition from
the old system to the new.
Since London Underground
escalators travel the
equivalent of twice around
the globe every week, where
better to start?
This project is part of
Enabling the Digital
Railway, funded by
Innovate UK and the Rail
Safety and Standards
Board. Project Partners
are telent, London
Underground, Humaware
and The University of
Nottingham. For further
information, contact
Luminita Ciociou at
L.Ciocoiu@lboro.ac.uk
Adarsh Chuttooar, a thermal research engineer at Thermacore.
One small step for industry
leader, one giant leap for
young engineer
N
ewly graduated engineer
Adarsh Chuttooar is fighting
to keep his feet on the ground
after making a stratospheric
leap in his career – joining a
technology company whose
clients include NASA and the
European Space Agency.
Within just two months of
joining US giant Thermacore,
which has a UK plant in
Ashington, Adarsh was working
on a project for the European
Space Agency.
The University of Sunderland
mechanical engineering
graduate joined Thermacore
as a thermal research engineer
through the university’s graduate
internship scheme.
“This is a fantastic start to my
career. I am already managing
my own projects and doing
hands-on work,” he says. “It
can be quite stressful at times,
especially when you are new to
the environment, but also very
rewarding when you see your
hard work paying off.”
Thermacore operates in
a wide range of markets
including military, medical,
telecommunications and
aerospace. Ryan McGlen, a
Senior Advanced Technologies
Engineer, works with Adarsh on
a daily basis.
“Adarsh is bright and keen to
learn all aspects of engineering
and manufacturing and is
involved in both the thermal
and mechanical design and
laboratory test processes
on various research and
development projects,” he notes.
Originally from Mauritius,
Adarsh graduated last July after
a four-year degree in mechanical
engineering, which included a
year-long industrial placement.
“I took full advantage of
the range of extracurricular
activities the university had to
offer and also did an industrial
placement year which, I believe,
contributed to securing this job,”
he explains.
“It is invaluable experience
and I will definitely learn from it.
I also have an eye on completing
a master’s degree at some
point soon, which is part of
the requirements to become a
Chartered Engineer.”
© Scott Waby
The University of Sunderland recently received European
Regional Development Funding to extend its graduate internship
scheme. For more information on the programme contact the
Graduate Internship Team at internships@sunderland.ac.uk or
call 0191 515 3315.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698), Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, SG1 2AY, United Kingdom.
Correct at the time of going to print October 2014.
academic
Lightning prediction systems
in the modern world
Daniel Howcroft, Liverpool John Moores University, discusses the need for improved lightning prediction systems.
L
ightning is a complex
and fascinating natural
electrical phenomenon,
extremely destructive and little
understood by most. Recent
research shows that it could
have even started life on Earth,
by striking the primordial ooze
that covered the surface and
altering the molecular makeup of certain compounds.
But what is it and how does it
cause us problems?
Lightning is caused by
the transfer of electrons
from a negatively charged
cumulonimbus cloud to the
positively charged Earth’s
surface, or occasionally vice
versa. Contrary to popular
belief, lightning does indeed
strike twice. The lightning flash
is made up of one or more
lightning strokes, where a stroke
is the transfer of current. A
typical lightning discharge is
approximately five times hotter
than the surface of the Sun, and
each carries tens of thousands
of amps.
This means bad news for
the thousands of electrical
“What if we could accurately
predict the location and time
of a lightning strike before it
even reached the ground?”
assets and the hundreds of
kilometres of exposed cables.
Although spectacular to watch,
an unfortunate lightning strike
to an under protected overhead
conductor or substation is
capable of causing millions of
pounds in damage, blackouts
and even death.
Developing advanced warning
systems
Currently the best way to protect
assets is to use a lightning rod or
air terminator. But what if your
assets were human? Although
the number of deaths per year is
falling, it still remains a very real
threat. Every day maintenance
workers expose themselves to
harsh environments, to ensure
we get an uninterrupted supply
of electricity. So how do we
keep them informed of an
approaching storm?
Companies such as
EA Technology regularly
warn maintenance crews
of approaching storms by
pinpointing individual strikes
using their cutting-edge
lightning location service. Being
able to predict a storm hours
before they happen will give
maintenance crews more time
to clear potential hazards, allow
control engineers to shut down
vulnerable assets and ensure
adequate protection is in place,
and facilitate better planning of
maintenance tasks. This would
ultimately save lives, time and
money.
With climate change causing
freak weather patterns, the need
for a cheap and reliable lightning
prediction system is ever
increasing. But what if we could
accurately predict the location
and time of a lightning strike
before it has even reached the
ground? If we could detect the
build up of the negative charge
in the clouds, this could give an
indication as to the likelihood of
a storm.
If we then had the capability
to predict where lightning would
strike, could we make man’s
dream of harnessing the power
of lightning a reality? Could we
add another source of renewable
energy to the list, and turn this
dangerous nuisance into a
helpful, usable commodity?
academic
business
The winning team of students in the Ready, Steady Light competition were from Royal Wootton Basset Academy in Wiltshire.
Student competition lights up
the University of South Wales
Students get creative thanks to the Ready, Steady, Light competition.
S
chool and college pupils
from across Wales and
southwest England recently
discovered the creative science
behind lighting and live
technology at the University of
South Wales.
They were taking part in
the inaugural Ready, Steady,
Light competition, organised
by the University’s school of
engineering, lighting design
and technology and live event
technology course leaders.
The students were given an
introduction to lighting basics
and shown how to use the sort
of equipment found at concerts
and festivals before being set
loose on the USW campus in
Treforest to show off their new
skills. The results were truly
enlightening!
The brightest lights on the
night were the team from Royal
Wootton Bassett Academy,
Wiltshire. Honourable mentions
go to students from The College
Merthyr Tydfil and Cwmcarn
High School, near Newport, for
taking part.
Zach Ishani, an electronics
teacher at Royal Wootton
Bassett Academy brought a
group of six A Level electronics
students to the event.
Putting theory into practise
“Our group have covered a lot
of the science behind what
they looked at at USW, such as
mixing coloured lights and LED
technology, so it’s great for them
to be able to put that theory
into practice with these fun
sessions,” he says.
“From studying electronics
at school it’s often thought that
they would either have to go
on to an engineering course or
computer science at university,
but it’s so important that they
are aware of the lighting design
and technology courses on offer
where they can really flourish
and be creative.”
“We really enjoyed the
day, especially the session on
making art using light. I’ve seen
that being used in music videos
so it’s really cool to see how it’s
done and recreate it ourselves,”
says student Felicity Talbot.
“I wasn't thinking of studying
electronics at university
because I didn’t know these
courses existed before. Lighting
design is definitely something
I’m interested in now though, as
it seems like a great course and
a practical way of using my A
Levels in electronics, maths and
physics.”
“We’re really pleased with
how the Ready, Steady, Light
competition went and were
amazed at the standard of
work the students were able to
produce in such a short space
of time,” adds USW’s lighting
design and technology Course
Leader, Stuart Green.
“USW offers a strong,
practice-based lighting design
and technology course and I
hope it has been an illuminating
experience for those who
took part in the inaugural
competition. Who knows,
maybe we’ve highlighted a path
to a dazzling new career for
some of them.”
international
Universities unite on international
carbon capture research project
Groundbreaking research into carbon capture technologies continues thanks to UK-China collaboration.
T
he University of Nottingham
has signed a memorandum
of understanding with the
Shanghai Advanced Research
Institute (SARI) to jointly
undertake groundbreaking
research into carbon capture.
The work with SARI will
focus on the development of
solid adsorbant technologies
for CO2 capture. It will be
led by The University of
Nottingham’s Professor
Colin Snape, Director of
the Engineering Doctorate
Centre in Carbon Capture
Technologies, and his team,
in conjunction with experts
at SARI. The research will
combine the know-how of
experts from both universities,
who will jointly develop
intellectual property in order to
create innovative new solutions
and apply for international
funding to support their ideas.
“This memorandum of
understanding marks the start
of an exciting new collaboration
between our university and
SARI,” says Professor Chris
Rudd, Pro-Vice-Chancellor at
The University of Nottingham.
“We will be bringing together
some of the best minds in the
world, who are leading experts
in this field. I am confident that
many new innovations will be
developed as a result of this
partnership.”
Leading the study into carbon
capture and storage
“SARI is delighted to be signing
this historic agreement with The
University of Nottingham, which
will further strengthen our links
with each other and will firmly
establish our two institutions as
leaders in the study of carbon
capture and storage. Developing
new technologies for capturing
and storing carbon dioxide is
vitally important for the world
in our efforts to prevent global
warming,” adds Associate
President of SARI, Wang
Maohua.
An informal relationship
between Nottingham and SARI
goes back five years, as the two
L-R: Vice President of SARI Maohua Wang with Professor Chris Rudd Pro-Vice-Chancellor University of Nottingham.
institutions have been working
on joint EPSRC-National Science
Foundation (NSF) China projects
on new materials for CO2
capture.
These projects have made
significant advances in ways of
reducing the costs associated
with CO2 capture from power
plants and have formed the basis
for Nottingham and SARI to work
together to take these advances
forward. The collaboration
between the two institutions
was further strengthened by the
appointment earlier this year of
Colin Snape as Distinguished
Visiting Professor at the
Chinese Academy of Sciences,
based at SARI.
international
A new model for
engineering research
and education in China
T
he Department of Electrical
and Electronic Engineering
(EEE) at Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool
University (XJTLU) in Suzhou,
China, provides students and
researchers from all over the
world a unique opportunity to
learn and carry out research in
a highly diverse community and
international environment.
Fusion of east and west
XJTLU is an international
university jointly founded
by Xi’an Jiaotong University,
China, and the UK’s University
of Liverpool (UoL). As an
independent Sino-British
cooperative university, it
captures the essence of both
prestigious parent universities
and uniquely blends the cultures
of China and the UK.
XJTLU is located in Suzhou,
one of China’s most developed
cities. Suzhou Industrial Park
provides favourable economic and
geographic conditions making
it an important hub in China,
attracting transitional and R&D
centres for most of the world’s top
500 companies, which in turn
offers access and sustainable
growth to the university.
As one of the four founding
departments of XJTLU, the
EEE Department has witnessed
continuous growth since
its establishment in 2006.
Thanks to its use of English
in teaching, research and
administration, as well as the
attractive geographical location
and expat-friendly environment,
it has been able to recruit
staff from various countries.
It currently employs 27 fulltime academic staff and hosts
four undergraduate and two
master’s degree programmes,
which are in the process
of IET accreditation. It also
contributes to a further degree
programme in conjunction
with the Department of
Computer Science and Software
Engineering.
International study opportunities
The EEE Department works
closely together with its
counterpart at UoL and
undergraduates are able
to choose between a 2+2
articulation route in which they
spend their first two years in
China and the final two years
at UoL, or to study entirely at
XJTLU.
Graduating students obtain
equivalent degrees from both
XJTLU (a Chinese degree)
and the UoL (a UK degree).
Postgraduate programmes
are completed entirely within
XJTLU, but awarded by the
UoL. The department also
pursues research collaboration
across the two institutions
through a joint PhD programme
where PhD students are cosupervised by both XJTLU and
UoL academic staff.
In addition, the department
also maintains close
partnerships with other
institutions including Xi’an
Jiaotong University, Beijing
Jiaotong University of China and
Inha University of Korea.
Students from the EEE Department of Xi’an Jiaotong–Liverpool University (XJTLU).
The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England & Wales (no 211014) and Scotland (no SC038698), Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, SG1 2AY, United Kingdom.
Correct at the time of going to print October 2014.
international
IET India academic affiliate
numbers continue to rise
Two new educational institutes join IET India’s growing family of academic affiliates.
Sardar Patel College of Engineering
Vidhya Pratishthan College of Engineering
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s
Sardar Patel College of
Engineering (SPCE) has recently
become a new member of
IET India’s academic affiliate
family. Established in 1962 as a
government-aided engineering
college, it is affiliated with the
University of Mumbai.
Along with three
undergraduate and five
postgraduate courses, SPCE
also offers a PhD in mechanical
and civil engineering, with
over 50 students registered as
research scholars.
Around 70 research papers
have been published at the
college in the last three years
covering topics as varied as
water resource, geotechnical,
electronics and thermal
engineering. In addition,
environmental engineering and
image processing patents have
A newly appointed IET
academic affiliate, Vidhya
Pratishthan College of
Engineering (VPCOE) Baramati
was founded in 2000. It is
affiliated with the University
of Pune, recognised by the
Government of Maharashtra
and AICTE New Delhi.
VPCOE is committed to
pursuing academic excellence
and developing students’
technical knowledge. Around
2,500 students here study various
disciplines of engineering at
undergraduate and postgraduate
level, and are supported by more
than 120 staff.
The college offers excellent
education at affordable cost
and has academic connections
with US universities including
NC State University, Michigan
Technological University
and Lawrence Technological
Sardar Patel College of Engineering.
been filed and published.
The institute has signed a
number of MOUs with reputable
institutes and industries
and in 2012 it celebrated its
golden jubilee by organising
an international conference on
recent advances in engineering
technology and management,
where 90 papers were
presented.
“IET affiliation will add value
to the college by providing
the latest technology updates
through knowledge sharing
for its students as well as for
its faculties. Affiliation with
the IET will improve industry
institute interaction in order to
impart quality education and
enhance career opportunities,
hence inculcating responsibility
towards society,” notes SPCE
Principal Dr Priyadarshi H
Sawant.
University. These relationships
provide global collaboration
opportunities for both students
and faculty.
VPCOE also has strong
academic collaborations with
IIT Bombay, IIT Kharagpur and
IIT Madras, offering support
for faculty members pursuing
PhD and research fellowship
programs. It also has a strong
focus on academic research.
Over 250 research papers
have been published by the
faculty, with financial and
academic support offered by
the institute.
“IET academic affiliate
status will add further value
to this institute in realising
its goal to become a world
class educational institution
in a rural part of India,” says
VPCOE Principal Professor
S B Deosarkar.
Vidhya Pratishthan College of Engineering.
business
Tata Steel
unbending over
professional
recognition
T
Paul Stephens presenting the award to Rod Angel and Susan Mercy.
QinetiQ awarded for
longstanding IPD scheme
Report by Tony Knight, IPD Scheme Professional
Body Senior Mentor, QinetiQ.
Q
inetiQ has received an
award from the IET in
recognition of its high quality
and longstanding initial
professional development
(IPD) scheme.
Accredited by the IET
and four other professional
bodies, the scheme supports
the development of engineers
and scientists, from
graduates to experienced
engineers, across 15
professional bodies.
In the last 12 months,
over 90 QinetiQ engineers
and scientists have achieved
professional registration at
Chartered Engineer (CEng)
level – an unprecedented rate
in the history of the company's
scheme. Over 70 of these
successes were achieved
through a number of IET
special registration initiatives.
At our main sites we
regularly have IPD days,
where we run a number of
workshops for existing and
potential candidates on
the scheme, each usually
supported by representatives
from the professional bodies.
A recent event, in
Farnborough, was
supported by the IET, Royal
Aeronautical Society (RAeS)
and Institution of Mechanical
Engineers (IMechE). At
this event IET Regional
Development Manager Paul
Stephens presented the award
to QinetiQ Scheme Manager
Rod Angel and Susan Mercy,
Farnborough Site Senior Mentor.
The QinetiQ IPD scheme has
been continuously accredited
by the IET since 2002 and
this award acknowledges its
excellent track record.
ata Steel has signed a corporate
partnership agreement with
the IET, which will ensure that its
employees receive professional
development well into the future.
IET corporate partners are
large organisations like Tata
Steel that have a high level of
commitment to professional
recognition and continuous
professional development.
“At Tata Steel we have a
long tradition of employee
development. The corporate
partnership with the IET really
shows the commitment that
the company has and will help
to support colleagues across
Europe,” says Andrew Murray,
Director Engineering Centre of
Excellence, Tata Steel.
IET corporate partner benefits
Some of the advantages of
becoming an IET corporate
partner include professional
registration, professional
development, engineering
intelligence and marketing
opportunities.
“There are many advantages
to becoming a corporate
partner,” says Mark Organ,
Head of Membership at the
IET. “Sixty-eight thousand of
our members are professionally
registered through us and
the IET will provide corporate
partners with a range of
products and services
which help engineers and
technologists build knowledge
and skills.”
business
Turning a passion
into a career
Award winning second year apprentice Thomas Hornsby discusses his
love of engineering and how he grew this into a career at BAE Systems.
F
rom a young age I loved to play
with Lego and Meccano and
could often be found dismantling
and attempting to rebuild toys.
I suppose this must have given
me a push in the right direction
at a young age, but my main
influence had to be my father.
Dad was an engineer at British
Aerospace for over 30 years and
would fix cars in his spare time
in the garage. If there was a car in
there that’s where you’d find me,
with a spanner, even if I wasn’t
old enough to do anything.
As I grew up so did my interest
in aviation and engineering. At
12 I joined the Air Cadets and
began air experience flights at
14. At this time I also got my first
motorbike, which was from a
friend’s back garden. It had been
left on its side for three years and
became my first big engineering
project. It was in no shape to
pass its MOT but with the help
of a Haynes manual and all the
pocket money I had, slowly each
part was cleaned, repaired or
replaced. After a few trips around
the block I took the bike for its
MOT. Passing with no advisories,
it became roadworthy just in
time for my sixteenth birthday.
Ever since then I’ve been
fixing friends bikes and cars in
my spare time, never missing an
opportunity to learn or practice
a new skill. After sixth form
I enrolled onto an autosport
engineering and technology
foundation degree course. This
taught me a lot about design
and development of engines and
anything that went fast.
After a year I joined the
BAE Systems apprenticeship
scheme, which I’ve loved. The
first year focused on mechanical
and electronic hand skills;
learning how to rivet, drilling and
manufacturing parts in various
ways and using some interesting
materials such as aircraft grade
aluminium and carbon fibre.
It also included a CAD section
and project section, which was
to create a task for apprentices
to use all their skills in one job. I
also really enjoyed working with
aircraft. In the workshop we had
a Tornado GR1 that was used
for flight-testing before being
delivered to the training centre.
Here we were given the chance
to follow maintenance or repair
procedures, remove actuators
or sensors and reinstall various
components.
Towards the end of the
first year the apprentices
were divided into two groups:
craft and technician. Craft
continued with hand skills and
the technicians worked on the
design and aircraft sections.
This is the route I followed,
which led me to winning two
Military Air and Information
Apprentice Awards and my
placement at Warton on Typhoon
systems integration.
The IET’s Mary Jane Halstead with BAE Systems apprentice Thomas Hornsby and Managing Director Chris Boardman.
business
Video plants the seeds of
inspiration for STEM careers
F
inmeccanica-Selex ES
has produced a video for
schools, which aims to plant
a seed of inspiration that will
encourage young people to
consider careers in STEM.
The video features a day
in the life of Senior Hardware
Engineer Naomi Mitchison, who
was recently announced as the
IET’s Young Woman Engineer
of the Year. Already distributed
to schools across Scotland, the
film follows Naomi from the
moment she wakes up, showing
the way in which the world
around her is brought to life by
her awareness of science and
engineering.
In order to meet future
demands for skills in this area
there is currently a need to
increase the number of female
engineers from roughly six per
cent in the UK to over double
that figure. A key barrier to
attracting young people and in particular girls - to
STEM careers is outmoded
perceptions of the industry.
Images of women in hard
hats, in stark old fashioned
environments are often
seen in the media, yet many
engineering companies offer
clean, high-tech environments
that are very much a reflection
of the 21st century technology
which they produce.
A recent study produced by
the Department for Business
and Skills suggests that
Naomi Mitchison, IET’s Young Woman Engineer of the Year at work.
STEM graduates have an
enormously positive affect on
industry. The report contrasted
the characteristics of Highly
Innovative Firms (HIFs), versus
Less Innovative Firms (LIFs).
It found that HIFs have a
significantly higher share of
employment accounted for by
STEM graduates and, moreover,
that this population has a
very positive influence on a
range of performance metrics.
Conversely, the lack of science
graduate employment in LIFs is
particularly striking: the median
number of STEM graduates
employed by LIFs is zero.
These findings underline the
importance of STEM graduates
and skills more generally to
the economy. The findings of
the report highlight again that
the value of investment in the
research base comes primarily
through the production of trained
graduates and postgraduates
who have the ability to solve
complex technical problems.
That creative problem solving
ability is the very quality that
Naomi feels should be more
frequently associated with
STEM careers. They can be
highly innovative, allowing
talented individuals to use their
imaginative flair within industry
in ways they might not have
thought possible. It is hoped
that the video will be the seed
that sparks the growth of STEM
careers in the future.
business
business
Kainos joins the IET’s corporate partner family
O
ver the past few months
Kainos has been working
closely with the IET, and was
formally recognised as a
corporate partner at a signing
ceremony at the company’s
London office in October. This
new partnership demonstrates
the software company's
high level of commitment
to professional recognition
and continued professional
development.
The IET’s Head of
Membership Mark Organ and
Corporate Account Manager
Matthew Barber visited Kainos’
London site to inform the
engineering team about the
IET and how membership
and professional registration
can benefit them. Kainos’
Chief Technical Officer Tom
Gray signed the partnership
agreement alongside Mark on
behalf of the two organisations.
“We place strong emphasis
on supporting our employees
to continue their professional
development, and becoming a
corporate partner recognises
our close working relationship
with the IET in this endeavour,”
says Tom.
The IET’s invitation-only
corporate partner scheme
will support Kainos and its
employees by providing
access to a diverse portfolio
of products and services,
helping maintain knowledge
and enhance skills within the
industry. Both organisations
are now engaged in supporting
the professional development
of Kainos’ engineers and
technicians. Their aim is
to establish and maintain a
culture of commitment to
keeping technical skills up to
date, gaining a professionally
registered workforce and
enriching experience through
continued professional
development (CPD).
The benefits of being an IET
corporate partner
One of the main benefits to
becoming a corporate partner
The IET's Mark Organ and Kainos' Tom Gray with the freshly signed partnership agreement.
is that Kainos and the IET will
now be able to work together
to create a tailored package
of products, services, support
and accreditation workshops,
supporting employees at every
stage of their career.
This new partnership will
help Kainos’ engineers and
technicians to develop by
providing in-house professional
registration guidance and by
encouraging engagement with
the wider engineering and
technology community.
Following the signing,
Kainos has already hosted
two information sessions from
the IET in London and Belfast
as well as a cross-company
webinar, with plans to travel
over to its Poland site in the
New Year. Over 100 employees
attended these sessions with a
number of people having signed
up as a result.
Kainos is also engaging with
the IET at a regional level,
Tom is the Vice Chair of the
Northern Ireland Local Network.
“Becoming an IET corporate
partner sends the message
that Kainos is committed to the
highest professionalism and
standards of its engineers and
technicians” says Mark. “We
are delighted to be working
more closely with Kainos and
look forward to supporting their
engineers and technicians
throughout their professional
career.”
business
IET Regional Development Manager Mary Jane Halstead presented Sellafield Ltd with the award.
Twenty years of first class training
A
Sellafield Ltd professional
development programme
has received a long running
scheme award from the IET for
providing graduates with first
class training for 20 years.
The company’s electrical and
instrumentation (E&I) scheme
offers high quality training and
professional development,
enabling graduates to become
Chartered Engineers. It is among
the few graduate schemes in the
UK to have held IET accredited
status since 1994.
Over the past 20 years
almost 100 graduates have
been through the scheme,
which provides professional
development, development tools
and coaching for those looking
to carve out a successful career
in the industry.
Good things come in twos…
This award was announced
the same week that Sellafield
Ltd was named one of the
best graduate employers in
the UK in the Job Crowd Top
100 Graduate Employers list,
having doubled the number of
graduates recruited in the last
three years.
“The IET award is a credit to
the quality of the professional
development opportunities
offered by Sellafield Ltd. It is
also testament to the standard
of graduates we have had come
through the scheme to carve
out successful careers in the
nuclear industry, some of which
now hold senior technical and
leadership positions within the
business,” says Rob Griffiths,
Head of Training within the
decommissioning area of the
nuclear site.
“It is also special to me
personally as I joined Sellafield
Ltd in the first cohort of E&I
graduates in 1994, so have
watched as the scheme has
been continuously improved,
modified and developed to meet
national standards outlined by
the UK’s Engineering Council.
Thanks goes out to mentors
“The success of the scheme
itself also relies on a strong
network of professional mentors
who give their own time to help
support and guide graduates,
not just through the early period
of transition into the world of
work but up to the point of
professional registration. Many
of the scheme’s candidates
have gone on to become
mentors themselves.”
GCHQ engineers rewarded for accreditation success
G
CHQ recently held
an award ceremony
where the IET’s Head of
Membership Mark Organ
and Regional Development
Manager Dan Sanders
presented professional
registration awards.
Chartered Engineer
(CEng) and Incorporated
Engineer (IEng) awards
were given out to staff who
had recently completed the
GCHQ/IET development
scheme process.
The IET’s Mark Organ and Dan Sanders.
Supported at the highest
management level, personal
development at GCHQ is
seen as a key factor in
the department achieving
its goals. With one of
the biggest development
schemes in the UK today,
GCHQ’s aim is to support
the continued professional
development of staff,
allowing them to reach their
full potential as they increase
their personal knowledge
and skills.
business
business
Local initiative aims to promote
STEM careers to women
R
epresentatives from local
industry, schools and
academic establishments came
together last November to attend
Lockheed Martin’s Women in
STEM conference in Ampthill,
Bedfordshire.
Used as the kick-off meeting
for a local initiative to promote
STEM subjects to women,
the primary objectives of the
conference were to build a local
network of participants, establish
how the collaborators could work
together to support the cause,
and to launch a plan for moving
forward.
Correcting the gender imbalance
The gender imbalance within
STEM is a subject that has
long been recognised as a
trend that needs to change
within the UK. It is topical in
the current economic climate,
since it has been identified
that the UK industry is facing
a 40,000 per year shortfall
of STEM professionals. Over
the years there have been
numerous large initiatives to
promote diversity within STEM,
but even with these dedicated
schemes there has not been
much improvement, as today
approximately six per cent of
all professional engineers are
women. Lockheed Martin UK
- Ampthill is aiming to address
the issue at a local level and
has formed the LMUK Ampthill
Women in STEM Committee.
“The conference was
proposed so that we could build
a diverse local network, utilising
the differing perspectives from
academia and industries within
the region and to collaborate
in challenging the issues in
attracting female students
into STEM,” says Lockheed
Martin UK - Ampthill, Head
of Engineering Integrity and
LM Fellow Professor Steve
Burnage. “We decided
to embark on a bottomup - grass roots approach,
forming teams with other
local industries and targeting
schools in Bedfordshire and
Cambridgeshire, working
directly with teachers, parents
and students. Other attendees
were from Marshalls Aerospace,
Network Rail and Transport
Systems Catapult as well as
the universities of Cambridge,
Leicester and Cranfield.
Learning from past mistakes
“We discussed why the
attendees chose a career in
STEM; or from a teacher’s
perspective, why they think
their students are or are not
attracted to the STEM subjects
and what initiatives we can put
in place to address these issues.
We looked at what we could
learn from previous successful
and unsuccessful initiatives
and discussed what we could
do at Ampthill to help make a
difference.”
Educating parents and
teachers as well as young
people was a key and recurring
point at the event. It was also
said that the institutions aren’t
doing enough to promote
the professional aspects of
engineering to the same extent
as doctors or lawyers for
example. However, it was noted
that a campaign focusing on this
is already a work in progress.
The number of ideas brought
to the table was overwhelming
and overall the event was very
well received with positive
feedback from all attendees.
The committee is now reviewing
the ideas discussed while also
addressing the need for effective
resourcing.
Caroline Lowe, Principal
Engineer, from Network Rail,
the UK’s rail infrastructure
operator, attended the event
and commented: “After working
for 25 years in STEM, it was
exceptional to witness this
type of event hosted by a team
of bright, professional and
confident women.
“We all have an interest
in capturing the best STEM
talent and I feel that Lockheed
Martin presented the face of
female talent of the future. The
enthusiasm of local schools and
academia was infectious.
“Diversity is important to us
and we want to increase the
numbers of young women joining
the company in STEM careers.
We’re looking forward to being a
part of this local network.”
If you’re interested in finding
out more about the LMUK
Ampthill Women in STEM
Committee, or would like to
get involved, please contact
Christina Riley at christina.
riley@lmco.com.
Representatives from local industries, schools and academic establishments.
business
Interplanetary smartphone
guides Rosetta through space
We take a look at the technology that allows the comet chasing Rosetta space probe to ‘phone home’.
A
t BAE Systems Advanced
Technology Centre in
Great Baddow, Essex, a team
of engineers developed an
incredibly powerful ‘smartphone’
like system enabling the
European Space Agency to
communicate with and control
the movements of a probe
moving at speeds of up to 55,000
kilometres an hour, millions of
kilometres away. In addition BAE
Systems' technology enables all
the imagery of the comet and
scientific data Rosetta captures to
be received back on Earth.
The system, known as the
Intermediate Frequency Modem
System (IFMS), is capable of
measuring Rosetta’s speed to
within fractions of a millimetre per
second and its distance to within
a metre anywhere in the Solar
System, factors critical to the
success of the mission.
When used at two ground
stations, it utilises triangulation
to determine the direction with
an accuracy of a millionth of
a degree, equivalent to the
apparent diameter of a 10p coin
at 1,000km away.
IFMS also features a highly
sensitive receiver that can pickup the incredibly weak signals
sent back to Earth from the
probe, converting them into data
that can be used to communicate
the probe’s findings. The images
of Comet 67P that have captured
the attention of people across
the globe have been received
through IFMS.
“Approaching, orbiting, and
landing on a comet requires
delicate and supremely accurate
manoeuvres. Comet 67P is a
relatively small object about four
kilometres in diameter, moving
at incredible speeds through the
Solar System. To help make any
of this possible, what we have
done, in layman’s terms, is create
a ‘smartphone’ for interplanetary
communication,” explains Nick
James, BAE Systems' Lead
Engineer for the project.
“The reliability of our system
has also played a key role in the
mission’s success. Launched
in 2004, Rosetta has spent a
decade chasing 67P. In an age
where high-tech can often mean
‘short life’, for example renewing
your smartphone every 18
months, IFMS was designed to
provide cutting edge performance
for decades.”
Deployed in European Space
Agency ground stations around
the globe, IFMS has supported
some of the most successful
European enterprises in space
including the ESA space
telescope Herschel, Mars Express
and Venus Express. The BAE
Systems team is now working
on the next generation of IFMS,
the Telemetry Telecommand and
Control Processor (TTCP) to take
the system into future decades.
Intermediate Frequency Modem System (IFMS) - the technology driving the €1.3 billion Rosette space probe.
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The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is working to engineer a better world. We inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community, supporting
technology innovation to meet the needs of society. The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England and Wales (No. 211014) and Scotland
(No. SCO38698).
PNS2015

IET Partner News Spring 2015

Transcription

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