3 minute read time.
As promised, this week I am looking at the Caithness & Orkney district.


For those that don’t know the layout of the Scotland North Committee, the area is split into districts that each have a representative on the Scotland North Committee.  The Committee pulls together the event plans for the year and submits the budget.  The Scotland North Committee organises events in Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Perth, Thurso, Orkney, Shetland, Stornoway.  These events cover a range of engineering, management and general interest.


Bit of background for those on the community page who are not local.

Caithness is a largely area of unspoilt, dramatic scenery in the far north of Scotland, indeed, on the extreme edge of Europe.

 

The borders of Caithness are the Pentland Firth to the north, and Moray Firth to the east. Caithness meets Sutherland, together covering the far north coast of Scotland. The coast is low-lying on the east, and majestic on the north, with high cliffs and offshore stacks at places like Duncansby Head. Wick and Thurso are the main settlements, based around harbours and making their living on a mix of fishing and tourism. Inland is the desolate flat peat bog and moorland of the Flow Country, one of the last true wilderness areas in Europe. While the population of the Flow Country is sparse, it is a popular home for numerous rare plants, insects and birds.

 
Orkney is an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland .  Approximately seventy islands and skerries make up Orkney, with up to 20 of those inhabited. Most of the 21,000 strong population live on the largest island, the mainland, though many of the inner and outer islands of Orkney also support thriving communities, each with its own distinct identity.

 

The Orkney capital Kirkwall -officially a city and Royal Burgh - is home to around 9,000 people, while some 2,000 live in the picturesque harbour town of Stromness, in Orkney's west mainland.

 

The 'Heart of Neolithic Orkney' is a group of 5,000-year-old sites on Mainland, the largest island including Skara Brae, a preserved village with a reconstructed house, and Maeshowe, a chambered burial tomb incorporating 12th-century Viking carvings.


Events that have happened so far – 

 

The district has had a recent addition to the organising committee.  John Blacklock joins Yetunde Adediran in running the IET district.  As you can see from the descriptions, this is not an easy task in these far reaches of Scotland.

 

There has been a joint event with IMechE on SSE Network expansions in Caithness / Moray in November and a local members meeting in December 2016

 

Into 2017, the committee are in the process of setting up or investigating the following events, so keep an eye on the community page for details.
  • Launching a code Club at Thurso High School, which has no computer science teachers


  • A stand at their Caithness International Science Festival Family Fun Day on Sat 18 Mar 17.

  • A stand at Inverness Science Festival on Sat 29 Apr and do school visits on previous day on Bloodhound SSC Project.

  • ‘Solar Sails Spacecraft’ by Prof Colin Innes with local school workshops during the day. This is joint with  IET, IMechE, Caithness Astronomy Group and British Science Association.

  • Visits to SSE Networks new substations in Caithness

  • Visit to Subsea 7 wick subsea pipeline fabrication facilities near Wick

  • Quiz night with local Professional Networks


So there is lots to look forward to.  As you can imagine, to put together these types of events for anyone to attend for free is shows the commitment of the IET volunteers.  If you feel you can offer help or would like to volunteer, please get in touch.


Next week I will cover the Western Isles.