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Winter Newsletter 2017

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Winter Newsletter 2017 HRH The Prince of Wales presents 2017 QEPrize n 6 December, the 2017 Queen Elizabeth Prize for across 10 global centres for engineering, including the US, Engineering (QEPrize) was presented at a ceremony held Japan, Turkey, India and Brazil. This year’s study examines the Oat Buckingham Palace. The day also marked the release changing perceptions of engineering worldwide. the second Create the Future report, an international survey on the perceptions of engineering. Key findings from this year’s report suggest that engineering is entering a new era, where technology-related innovations HRH The Prince of Wales presented three of the winners, are seen to have the greatest impact on our way of life. Eric Fossum, Nobukazu Teranishi and Michael Tompsett, with Artificial intelligence and robotics are hailed as the top modern their prize, while fourth winner George Smith was unable to inventions; however, the public believes that innovations such attend. One of the key aims of the QEPrize is to inspire the next as the internet and computers have more relevance to their generation of engineers, so attendees included representatives daily lives. from QEPrize donor companies and leading young engineers from the QEPrize Global Engineering Ambassadors’ network. The study also highlighted that engineering is becoming a Ambassadors and High Commissioners from around the world vessel for progress, with people seeing engineers as being were also in attendance, including His Excellency Mr Koji as influential as politicians in solving major world challenges. Tsuruoka, Japanese Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and His Overall, the industry is recognised as a respectable, prestigious Excellency Mr Robert Wood Johnson, United States Ambassador. and highly trusted career choice. However, 8 in 10 respondents Samuel Bentley, winner of the 2017 Create the Trophy agreed that there is an urgent need for more visible, leading competition, was present to see his design being awarded. female role models. In addition, the study suggested that schools, businesses, governments and institutions are This year’s winners were honoured for their combined important factors in empowering young people to become the contribution to the creation of digital image sensors. Their three engineers of the future. innovations created over three decades have revolutionised the way that visual information is captured and shared. Digital The presentation of the prestigious award is a major highlight in imaging now enables society to access a vast array of intricately the global engineering calendar so it, and the publication of the detailed pictures and video, ranging from the minute scale of Create the Future report, received significant interest from the cell structures to images of far-flung stars and galaxies billions world’s media. News of the presentation reached audiences of of light years from Earth. 1.7 billion worldwide, including the UK, USA and China. For the first time since its inauguration in 2013, the QEPrize generated In the afternoon, guests travelled to Guildhall for an afternoon significant news coverage across Japanese media, marking a tea hosted by the City of London Corporation. Representing the major breakthrough in publicising the prize in East Asia. Lord Mayor, Alderman The Lord Mountevans paid tribute to the winning engineers and highlighted the phenomenal impact of To read the report in full, visit qeprize.org/research engineering on the world. The second Create the Future report studies the results from His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, with winners of the 2017 the inaugural international survey in 2015 in more detail. Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, Eric Fossum, Michael Tompsett, Responses were gathered from more than 10,000 people and Nobukazu Teranishi President’s column 2 Roundup 14 Newsletter Public engagement 4 News of Fellows 15 Research and innovation 8 Obituaries 16 Winter 2017 Education and skills 10 Thought leadership 12 1 trusted to help meet those challenges: 87% say to young people, with several organisations President's they trust engineering businesses to make the pooling resources and providing content that all world a better place, and a similar percentage can use to attract the next generation of talent. column feel engineering is a valuable industry for It will be supported by work on public policy and the economy. workplace cultures that will address barriers to increasing take up of engineering careers. I was also pleased to attend the International Council of Academies of Engineering and The launch of This is Engineering in timed to Technological Sciences (CAETS) meetings coincide with, and support, the government- and conference in Madrid in November. It was led initiative to make 2018 the Year of great to see that the theme of Engineering a Engineering. The government has called on Better World, introduced by the Academy when engineering organisations and engineers to use it hosted the 2016 CAETS convocation, was this opportunity to help raise the visibility of adopted for this conference and will also be the engineering and the opportunities a career in theme of the next two meetings in Uruguay and engineering provides. The Academy is an active Sweden. The legacy of the Academy’s CAETS partner in the Year and I would encourage presidency was also apparent in the range of Fellows to get involved. academies that are interested in collaboration Those future engineers might, years from now, on international development. At the Madrid find themselves supported by the Enterprise At the end of this year, Philip Greenish will meeting, the Academy presented on diversity Hub, which celebrates its fifth anniversary in be stepping down after 14 years as Chief and inclusion and shared the Diversity and 2018. Over this time, the Hub has supported Executive of the Academy. Philip has been an Inclusion Progression Framework as a tool that more than 70 early-career researchers and outstanding Chief Executive and has overseen other academies could use. I hope that this entrepreneurs, and around 90% of the a sustained period of growth and development Academy initiative will have beneficial impact companies they started are still going strong. for the Academy. I want to thank him on behalf on the valuable work already being done across This success is undoubtedly worth celebrating of all Fellows for everything he has done. His multiple national academies. I was particularly and plans to do so will be announced soon. contribution has been enormous and it has pleased that the Academy’s own progress on been a real pleasure and privilege to work with diversity and inclusion has been recognised As we look forward to supporting and inspiring him. In the new year, there will be opportunities recently; it won an award at the Excellence in more current and future innovators, I would like for Fellows to show their gratitude and Diversity Awards for its What’s it like? video to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy celebrate his achievements. series that profiles LGBT engineers, created in New Year and look forward to seeing many of collaboration with InterEngineering and Mott you at the Fellows’ Day on 8 February. Over the past six months, members of the MacDonald, and was also announced as one of appointment committee and I have been the top 50 inclusive employers in the UK. involved in the search and selection of our new Chief Executive. In doing so, we have been In the autumn newsletter, I touched on supported by an executive search agency and I engineering’s role in enabling growth and am grateful to all Fellows who suggested names highlighted that this had been recognised of potential candidates or who expressed an by the government through its investment Meetings and visitors interest in the role themselves. We had an in science and innovation. I was therefore In her capacity as President, outstanding field of candidates. I am delighted pleased that the Autumn Budget reinforced Dame Ann has met with: that Deputy CEO Hayaatun Sillem has been this commitment with announcements about Lord Prior for discussion on industrial appointed. She impressed us all at interview research and innovation, industry and technical strategy with her vision for the Academy and her clarity education, including implementation of T levels, Lord Adair Turner for high-level discussion about how she would deliver it. Hayaatun’s which the Academy is supporting by providing meeting on a fresh case for investment in appointment as Chief Executive will start on independent advice on content. We are also in research and innovation 1 January 2018. She has made a huge difference discussions with the Department for Business, She attended the following events in all the roles she has taken on within the Energy and Industrial Strategy regarding and meetings: Academy to date and is well placed to lead it in further investment in talented engineering Gala dinner Brazilian Chamber of Commerce the years to come. I am sure that you will all join researchers over the next 10 years. The Budget BEIS Innovation roundtable me in wishing Hayaatun well in her new role. addressed some of the key issues that will help IET President’s Address to secure the UK’s prosperity in the future, and The last few months of Academy activity Visit to Northumbria University for opening the publication of the industrial strategy White have put engineering and its impact on an of the STEM facilities and dinner Paper shortly afterwards further cements international stage. This was particularly North East Fellows Dinner at Teeside the government’s assurance to support evident at the presentation of the Queen University industry and the UK’s thriving startup sector. Elizabeth Prize for Engineering at Buckingham Engineering the Future industrial Engineering is a vital part of this country’s Palace. The audience that gathered to see HRH strategy meeting economy, and these actions represent an The Prince of Wales award the trophy to the High level stakeholder group on EU Exit important step towards positioning the UK as winners included diplomatic ambassadors from Talking heads recording for the SS Great an outward-looking, leading trading nation.
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