Almost all engineering and technology students get into jobs after graduating. But that is where the similarity ends. Most will get into run-of-the-mill graduate roles where the salary is, at best, average, and where career prospects are, at best, dull and unfulfilling. Some will only manage to scrap into jobs that don’t actually require a degree, and where the salary is painfully below the average graduate level salary. ­Only a few graduates ever manage to get onto the fast-track route to high-paying successful careers.

As an academic, my hope is that ALL my students should get into high-paying, fulfilling graduate roles. So I invited some of my colleagues in industry to give you some essential tips on how you can position yourselves for these roles. Here are their verbatim responses. Apart from highlighting key-points, I’ve refrained from the academic urge to summarise, theorise etc. Hopefully you get something from this.

IT Management & Business Graduate

Research & network – students should really consider the opportunities they want to pursue after university and align them to their degree & personal interests.

For example, a student who is passionate about getting into a Tech Giant such as Facebook should better understand Facebook’s position in the market, the key focus areas they want to expand in (for example Facebook for Business), what the company mission and vision is and use their social networks to attend as many Facebook events as possible.

Building your network and speaking to people on LinkedIn or at events is imperative!

IT Management & Business Graduate

I would say work on personal projects outside of uni to find what part of IT/Technology/Engineering you are most passionate about because these are very big areas. Whether it is making iPhone apps, Databases, websites, Bots or video games.

You’ll need to find what you are most excited about before you know what your ideal job is. During this process, try to also get experience (internships, industrial placements, summer placements, voluntary work, etc.. ) in any area. Any experience is good because if it’s something you don’t 100% enjoy, then it’ll make it clearer to you what you do want to do.

In terms of getting hired – Just make it easy for employers to hire you. You know what they would want to see on your CV (Solid degree + personal projects + work experience). And you know what kind of person they are looking for (Enthusiastic about the work + Good at problem solving + Personable). So put the odds in your favour by simply becoming what they want and give them no reason not to pick you.

IT Management & Business Graduate

I would say doing a summer internship as a developer would be great. I did an internship at blur Group at the Exeter science park. Although it was minimum wage the experience was great, I learnt a lot on the job.

Getting as much practical experience as possible is the key I believe. Even if it is doing personal projects or startup business whilst at uni.

Civil Engineering Graduate

In my field I have realized that everyone is looking for hands on experience even from the ones who are just leaving colleges. So it pays to go to in-service training if the curriculum allows it, if not, it means on vacations one should take time to find somewhere they can do apprenticeship if I may call it that.

Be familiar with the various technologies that are being used in your field. I remember when I left college all the design we were doing it from first principles, years later when I tried to get employment in the consulting field, what they needed was someone who can use the design software. Learning to use these tools early on will give you a head start.

Know where you want to be with your career from the onset. In civil engineering there are different disciplines and fields. Not knowing where you want to develop the rest of your career will lead you jumping from one field to the other and as such you tend to lose the chance of developing specific skills. However, it is also good to know a bit of everything that is happening in you field even though you have specialized in one area.

Find a good mentor early, and remember, experience is a good teacher.   Also registering with your professional body helps you to associate with like-minded peers and it is a good way of getting mentors in your field of study. It also helps you to keep abreast with the current development in your field.

Electrical Power Systems Graduate

My suggestion is based on my observation here in Nigeria. First, there is a need for creativity so as to adapt the technological skills learnt in the UK to the local environment. The conditions in different countries differ, while the theories we learn at university may hold through in all places, their application need a bit of creativity in order to sell well and adapt to needs in third world countries.

Secondly, engineers need to add on marketing skills these days to remain relevant and stay ahead of the competition. The jobs are not just easily available and you may need to go through the route of entrepreneurship & self-marketing to kick start your career.

There are many challenges in Africa requiring engineering skills and acumen for solution. However, the platform for being the solution won’t be given easily, so you might just need to ‘grab it’.

Chemical Engineering Graduate

1. Seek career advice: attend career talks, make use of the university careers centre – to know where your degree can take you (which is not always immediately obvious, especially for engineering!).
2. Get some work experience during your undergraduate degree – whether through internships or an industrial year out (I didn’t do this and it didn’t impact me, but things would have been much easier if I had).
3. Know your strengths: figure out what you enjoy and are good at in your subjects at university – this can help you determine what you will enjoy as a career (e.g. Research, design, modelling).

Mechanical Engineering Graduate

I would say the most important thing to do is to start researching about careers and companies right from the first year at university.

And the second thing I would recommend is to make sure you complete a relevant summer internship every holiday during the four years and try to work in as many different industries as possible.

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Human beings are at their most effective when they work together in teams. In the area of business, groups of people organised into companies conduct more business, and generate billions more revenue than individuals working alone as sole traders. In engineering and technology, the lone wolf only exists in the imagination. Virtually all the technologies that we routinely use in our daily lives are produced by organised businesses. Even in politics, the independent politician is extremely rare, with almost all world leaders belonging to one political grouping or another.

Despite the very clear evidence that the human being is essentially a team-working creature, engineering students all over the world prefer to study alone.  Raymond B. Landis, former Dean of Engineering and Technology at California State University, Los Angeles, estimates that only 10% of all engineering students study at some point with at least one other student. Of all the students that he has asked, 90% categorically state that they spend all their time studying alone.

Why Do Students Prefer Studying Alone?

There are several reasons why students prefer to study alone, rather than collaboratively with other students. Some of the reasons that I have found include:

1. The prevailing culture of the individualistic genius: We tend to associate success with specific individuals, despite the important contributions made by other people around them. For instance, in the technological sector we often associate the iPhone with Steve Jobs, Windows with Bill Gates, Facebook with Mark Zuckerberg, and blissfully ignore the fact that all these individuals lead, or led, organisations employing teams made up of some of the most brilliant engineers of their time. This belief in individualistic genius is unfortunately reinforced by our scientific tradition of associating each scientific theorem with an individual. For example, we talk of Newton’s laws of motion, Kirchhoff’s  laws of electrical circuits, Ohm’s law of electrical resistance, etc., whilst completely disregarding all those other researchers who contributed to the eventual formulation of these laws.
2. Negative peer pressure: Academically weak students routinely discourage hard-working students from staying focussed on academic studies. This problem is particularly rife in high school. Hence, by the time a student enters engineering school, they have mustered the habit of studying alone and in secret.
3. Erroneous belief that isolation improves concentration: Most students who prefer to study alone wrongly believe that this helps to improve concentration and understanding. This may work if you are memorising your study material. However, if you really want to understand your study material and to be able to apply it to solving problems, then studying with other students is much more effective.
4. Fear of embarrassment: Most students prefer studying alone because they fear being embarrassed before their peers when they get things wrong. However, it is best to have someone let you know of your areas of weaknesses during the year. Otherwise, you will only discover your weaknesses in the final exam, which can be quite distressing.

What are the benefits of collaborating with others when studying?

Teaming up with other like-minded students to study has several benefits. In this section, I discuss some of the reasons that academics have offered in support of collaborative studying.

1. Team-working always trumps lone-working: I have commented on this already. The fact is, in general, people often achieve the greatest results when working collaboratively with others. Therefore, if you study collaboratively with other students you have greater chances of achieving higher academic grades. In addition, by studying with other students, you learn essential skills like team-working and communication.  If you look at the typical job advert for graduate engineers, you will find that these two skills are highly prized by employers. Therefore, by studying collaboratively with other students you kill two birds with one stone. First, you improve your academic performance. Secondly, you acquire important skills that you will need when you start practising as an engineer.
2. Learning and supporting each other: As most students quickly realise, in engineering school you are introduced to many engineering and scientific concepts that are complex, and sometimes difficult to understand. In addition, the pace at which you are taught is much faster than in high school. Concepts that are often taught over several weeks in high school are usually taught in just one lecture in engineering school.  Studying with others will help you to easily figure out difficult material. You also get to support each other during difficult periods. In turn, this makes engineering school less difficult and more enjoyable, and helps you to perform better academically. In fact, the failure to integrate and collaborate with other students is one of the biggest indicators that a student is most likely to underperform or to drop out of their studies entirely.
3. Collaborative study gives you a more positive student experience: Students who collaboratively work and study with others often have more positive experiences of engineering school than those who prefer studying alone. Maryellen Weimer, writer of the Teaching Professor Blog, believes that when students collaboratively study with each other they reap the following benefits:

• Studying and working with others provides a safe environment to ask questions and admit confusion
• It is often easier for students to understand each other than the teacher
• When students figure out things on their own, that builds confidence
• When students explain to each other, the student doing the explaining develops a deeper understanding of the subject matter

4. Collaborate, being smart is not enough: This point is taken from an aptly named study guide by Dilaura. In  this guide he suggests that studying with others helps students to discuss and share ideas in problematic areas. This enables them to hear and consider different viewpoints, thereby enriching their learning. Most importantly, when students study together, they are better able to resist the temptation to put off things. It also enables them to resist distractions when studying.
5. Multiple heads are better than one: When students take part in a study group, they achieve more than they would each do in their individual capacities. For instance, three students working collaboratively to solve a calculus problem have better chances of solving the problems than when they are working individually. Moreover, study groups help students to benefit from each other’s’ individual talents and strengths, and to ultimately succeed in their studies.

What makes an effective study group?

Valeria Burdea has published a blog post entitled “Joining a Study Group: The Benefits”. In this blog she gives four steps that students must follow if they want to set up effective study groups:

1. Seek to study and work only with those students who motivate and inspire them. Students should omit from their study group any student who is simply looking for an easy way to get a passing grade.
2. Look out for those students who are alert and focussed in class. These are usually the students who participate in class through asking questions and answering any questions posed by the lecturer.
3. The ideal study group is made up of 3 or 4 people. If it is too large, then it becomes too difficult to coordinate and to maintain the necessary discipline required.
4. Each study group member should prepare adequately prior to each meeting. This will enable the study group to focus on group discussions, as well as adding value to individual student understanding.

How to Create an Effective Study Group?

In 2007, Anastasia Pryanikova published a blog post entitled “How to form an effective study group.” This has since become  one of the most widely referenced articles on creating effective study groups. In this section I outline the major steps that she set out for those considering forming their own study groups:

1. Choose your study partners wisely. Ideally, these should be self-directed and motivated learners who are responsible enough to prepare for the study group meetings. They should also be able to contribute with ideas and tips, and their  schedule must be compatible with your own.
2. Always have a meeting agenda. At the end of each meeting set an agenda for the next meeting, and allocate specific times for each task. Make sure that you have an ending time, and during the meetings ensure that you stick to the agenda.
3. Assign a person to each topic on the agenda to lead discussion. Do this in advance to ensure that the assigned people have enough time to prepare. Whilst the assigned person will lead discussion, other group members should actively participate in the discussion.
4. Speak concisely. Whenever you contribute to the group discussion, do not waffle about. Make sure that your message is brief and to the point.
5. Always resolve uncertainities. If your study session reveals disagreement, confusion, or misunderstanding in any area of your study topic, prepare a list of questions and ask your subject lecturers and tutors.
6. Practise questions as part of your meetings. These could be workshop questions, homework questions, or even past exam questions. Work out the questions individually, and then compare answers and give each other comments and tips for improvement.
7. Predict the exam. Get into the habit of predicting the questions that are likely to come in the exam. Each group member should contribute by setting a possible exam question. Group members should individually answer each question, and then compare and discuss answers, giving each other advice and tips for improvement.

References

Landis, R.B. (2000). ‘Academic Success Strategies’. In Studying Engineering: A Road Map to a Rewarding Career (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Discovery Press. (Read excerpt here: https://goo.gl/ZMvFi9)

Weimer, M. (21 /09/2016). Faculty Focus: What happens when students study together [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/ASTBXu

Dilaura , D.L. (2001) Being smart is not enough – Chautauquas for first year engineering students. (p. 60). Boulder: University of Colorado at Boulder. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/GdUPqs

Community College of Allegheny County. (n.d.) The power of study groups. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/kRZhUy

Pryanikova, A. (18/04/2007). Lawsagna: How to form an effective study group. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/A9W029

Burdea, V. (15/04/2013).Topuniversities: Joining a Study Group -The Benefits. [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://goo.gl/XQOFdM

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Mathematics underpins the study of virtually any theoretical studies related to engineering. In fact, so important is mathematics to the study of engineering that your performance in mathematics is often an accurate indicator of your subsequent performance in more advanced engineering subjects as you progress through your degree programme.

For example, if you want to excel in electronics and electrical engineering, you need a thorough understanding of electrical circuit theory. This subject equips you with the analytical tools to design and troubleshoot any electronic or electrical circuit that you will come across in your practice as an engineer. And to master this very important subject, you need to have a good grasp of basic mathematics topics like matrices, complex numbers, differentiation, integration and differential equations.

If you are studying mechanical or civil engineering, then mechanics is an essential part of your studies. Mechanics deals with the forces that act on stationary bodies, and on bodies that are in motion. You therefore need a good understanding of mechanics for you to be able to design and analyse civil engineering structures like bridges and high-rise buildings. On the other hand, if you are a mechanical engineer, you need a good grasp of mechanics in order to be able to analyse and design engineering systems like automobiles, aeroplanes, and artificial limbs. And to be able to make headway in your study of mechanics, you need good mastery of mathematics topics such as vectors, differentiation, integration and differential equations.

Given the importance of mathematics to engineering, you would expect all engineering students to fully immerse themselves in studying and mastering mathematics, especially those topics that are relevant to their discipline. Sadly, this is not the case. A frighteningly huge proportion of engineering students do just enough to get by in their study of mathematics. They do just the minimum needed to progress in their mathematics modules, namely attending lectures and workshops, doing the mandatory coursework, and studying to pass the exam, and nothing more. Here at UCL Engineering, we believe that mathematics has to be a way of life, just as music is a way of life to the master musicians. Such an approach enables you to think beyond mathematics and basic engineering theory, and to reach that level of mastery where engineering innovation becomes second nature to you.

At UCL Engineering we believe that there is a lot that we can learn from music in our efforts to improve student mastery of mathematics. We are not the only ones looking to music for inspiration in the learning and teaching of mathematics. Just recently, in April 2016, the U.S. Education Department brought together musicians, educators and researchers to discuss how music can contribute to the study of mathematics, engineering and even computer science (see Washington Post, April 2016 article: Educators want to pair math and music in integrated teaching method). We believe that our students will benefit by learning mathematics in a similar manner to someone learning to play the piano.  We call this the Piano Method for learning mathematics.

The Piano Method is best described by taking you through the steps that a novice needs to go through in order to be an expert piano play. To do so I have turned to answers posted on the question-and-answer web-site, Quora, in response to the question: “How should an adult beginner start learning piano?”

The Piano Method Step by Step

1. It’s never too late to become an expert at mathematics:

There is a genuine fear of mathematics amongst  some students coming into the first year of engineering school. Some have had difficult experiences with “A” level mathematics. Some have been out of formal education for some time, and are coming back from industry. Yet more, some never did mathematics at “A” level. At UCL Engineering we believe that regardless of the route you took into engineering school, and regardless of your age, you can still become an expert at mathematics.

“It’s never too late to learn to play the piano. If you are an adult and want to learn to play the piano don’t let thinking you are too old deter you.” – Natalie White, Pianist Pro.

“You are not too old to learn piano.” – Lorri Robinson, Know organ, now I’m tackling that pesky left hand.

“Don’t worry about your age. It’s never too late to learn a new skill, older age just might make the intuitive and technical parts take longer to develop. In terms of the theoretical aspect a more mature mind actually puts you at an advantage.” – Tia, Started piano lessons at 11, self-taught since 13.

2. Be passionate about studying mathematics:

Develop a genuine love for mathematics. This will sustain you during the ups and downs that you will experience as you learn and master new concepts. A genuine love for mathematics will also enable you to spend the necessary time that you need to become an expert in mathematics.

“Great news, you already have the most important ingredient…. passion!  If you’re not passionate about music in general, and more specifically learning to play the piano, then you’ll never get good at it.” – Rich Coogan, Playing piano for 40 years via private lessons and college lessons.

“You said you’re interested, and very much so. Basically, you’re already halfway there. You’ve got motivation. Learning an instrument primarily depends on consistency, motivation and determination, ‘talent’ can only do so much to kickstart your progress …” – Tia, Started piano lessons at 11, self-taught since 13.

3. Find a good engineering mathematics textbook that you will use in your studies:

I would suggest that you use one of the textbooks recommended by your engineering mathematics lecturers. Here at UCL Engineering we recommend “Engineering Mathematics” by K.A Stroud. This textbook has a lot of practice examples that are organised progressively by order of difficulty.

“Let’s begin with the basics of your wants. A piano: There are some decent practice pianos out there, but I am personally a Yamaha person. It has the best quality, will sound like an acoustic piano if you want it to.” – Dezi Rivera

“Find an exercise book.  I recommend ‘Hanon’.  I believe there is now an easier beginners Hanon, but if you can’t find it, don’t be intimidated by the Hanon published by Shirmer Library.” – Rich Coogan, Playing piano for 40 years via private lessons and college lessons.

“I’ve become the owner of a Yamaha Key Arranger Workstation PSR710, which is fancy talk for a souped-up digital piano (or pie-nanner, if you want to annoy people). I’m using Alfred’s Adult Course for my re-learning, the Hanon book, and First Lessons in Bach.” – Lorri Robinson, Know organ, now I’m tackling that pesky left hand.

4. Practise for 20 to 30 minutes each day:

Consistent daily practice helps you to reinforce in your mind the mathematical skills and concepts that you have learned.

“Practice, practice, practice. Even 15 or 30 min here and there is better than no practice at all.” – Lorri Robinson, Know organ, now I’m tackling that pesky left hand.

“Just as you did not learn to read and write going to school once a week, it is virtually impossible to progress by practicing once a week.  Most piano teachers recommend practicing from 30 to 60 minutes per day.  Even if you can get 15 minutes of practice in on busy days, that is better than nothing.  Practicing 3.5 hours, once a week, is not the same thing as 30 minutes per day.  Concepts take time to settle in and be digested.  It is not a test your can ‘cram’ for.” – Garrick Saito, I’ve been playing for about nine years now.

5. Make it a habit to practise mathematics daily:

If the study of mathematics does not become a daily habit for you, then you are unlikely to reach the level of mastery needed to perform at the highest level in your study and practice of engineering.

“I think the best thing that you can do to prepare yourself for the journey you’re about to begin is to realize that it is, in fact, a journey.  The journey is one which requires a strong commitment on your part to learn.  Many adult students never make it past the first year of studies because they did not realize that making progress on the instrument requires daily practice.”  – Garrick Saito, I’ve been playing for about nine years now.

6. Be patient, and don’t give up:

Sometimes it may appear as if you are making no progress despite the amount of time that you are putting in. Sometimes you may get frustrated as you experience difficulties mastering certain concepts. But remember that it takes time to master a skill, and this includes mathematics.

 “The most difficult obstacle for you might be the amount of time you can spend practicing and playing.  For most players, it takes quite a while to even just get “pretty good”.  So don’t get discouraged.” – Rich Coogan, Playing piano for 40 years via private lessons and college lessons.

“Don’t let how long it might take you discourage you.” – Lorri Robinson, Know organ, now I’m tackling that pesky left hand

“Don’t get discouraged if it takes you longer than you think (and it probably will).” – Charlotte Lang, Took lessons as a kid. Thanks, Dad!

7. People have different learning rates, so set your own goals and avoid comparing yourself to others:

We all learn at different rates. Just be consistent, avoid comparing yourself to others, and learn and progress at your own rate.

“Everyone learns at different rates …” – Rich Coogan, Playing piano for 40 years via private lessons and college lessons.

“To me (I’m not a teacher, by the way), it seems distracting to have two people in the lesson.  You will both progress at different rates and your teacher’s attention to either one of you will be split into two.” – Garrick Saito, I’ve been playing for about nine years now.

8. Have fun, enjoy your studies:

“HAVE FUN!!!!” – Lorri Robinson, Know organ, now I’m tackling that pesky left hand.

Students entering engineering school often find out that that they have to study certain courses, and carry out certain activities they had never anticipated. For instance, quite a number of students often wonder why they have to study certain theoretical courses before they can get to do the real thing that they came to university for.

In addition, students are often surprised and dismayed that they have to do certain courses, such as communication and professional skills, which don’t seem to have any connection to engineering at all.

Lastly students often wonder why they have to undertake a final year project, and why they have to seek work experience alongside their studies.

In this article I have put together some of the questions that beginning students have asked me. They don’t cover all that a beginning student needs to know, and I will be very happy to add to this list if you have some more questions.

I have organised the questions under three headings:

• Basic Science and Engineering Fundamentals
• Communication and Professional Skills
• Final Year Project and Work Experience

Basic Science and Engineering Fundamentals

Question: Why do we have to waste time in the first year and second year studying maths, science and introductory fundamentals that we are never going to use in engineering practice?

Answer: When you come into engineering school, you want to start on the really interesting stuff like designing and building aircraft, bridges, high rise buildings, nuclear power stations or developing your own mobile communication system. However, typically, you only get to do some of this stuff in the last two years of your degree programme (for a four year MEng), or in the third and final year of your degree (for a 3 year BEng). The chief reason for this is that you need a thorough understanding of the science and engineering concepts that form the building blocks of most of the really interesting engineering stuff. For instance, to effectively design and analyse high rise building structures you need to understand the physical principles of bodies at rest and forces in equilibrium. And to build a mobile communication system, you need a good knowledge of telecommunication theory. And to understand the necessary telecommunication theory, you need to be familiar with mathematical concepts such as series, transforms, probability and statistics.

Question: Nowadays we use computer systems to design engineering systems, so why do I need to master any engineering theory?

Answer: In general, for every problem that you are solving there is more than one solution. Whilst a computer system can give you a design solution based on the data that you enter, you need to make a professional judgement on which design is the best, and this requires an understanding of the technical theory underpinning the problem area. Also a computer system usually generates an output even when you have entered the wrong data, or there is a faulty bug in one of the computer systems algorithms. An understanding of the appropriate technical theory will enable you to know when this happens.

Question: Why do I need to study mathematics in engineering school?

Answer: For two reasons mainly. First, because the relationships between engineering variables, for example force and mass, are best described using mathematical expressions. Secondly, because the behaviour and operation of most engineering systems is best explained and modelled using mathematical functions.

Communication and Professional Skills

Question: I applied to study engineering at university. Why do I have to learn how to compile reports, make presentations and write and send emails as if I am on an English language course?

Answer: As a practising engineer you will spend a significant amount of time communicating information to fellow engineers, work colleagues, managers, customers, suppliers, regulatory authorities, and the people whom you lead. For example, you may write a report documenting how you solved a problem faced by your customers, or putting together operating instructions for a system that you have procured and installed.

Question: I prefer working alone. Why are we forced to work in teams on some of the programme activities, for example in design and problem solving tasks.

Answer: In general, as an engineer you will be working as part of a team. For example, when building a bridge, you will exchange design ideas with other bridge engineers in your team, and you will work with various categories of skilled and unskilled labour to ensure that the bridge is completed on time, and within the allocated costs.

Question: I am an engineer who loves technology, and I have absolutely no desire to go into management? Why am I being forced to learn and demonstrate leadership and management skills during my degree programme?

Answer: As an engineer you will routinely lead and manage other people. For example, experienced engineers generally lead a team of technicians and junior engineers. In addition, as an engineer one of your roles may be to lead project teams made up of people from within and outside your own organisation. You therefore need to learn leadership and management skills.

Question: I am studying to be an engineer, and not an accountant. Why should I attend business management courses?

Answer: Managing financial costs is critical to the survival of organisations. As an engineer, therefore, you need to ensure that the engineering solutions that you provide are cost-effective for both your organisation and your customers if your organisation is to remain in business.

Final Year Project and Work Experience

Question: I have to do a final year project as part of my course. Why is this necessary?

Answer: A final year project offers you the opportunity to demonstrate the extent to which you can apply your engineering knowledge and skills in carrying out a non-trivial engineering task. Your project is useful in revealing your understanding and application of technical theory, problem solving skills, design and implementation skills, time and cost management, as well as your ability to communicate your work in multiple ways to targeted audiences. For example in your project you will communicate your work to the examiner by way of a written report, and you will communicate to other students and academic members of staff through presentations, videos and pitches. All these skills are required in the engineering workplace.

Question: Why do I need to do work experience as part of my degree programme?

Answer: Work experience gives you the opportunity to work on real projects that have an impact on an organisation and on individuals. In the real world you will experience the tensions, conflicts, and uncertainties associated with everyday engineering work, and you need to develop appropriate coping mechanisms in order to effectively apply your engineering knowledge and skills.

IEEE UK and Ireland Systems Man and Cybernetics Chapter Invited Webinar (27 July 2016)

The term Internet of Things refers to a global infrastructure of interconnected objects that can collect and share data and information. It is a coming-together of various technologies and approaches such as the Internet, ubiquitous computing, pervasive computing, near-field communication systems, real-time localisation, sensor technology, and embedded artificial intelligence.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is already a reality in our lives, and currently, in excess of 25 billion devices are already connected to the Internet. In just four years’ time, by 2020, this number is expected to double to 50 billion. These connected devices are to be found in all aspects of everyday life, including healthcare, transport systems, energy systems, smart cities and smart homes.  The individual and social benefits of the IoT are immense, and include personalised and real-time management of individual healthcare, pollution control in cities, proactive prediction and control of emergencies within cities, and real-time traffic congestion management. Within industries, the IoT offers the opportunity for tighter process management, leading to better control of inventory. In the emerging smart home, embedded intelligence is being used to monitor and control energy use, temperature and humidity, and even taking charge of the home shopping.

In this talk I will discuss key features of the emerging IoT, and explain how it has emerged as a convergence of competing technological visions and paradigms. I will give an overview of the technological drivers for the IoT. This will include identification and sensor technologies, and communication technologies, with a primary focus on 5G, the fifth generation of mobile communication technologies. I will also illustrate my talk with discussions of a number of applications that have already been deployed. This will include applications from transportation and logistics, healthcare, and smart cities.

I will conclude my talk by discussing current and potential threats of the IoT. This includes security and privacy. I will discuss advances that have been made to improve security in the IoT, and highlight shortcomings that are likely to compromise its current and future growth.  I will also look at potential socio-political implications of a ubiquitous and pervasive IoT. This will centre around privacy issues and the potential for abuse by both state and non-state actors. Like any new technology with the potential to revolutionise social and economic activity, the IoT has the potential for causing social upheaval. I will also consider the likelihood for this, and will suggest proposals for consideration by policy makers.