Student Member Newsletter - September 2011

Autumn of opportunity As a new academic year is upon us, many of you will be busy preparing for the term ahead, so here at IMechE we have been busily preparing a newsletter to ease you back into the year. This month we profile David McGowan from Swansea Metropolitan University, who recently finished joint first in the business presentation element of Formula Student. We also learn more about the IMechE International network and get the lowdown from the recent Clark Motorsport tour. Wondered whether you made the right choice with an engineering degree? Topic of the month reviews the call for more UK engineering graduates from leading industry experts.          IMechE Member Profile David McGowan, Motorsport Engineering Degree at Swansea Metropolitan University, Engineering Student Internship at Cummins Engines Daventry How and why did you get involved with Formula Student?I wanted to be more involved with an extracurricular project and the idea of being part of the design and manufacture of a bespoke race car really appealed to me. What is your role within the team?I took the Leading Student role of the project, giving up a lot of my free time to organise, plan, design, fabricate, problem solve and many other tasks. How has Formula Student benefitted your development as an engineer?Where else can you be part of such a professional project while still studying at Undergraduate University level. What is your main focus now the competition is over?I have now started a twelve month Engineering Internship at Cummins Engines Ltd., helping with some of the new developments of Cummins’ extensive range of large diesel and gas powered engines.       IMechE International Did you know that IMechE has around 94,000 members worldwide? The Institution's world is grouped into sectors called regions and each region is made up of a number of different volunteer groupings operating across the area. The Branches or Groups all have business plans and committees of dedicated volunteers whose aims are to engage current members and to raise the profile of the engineering profession and the Institution locally. This is achieved through networking, events, news, links with like-minded organisations and opportunities for the local engineering community. To find out more about specific activities in your area or to see how you can get involved with improving the world through engineering locally, contact Rachel Leech, International Development Executive at r_leech@imeche.org. Clark Motorsport Tour Last month saw the Aberdeen Young Members Panel visit the home of rally car preparation experts Clark Motorsport at their premises in Kintore on the outskirts of Aberdeen. The tour was led by Ewen McRae and former world rally driver, Barry Clark. The group were given an access all areas look around the assembly bays, machine shop, and rebuild area.   full gearbox and all three differentials from Clark’s international specification Evo 9 rally car were dissembled and on display. Barry gave an in-depth explanation of how the whole drive train worked and the consequences of poor maintenance. Finally, the group got a look at the engine dynamometer where again an expansive insight into the black art of 'engine mapping' was given. The tour was rounded off with a nice cup of tea and some cake, with three performance cars to feast their eyes over! The future of engineering  Earlier this summer, leading industry figures raised doubts over the future of UK engineering due to a lack of engineering graduates. We asked you what measures you would take to attract more young people to engineering? Loads of great responses, demonstrates the importance of this topic to you. Many felt that improvements need to be made to the education system, whilst others see the image of engineering as the main stumbling block. Scott Sunderland suggests that some kind of financial incentive, like a grant, for choosing engineering over a scientific degree might help. However, Gus Harris-Reid believes the education system needs to encourage creativity and science at the higher levels. Despite mixed views on the outcome, the majority of you agree that this is a real problem that demands a quick solution.         Hate shopping? Wish you could get all your textbooks throughout the year in one place? Check out the IMechE Bookshop Student website Check out our student related content and services. Just for you. Get chartered This proves to future employers that you are a qualified professional engineer. Remember your membership number? Your access to our member-only areas - update your profile now.

Student member newsletter - August 2011‏

Flying the chequered flag for engineering Summer is a time for relaxing and winding down after the long slog of exams, right? Wrong. Summer is an adrenaline-packed, turbocharged season of racing. In this month’s special edition of the IMechE newsletter, we have all the news from this year’s Formula Student. We profile Simon Speidel, a member of the victorious University of Stuttgart team, and tell you how you can use your experience to get young people excited about careers in engineering at events like Greenpower. We also discuss the future of motor racing in our Topic of the Month.          IMechE Member Profile Simon Speidel, University of Stuttgart, Formula Student team member Why did you get involved with Formula Student? I’m fascinated by motorsports and FS is a great way to gain experience of working in a team. I had already heard of the team at Stuttgart, and I joined after an information event at the university. It was very easy to do. Sometimes the project requires long hours, and you really need to keep your head up and stay on the course. It’s all worthwhile when you see your team succeed at competitions though. Do you think today’s Formula Student engineers will be tomorrow’s F1 winners? Yes, definitely! In FS you gain a lot of experience of designing and racing cars. It’s all good preparation for a career in racing engineering. Would you recommend other students get involved? Yes, I would. You get so much experience with FS; meeting people from other countries, working with engineering companies and sponsors, engineering and, of course, racing! Are you tipping the University of Stuttgart team to win again next year? It’s always hard to win, but we will definitely be well prepared next year and try our best.       Stuttgart Storms to Victory The only thing more unpredictable than British summer weather is the podium at Formula Student. With the teams from Germany putting in a strong showing last year, competition was even fiercer this time around. Over 2,300 students in 125 teams from 34 countries participated this year, making Formula Student the world’s largest student motorsport competition. Teams were pitted against each other over four days at Silverstone, with cars judged on their speed, acceleration, handling and endurance, and teams tested on their design, costing and business presentation skills. “Vorsprung Durch Technik” was the order of the day again this year, as the team from the University of Stuttgart took first place in the headline Class One race, but there were other winners too. Read the story and get the full results. Got the power Formula Student isn’t the only way you can get involved in the future of racing. Earlier this summer, around 50 STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Maths) Ambassadors descended on the rolling hills of Yorkshire to help run the Greenpower electric car racing event for local schools. Greenpower aims to get more young people into engineering careers. Each team is given the same motor and battery capacity, and has to build the best electric racing car they can for a four mile endurance race. Check out a BBC news report on the event. Volunteering at events such as these is not just great fun; you also get excellent experience of managing a group, and it looks fantastic on your CV. Read more about in your local area. Racing ahead Professional racing cars are already ruthlessly efficient machines. But with increasing pressure on oil supplies, engineers are looking to alternative fuel sources to power the race cars of tomorrow. With that in mind, we asked whether you thought Formula One would change much over the coming years as the teams adopt new technology such as that on show at Formula Student. IMechE member Paul Davis points out that other racing classes have already seen big changes over the past few years. He thinks Formula One could go the same way, but that the governing bodies need to relax some of the regulatory restrictions for it to happen. One thing is for certain; with the amount of engineering talent on display at events like Formula Student and Greenpower, the future looks good for racing!       Get your profile in the IMechE newsletter! Contact us. Student website Check out our student related content and services. Just for you. Get chartered This proves to future employers that you are a qualified professional engineer. Remember your membership number? Your access to our member-only areas - update your profile now.

Agenda newsletter - August 2011‏

		25 August 2011

Future aeronautical engineer Leo reaches for the A stars As part of The Leaders Award for STEM, college student, Leo Hothersall, did a one-to-one interview with Stephen Tetlow. Read the full article

Institution’s Engineering Council Licence successfully renewed for 5 years The Institution is pleased to announce that its Engineering Council licence has been successfully renewed for five years, with no issues to address. BAE Systems Rochester awarded Approved Apprenticeships status BAE Systems in Rochester has just been awarded approval of their Advanced Apprenticeship status by the Institution. Northern Regional College’s apprentice scheme gets Institution approval Belfast’s Northern Regional College is the first college in Northern Ireland to gain Institution approval for its apprentice scheme. Ayr College gains EngTech approved status Ayr College has recently gained EngTech approved status from the Institution for its Engineering Development Scheme for modern apprenticeships. Members celebrate Engineering Heritage Award for Scottish paddle steamer The PS Waverley, the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, in Glasgow is the latest recipient of an Engineering Heritage Award. Take our mobile website survey We're updating our website to make it easier to use on your mobile phone. To help us, we'd like you to answer a short survey about how you use the Internet on your phone. Members can now access all Proceedings since 1847 Members can now enjoy the enhanced benefit of accessing articles from every single Proceedings of the Institution from 1847 to the present day. Mix business with pleasure at the Institution’s Annual Dinner For the first time, the prestigious Annual Dinner, taking place on 28 September 2011, will include the Institution’s Vision Awards. President’s Four Peaks Challenge to members Professor Rod Smith, President of the Institution, reaches stage two of his Four Peaks Challenge on Snowdon in Wales, on Sunday 25 September. AWD Chase de Vere on how investors can weather the storm AWD Chase de Vere, the Institution’s partner for independent financial advice, considers investment fundamentals to help investors.

Bolted joints revisited: leak reduction by design and management 13 September 2011 | Aberdeen, UK Attend this seminar to find out some of the new solutions to problems associated with design, assembly and operation of bolted flanged joints in pressure systems. Consultative selling skills for engineers 13-14 September 2011 | London, UK This course helps engineers understand their client’s needs, motivators and how to create relationships, adding value through a win-win outcome. Contract law and contract drafting for engineers 14-15 September 2011 | London, UK This course helps engineers understand the fundamentals of contract law and providse them with practical help in drafting their contracts. Investing in combined heat and power 20 September 2011 | London, UK This seminar will help delegates to understand all of the key issues currently impacting CHP development, and provide advice and information on how to make CHP projects a reality.