Welcome from the editor

Welcome to the September-October issue of Member News magazine.

This edition is full of stories that reflect both our heritage and our future. We begin with a look at our growing media presence, where our experts have been leading national conversations from nuclear energy and MedTech to championing diversity and resilience in engineering. Our President, Sir Warren East, and other IET voices have been instrumental in highlighting the importance of a strong skills pipeline and inclusive innovation. 

We introduce the WISE Young Professionals’ Board - a dynamic group of early-career engineers working to make STEM more inclusive and representative. Through podcasts, mentoring, and advocacy, they’re helping young women navigate the challenges of the industry and find their voice in a field that still has work to do. 

As Sir Warren’s presidential year draws to a close, he reflects on what has been an “interesting year” marked by growing geopolitical and economic uncertainty. In his words, while the headlines may distract, the fundamentals of the energy transition and the role of engineering remain unchanged. 

We’re proud to spotlight Bev Pardoe, who marks 60 years of IET membership; the 130th anniversary of Dame Caroline Haslett’s birth, a trailblazer in electrical engineering and a tireless advocate for women in STEM; and we celebrate the centenary of the Institution of Electronic and Radio Engineers (IERE), a forerunner of the IET. 

And looking to the future, IET Fellow Naresh Ravuri offers a candid look at the challenges of integrating Autonomous Vehicles into our daily lives, especially the delicate “handshake” between human behaviour and machine intelligence. 

We’d love to tell your stories and celebrate your successes, so please do get in touch to share these with us at membernews@theiet.org 

We’ll be exploring subjects featured in the magazine in more depth across our social channels, such as EngX, and feature longer editions of some of our pieces on the website too. We encourage you to join the conversation! 

We hope you enjoy this issue.