About Sussex Network
Chairman's welcome
Last year I was observing here that the engineering environment is changing and that the IET is in a period of rapid change. At the IET Sussex AGM recently I commented that the Committee had not yet added enough change to adequately reflect the new IET – but within a few days, I am pleased to report, we now do have new Committee members from the previous IIE part of the family and also from Sussex University.
We have arranged an interesting program and are determined to continue to expand and extend the range of meetings and activities we undertake. The Young Members are also active and there seem sufficient signs to take some confidence that the IET is moving ahead in Sussex.
We have the opportunity under the revised structures to take advantage, where this is useful, of a broader Regional series of collaborations with other local networks (once aka “Branches”.) Since we are enthusiastically active on a wide geographical base, your Committee has chosen to opt for alliances with both the Southern and the SouthEastern regional groupings. These can offer the Institution opportunities to undertake somewhat more ambitious projects than smaller units might cope with. We shall see what develops, but most engineers agree that we need to influence government at all levels and this is one area that must be taken carefully and in appropriate scale. Similarly, the influencing of technical policy is something that the IET has responsibility for at national level, but educating all those interested is something that we also can assist with. We are looking at various ways to increase our assistance to schools and the public generally, to cope with the increasing number of technically based decisions that face us all.
I hope to hear from you at some point and maybe to meet you at one of the local meetings. In the meantime, I wish you well and trust that you will enjoy engineering however you choose.
With best wishes,
Bernard J Challen
Professor Bernard J Challen, BSc(Eng) MSc CEng FIMechE FIET MIOA FSAE
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