AGENDA
News and views from the IMechE
IMPROVING THE WORLD
THROUGH ENGINEERING
The Institution of Mechanical
Engineers has a vision to improve
the world through engineering. With
the institution having reached the
landmark achievement of 100,000
members in more than 120
countries, now is a great time to
explore the vision and consider what
mechanical engineering is and what
it means to be a mechanical
engineering professional today.
In support of this, this month the
institution will be unveiling a new
campaign. Improving the World
Through Engineering: Our Vision. It
sets out to show how our members
are helping tc redefine what
mechanical engineering is, and,
through their work in some of the
most innovative and dynamic
industries, are genuinely changing
and benefiting global society.
As institution chief executive
Stephen Tetlow observes in his
Analysis on page 10, the task of
defining mechanical engineering is
not an easy one because of the
sheer range of technologies,
products and services which
thousands of professionals design
and produce. The task is further
complicated by the erosion of the
boundaries between engineering
and diverse disciplines, with the
result that mechanical engineers
play a role in almost every industry.
The campaign's central
hypothesis is that mechanical
engineering is not what you think. It
illustrates this theme with a series of
case studies, many of which feature
fellows of the institution working in
what some may regard as surprising
sectors for engineers. The opening
pages consider the IMechE fellows
who ensure you can enjoy your
favourite Mars bar, or who work with
surgeons to design long-lasting hip
and knee replacements. Also
covered are the British visionaries
who are leading a new industrial
revolution in additive manufacturing:
creating products as if grown by
nature, and rewriting engineering
principles in the process.
Among the features in the
campaign are case studies of
IMechE fellows Paul Sadler and
Chris Brockley-Blatt. Sadler is the
engineer for theatre and opera who
has brought to life sets for the Royal
Shakespeare Company, Royal
Opera House and Giyndebourne,
while Brcckley-Blatt is a satellite
engineer. Also featured are the
contributions to the London 2012
Olympic Games by Loughborough
University's Sports Technology
Institute and Atkins Giobai.
Another case study looks at the
novel approaches, in a world
increasingly dominated by
information and computation, that
are enabling efficient human and
machine collaborative relationships
for such vital activities as coordinated responses to disasters.
What insights about the breadth
and diversity of modern mechanical
engineering can these case studies
in the campaign book offer?
Mechanical engineering is all about
taking science and using it to
produce things. It's about translating
theoretical research into practical
applications for use by society.
Mechanical engineers' discoveries,
creations and developments of
technology laid the foundations for
modern life as we know it. Today,
engineers design, maintain, repair
and operate everything we need in
62 JANUARY 2012 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING
100,000
MEMBERS IN MORE THAN 120
COUNTRIES IS A LANDMARK
ACHIEVEMENT FOR IMECHE
our daily lives, and in the future they
will deliver the solutions to sustain
and protect society's existence.
Humans have always sought to
improve the way they live. Today,
mechanical engineering helps make
peopie healthier, more comfortable,
safer and richer. We live in a world
shaped by engineering. Engineers
contribute significantly to global
wealth creation. Thanks to
mechanical engineers many of us
enjoy better healthcare, greater life
expectancy and a good quality of
life. We can get to school or work
every day, and travel for business or
holidays. We are better fed, better
clothed and better housed.
In the developing world,
engineers are bringing safe water
sources to communities and
designing devices to end
preventable infant mortality.
Satellites designed by British
engineers can offer warnings of
potential natural disasters and, as in
the case of the tsunami in Japan,
can be programmed to provide data
about the worst-affected areas heiping rescuers to save lives.
Every giant technological leap
forward has been achieved thanks
to mechanical engineers. From
smart phones to goal-line
technology, from artificial hearts tc
spacecraft, and from air-capture
devices addressing carbon
emissions to mapping the human
genome, engineers are at the
forefront of ground-breaking
Illl
ENGINEERS WILL BE ARTISTS
AND VISIONARIES TO MATCH
THE GENIUS OF LEONARDO
innovations. Such advances offer
unprecedented opportunities to
further human understanding and
enable society to become ever more
sophisticated in its capabilities, and
adventurous in its possibilities.
We live in an increasingly
populated world. The population
explosion, the over-consumption of
resources, and climate change have
combined to threaten the long-term
survival of society. Engineers can
offer the technological solutions that
will reduce our impact on the
environment, husband our natural
resources in a sustainable manner,
and ensure that we have enough
energy to cope with the demand
and population growth to keep the
lights on around the world.
Engineers will be vital to shaping
society to sustain us for the future:
updating and enhancing our
infrastructure in a planned way
encompassing energy, transport,
housing, town planning and land
use. These big issues affect the
whole world, and engineers will be
at the heart of the matter, providing
the expertise, knowledge and advice
to help governments to come to a
consensus to implement solutions,
Dan Johns, a world expert in
additive manufacturing, currently
working on the Bloodhound SSC
project, is featured in the book. He
says: "Additive manufacturing offers
true freedom of design to alter the
mechanical behaviour of things and
design them from the inside out.
Design and manufacture will truly
emulate nature, where nothing Is
straight or square, material is only
placed where it is needed and
systems are smart and fully
integrated. In this renaissance,
engineers will be artists and
visionaries to match the genius of
Leonardo da Vinci."
For a copy of the campaign's
Vision book, piease email:
agenda@imeche.org
GEARING UP FOR THE NEXT
FORMULA STUDENT EVENT
Now Is the time for universities to
enter their teams for Formula
Student, the IMechE's flagship
motorsport engineering competition.
Hopes are high for another
successful event to build on the
achievements of the record-breaking
contest last year.
Formula Student 2011 enabled
more than 3,000 competitors from
125 universities and 34 countries to
gain the real-world engineering
experience they need to become
industry-ready graduates.
Formula Student 2012 will once
again take place at Silverstone from
13 to 15 July. Registration opens on
Monday 16 January, and students
have just three days to make their
application to take part.
For the first time this year, as
part of the registration process
students will need to submit a
business logic plan. This requires
the team to analyse market data;
supply company strategy; undertake
vehicle performance analysis or
benchmarking; analyse efficiency of
design and manufacture; outline key
design features and targets; and a
mitigation of risks,
Fiona Pawley has recently
become the project manager for
Formula Student, after a successful
career working in British Formula 3.
She represented Formula Student at
Autosport International at the NEC
in Birmingham on 12-15 January,
where she was joined by student
teams from the universities of
Hertfordshire, Central Lancashire,
Oxford Brookes, Manchester
Metropolitan, Glyndwr, and Brunei,
Spectators wishing to attend
Formula Student can now buy
advance tickets online. Three-day
tickets can be purchased at
www.formulastudent.com for the
discounted price for institution
members of £5 excluding VAT.
Formula Student continues to
enjoy the support of leading
companies. Airbus, Mercedes AMG
High Performance Powertrains and
Jaguar Land Rover will be
supporting the 2012 event, and are
continuing to offer competitors the
chance to benefit from their
world-class engineering expertise.
Formula Student is renowned for
showcasing renewable power
sources. To hone their skills and
knowledge in this area, teams
recently attended Jaguar Land
Rover's hybrid electric workshop.
Summing up what the 2012
event will bring, Pawley said:
"Expertise in engineering for electric
vehicles and hybrids will be of
crucial importance at Formula
Student as, for the first time ever,
single-seater racing cars powered
by alternative fuels will be going
head-to-head with those powered
by traditional combustion fuels.
"This is a reflection of the parity
between electric and regular race
cars, and I am thrilled and excited
to watch this year's competition
unfold,"
» For more information, see
www.formulastudent.com
O IMechE events
For all the latest, up-to-date news on events, seminars and
conferences at One Birdcage Walk and around the UK, please visit:
http://events.iineche.org/. To receive regular email updates about
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