We have had a number of successful events this year, and as 2015 draws to a close the local network committee would like to share with you a summary of these activities.
Life Lessons from an Engineer
In June, Chris Doak - a director at the Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority - gave a very interesting talk about his career path and some of the lessons he learned along the way. Chris was an entertaining speaker and it was a very successful first event for the network.
The Twin Challenges of Climate Change
Also in June, Philip Lawton gave a well thought out presentation on mitigating environmental emissions and delivering resilience. This came from his work with National Grid, a UK energy utility company, but is applicable to engineered systems the world over. Philip gave this talk as the keynote speaker at the EEA conference in Wellington, and we were fortunate to hear him speak in Christchurch.
Structural Resilience
In August, Stephen Hogg - structural engineer at Aurecon - gave a presentation on delivering structural resilience. This was a very interesting lecture on the different options for making buildings that are better able to cope with earthquakes; not just allowing people to get out safely, but having a building that is still functional afterwards. A range of options was shown - some would require the replacement of minor parts after a major earthquake, whilst others would only require cosmetic work.
Prestige Lecture: Design-led Innovation
In November, John McGuire - Chief Innovation Officer for Aurecon - gave this thought-provoking presentation here in Christchurch as part of the annual nationwide Prestige Lecture series. John challenged the way we commonly approach design, discussing the importance of using innovation to transform our work as designers or engineers, and produce work that better meets the customer's needs.
Photo: presenter John McGuire (left) with committee chair, Nick Gordge.
Plans for 2016
The new year beckons and we have already begun planning activities. We aim to continue organising high quality presentations on engineering topics, and welcome any suggestions or feedback you may have. We also intend to establish a student section at the University of Canterbury. Finally, we are looking for new volunteers to join the Local Network committee, to help us further the IET's mission of Inform, Influence, and Inspire. Details on the above will be forthcoming in the new year.
Please email us at southislandnz@theiet.org or join a discussion on the IET Communities group for New Zealand <https://communities.theiet.org/communities/home/133> .
Have a great Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to seeing you at an event soon.
South Island Local Network Committee