Archive : 3 November 2014 год

Today marks the start of Tomorrow's Engineers Week, an initiative which sees government and industry unite to engage with the engineers of the future.

Through talks, events, discussions and competitions, the campaign aims to change perceptions of engineering among young people, their parents and teachers. 

In particular, Tomorrow's Engineers Week wants to challenge outdated views about engineering careers, especially amongst women, and demonstrate the relevance of engineering to young people's everyday lives. 

The campaign runs from 3 to 7 November. It is being backed by several engineering bodies, including EngineeringUK, the IET and the Royal Academy of Engineering. 

In particular, it aims to highlight 
• The benefits of engineering careers to young people 
• The opportunities for young people to experience these careers and to become the everyday engineering heroes of the future 
• The many engineering jobs available to young people, especially girls 

Author
Laura Hopperton

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

The market for optoelectronics, sensors and discretes (O-S-D) is expected to grow by 9% this year, after a modest 1% growth in 2012 and 2013.

This year, IC Insights says sales should reach a record $68.9billion. Optoelectronics is expected to continue to be the most consistent growth segment in the overall O-S-D marketplace during the next several years, primarily due to strong demand for CMOS image sensors in embedded applications and automotive systems. 

However, optoelectronics growth has been dampened in recent years by price erosion in lamp devices due to the build up of worldwide capacity for high brightness LEDs, which are becoming cheaper for solid state lighting applications. 

During the past several years, sensors and actuators have been the fastest growing semiconductor market segment, but double digit percentage sales increases in this category came to a screeching halt in 2012 when high flying demand for acceleration and yaw rate sensors slowed and average selling prices fell by 10%. 

Looking ahead, accelerometers and gyroscopes are expected to remain the largest sensor product category through 2018, but faster growing pressure and magnetic field sensors are forecast to gain market share over the next four years.

Author
Laura Hopperton

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

Innovate UK is to invest up to £2million in feasibility studies to stimulate innovation in advanced materials; biosciences; electronics, sensors and photonics; and information and communications. 

Proposals are expected to 'kick start' the delivery of new products and services which have substantial and scalable commercial potential. 
According to the funding body, the competition is intended to ensure that small and micro businesses in the UK are equipped to respond to market opportunities across a range of economic sectors. 

Projects must be business led and are only open to small or micro companies, working either independently or in collaboration with one other similarly sized company. Projects are likely to last for up to four months, but total costs cannot not exceed £33,000. 

Innovate UK is looking for proposals in the following areas: 
* Photonics, including devices and systems for industrial processing, solid state lighting, biophotonics, communications or photovoltaics, and systems that improve functionality, performance, size or cost reduction. 

* Sensor systems, including intelligence and optimised control, wireless sensing, networks of sensors and imaging. 

* Plastic electronics, including materials, devices, equipment, production processes, architectures, test and measurement, systems or modelling tools. 

* Electronic systems, including design and integration, embedded systems, robotics and autonomous systems, and verification and testing of computing system designs, and 

* Power electronics, including devices and systems for efficiently converting and controlling electricity consumption in electronic systems. 

The competition for funding opens on 10 November 2014, with the deadline for applications being 1200 on 21 January 2015. A briefing day for potential applicants will be held in London on 25 November 2014.

Author
Graham Pitcher

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has appointed its first female president.

An active campaigner for inspiring women into the engineering sector, Naomi Climer will take on the role from 1 October 2015. 

She currently serves as the deputy president of the IET and president of Sony Media Cloud Services, a US company focussed on harnessing the power of the cloud for professional video content production. 

Climer said: "Engineering is a hugely exciting and diverse career with the opportunity to do something life or world changing. But there is a big job to do to increase public understanding of the important role engineering plays in their daily lives and get more young people excited about the possibilities of an engineering career. 

"It will be an honour to become the President of the IET and of course to be the first female in that role."

Author
Laura Hopperton

Source:  www.newelectronics.co.uk