About the session
Engineering has changed the world dramatically in the last 10 years, and we are seeing a continuous transformation as the impact of innovations like the Internet and mobile broadband ripple through society. This is evident now with the rise of automated and online services, social and professional networking, even down to the demise of the car tax disc - not much in the world is unchanged. The iPhone was a key tipping point for this transformation, built on decades of engineering innovation in wireless, processing, storage, displays and touch-screens. With this revolution came a problem - the data crunch, and it was engineers who were needed to solve it, working across governments, regulators, organisations and disciplines. Engineers have evidently been influential in changing the world, but are they changing with it? They are represented by institutions and professional bodies, and have been for over 150 years. However, these now need to move with the times too. Looking ahead, institutions have a very clear role: to change the 'nuts-and-bolts' way that engineering is viewed and to use the tools their members have created to influence policymakers, enthuse the next generation and inform society. This lecture explores just how engineers have changed the world and how their institutions can make the most of the new world they have brought about in order to build a platform that is fit for the next 150 years.
