IET.tv

From a different perspective: Principles, practice and potential of bistatic radar

2013-05-23 00:00:00.0

From: AF Harvey Prize Lecture, 23 May 2013, IET London Savoy Place

Bistatic radar systems have been studied and built since the earliest days of radar. They have the advantages that the receivers are passive, and hence potentially undetectable. The receiving systems can also be simple and cheap.

In spite of those advantages, rather few bistatic radar systems have got past the 'technology demonstrator' phase, and it is only now that real bistatic radar systems are being developed and fielded. Also, there is particular current interest in passive bistatic radar (PBR) techniques, using broadcast and communications signals as 'illuminators of opportunity'.
The lecture presents a review of some of the history, and the properties and current developments in the subject, as well as the prospects for the future.

Innovation lecture

2013-04-24 00:00:00.0

Innovation lecture
William Gates Building

The innovation lecture will be delivered by Dr. Mike Lynch, OBE, FREng., founder of Invoke Capital, UK-based technology investment company, former CEO of Autonomy and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The Annual Wheeler Lecture

2013-04-24 00:00:00.0

The Annual Wheeler Lecture
William Gates Building
Cambridge and Queens College
24th April 2013

The Annual Wheeler Lecture will be given by Sir Tony Hoare, Emeritus Professor of Computer Science at the University of Oxford, Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and Honorary Member of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory. The lecture is named in honour of David Wheeler, an early member of the Laboratory and computer pioneer.

Is life quantum mechanical?

2013-04-18 00:00:00.0

From: The 2013 IET Kelvin Lecture, London, UK

Over the past few years it has emerged that plants use a form of quantum computing to calculate how best to direct energy through their photosynthetic apparatus. Scientists have also discovered that birds, insects and other animals appear to use entanglement (what Einstein called "spooky action at a distance" to detect the earth's magnetic field).
And there is solid evidence that enzymes, those metabolic workhorses that drive much of the action in our cells, use the process known as quantum tunneling to accelerate chemical reactions. It may even have a say in mutations in DNA.
This lecture introduces the speculative yet exciting new field of Quantum Biology". Jim Al-Khalili is one of a growing number of physicists struggling to understand how fragile quantum mechanical phenomena previously thought to be confined to highly rarefied laboratory systems at temperatures close to absolute zero, manage to survive in the wet, warm biological world.

The Ig Nobel Awards

2013-04-04 00:00:00.0

The Ig Nobel Awards, 4 April 2013, IET London: Savoy Place

The Ig Nobel Awards all about research that makes people laugh, then think. This will be the eleventh annual tour, in conjunction with the National Science and Engineering Week.

The Ig Nobel show includes Marc Abrahams review of the past yearâ€™s improbable research and Ig Nobel Prize winners.

Several Ig Nobel winners, and other scientists who have done things just as improbably impressive, will try to explain what they did and why they did it, and will field questions. Each show will include a unique combination of individuals.

Performers include:
Siobhan Abeyesinghe (Do hens have friends?)
Charlotte Burn (Study of canine tail-chasing and human responses to it)
Chris McManus, Ig Nobel Prize winner (Scrotal asymmetry in man and ancient sculpture)
Sid Rodrigues (Demonstration of sitting on the stage, motionless, doing nothing for 90 minutes)
Dan Schreiber (Improbable things I researched for The Museum of Curiosity and QI)

IET News April/May 2013

2013-04-03 00:00:00.0

IET News April/May 2013

Presented by Rob Edmunds MIET, Test Solutions Team Leader at Selex ES.

* Important news on the refurbishment of IET London: Savoy Place
* Our 'Volunteer Talent Support' project
* An update on the IET's work with government
* This year's FIRST LEGO League UK winners
* News from the IET Annual Dinner 2013
* Upcoming IET events
* New licensing agreement with BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
* New course and qualification on electric vehicle charging
* The launch of the 'IET Apprentice of the Year Award'

Connected Digital Economy Catapult - Monthly Open Forum: March Webinar

2013-03-27 00:00:00.0

From: Connected Digital Economy Catapult - Monthly Open Forum: March Webinar
Savoy Place,
27 March 2013,
London, UK

Homes for the Future - Control Systems

2013-03-19 00:00:00.0

From: The Great Debate: Homes of the future, 19 March 2013, Reading, UK

How are control systems likely to develop to integrate different functions within a house and optimise their use both within the house and as part of the network? How will houses be connected to the network? How will all this impact on our lives and change the way we live?
This event has been organised by the IET Berkshire Network, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the British Computer Society (BCS) and the University of Reading and is part of Reading Science Week.

Homes for the Future - Debate

2013-03-19 00:00:00.0

From: The Great Debate: Homes of the future, 19 March 2013, Reading, UK

This year's event provides an overview of how houses and their associated services may change over the next 30 years. Pressure to reduce carbon emissions and the demand for services is likely to continue both through legislation and the impact of rising costs, but the advances in technology that this is driving may also bring improvements.
This event has been organised by the IET Berkshire Network, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the British Computer Society (BCS) and the University of Reading and is part of Reading Science Week.

Homes for the Future - Design and Construction

2013-03-19 00:00:00.0

From: The Great Debate: Homes of the future, 19 March 2013, Reading, UK

How houses will be designed and constructed to minimise energy requirements both to reduce carbon emissions and the cost of providing energy. Also what other innovations might we see because of technology developments which will make houses more attractive and easier to maintain.
This event has been organised by the IET Berkshire Network, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the British Computer Society (BCS) and the University of Reading and is part of Reading Science Week.