IET Lancashire and Cumbria Events
Upcoming events - reserve your place now!
In-Person
Explosive Investigations
Explosions present forensic investigators with some of the most challenging incident scenes encountered. This short presentation will provide an overview of the forensic processes involved in recording, recovery, analysis and interpretation of evidence associated with explosion scenes and devices. The evaluation of explosion scenes to determine the nature and composition of explosive devices will be considered.
- Speaker:
- Isobel Colclough
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 14th January 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Location:
- Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2LD
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Major Deep Water Oil and Gas Developments Offshore West Africa
The talk will cover several 'Mega Projects' over the last 20 years, each costing 6 to 10 billion USD, The focus will be on the specifics of one project in order to highlight elements of the challenges and technologies.
- Speaker:
- Tony Oldfield
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 15th January 2026 @ 7:15 PM
- Location:
- Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, LA9 6RG
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
The Edwardian Steamboat: SL Shamrock - Messing about in Boats or Working Under Pressure?
This is the story of SL Shamrock - where she came from and where she is now, and the issues of restoring, maintaining and operating her. In particular, the talk will follow the various propulsion systems she has had over the years.
- Speaker:
- Roger Calvert
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 22nd January 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Location:
- Barrow Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
What Are The Causes of Rail Accidents?
Following on from his previous talk into what the RAIB does, Neil will start with a brief resume and then delve into actual investigations. These will include: Freight Derailment at Petteril Bridge Carlisle, Grosmont Station Collision, Edinburgh Waverley Sleeper Train Runaway
- Speaker:
- Neil Gove
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 29th January 2026 @ 6:30 PM
- Location:
- EIC University of Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2XS
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Wind Tunnel Capability in Lancashire
Join experienced wind-tunnel engineer Craig Eckersley for an inside look at Lancashire's aerodynamic testing facilities. The talk showcases the region's unique contributions to engineering innovation, highlighting how wind-tunnel testing drives product development from concept to certification.
- Speaker:
- Craig F Eckersley CEng MRAeS
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 5th February 2026 @ 6:30 PM
- Location:
- EIC University of Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2XS
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
From Cardboard to Space - My Journey with Raspberry Pi
Ever wondered how and why the Raspberry Pi computer was created. This seminar will provide the 'inside track' on origins, motivations, design agony, manufacturing challenges and how an off-chance conversation propelled us to Space.
- Speaker:
- Pete Lomas BSc MSc DSc HC
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 11th February 2026 @ 6:30 PM
- Location:
- Engineering Inovation Centre - University of Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2XS
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Pigs, Small Fish and Hitler's Beast
A talk to mark the 80th anniversary of Operation Source - the attack by X-craft midget submarines on the battleship Tirpitz.
- Speaker:
- Commander Bernie Thomson RN Retired
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 19th February 2026 @ 11:00 AM
- Location:
- Crooklands Hotel, Crooklands, LA7 7NW
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Power System Monitoring in Critical Applications
The talk will highlight the importance of resilient power monitoring in sectors where operational availability is vital, with real-world examples from healthcare, rail, E-mobility, and maritime environments.
- Speaker:
- Gareth Brunton
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 19th February 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Location:
- Barrow Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2LD
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Airbus Wings
This talk dives into the Wing Industrial System of the Future and will provide an overview on how Airbus is partnering with various UK organisations to push the boundaries of innovation, rigorously testing and developing advanced wing technologies for the future. Learn how Airbus is harnessing automation and cutting-edge solutions to shape the next era of Industrial Systems.
- Speaker:
- Chris Bennion
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 25th February 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Location:
- Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2LD
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
60 years of Land Air & Sea Projects
The talk will cover a wide range of Air projects that have been worked on during 42 years at British Aerospace / BAE Systems.
- Speaker:
- George Seyfang BSc
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 26th February 2026 @ 10:30 AM
- Location:
- The Well Community Centre, Lytham St Annes, FY8 1UZ
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Dangerous Waters
'Dangerous Waters' Is a talk about Maritime operations during the liberation of Kuwait 1990-1991, including his personal experiences of diving to clear the largest minefield laid since WW2.
- Speaker:
- Bernard Thompson
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 4th March 2026 @ 10:30 AM
- Location:
- Wesley Hall, Lytham, FY8 5LU
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Networking Event - Sensors and Instrumentation
This evening will provide an opportunity over a drink and light bites for members, partners and friends, plus guests from local industry and academia, to meet and chat about the many activities and opportunities in the region. The initial meet and greet, will be followed by an entertaining half-hour talk on 'Measuring the Physical World' - a brief overview of physical and virtual sensors, data aquisition systems and data mining techniques.
- Speaker:
- Nigel Whittaker
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 5th March 2026 @ 6:00 PM
- Location:
- University of Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2XS
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Latest Design & Building Of Three Rolls Royce Small Modular Reactors
An overview of the advances in the field of small modular reactors, potential applications and advantages over traditional approaches to nuclear power.
- Speaker:
- Prof Tim Abrams
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 11th March 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Location:
- Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2LD
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Can Beer be Sustainable?
Tim is now focused on decarbonising Fell's operations and making them an exemplar in small scale, sustainable brewing. Join him to learn more about the practicalities of this work and whether we can have hope for a better future, still with plenty of locally brewed ale.
- Speaker:
- Tim Bloomer
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 12th March 2026 @ 7:00 PM
- Location:
- Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, LA9 6RG
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Sulzer Diesel engines for British Railways Modernisation
The talk will provide the background and build details of the Sulzer engines. It will also explain the subsquent guarantee and support activities. The talk will include drawings, photographs and video clips to illustrate the project.
- Speaker:
- John Sykes
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 19th March 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Location:
- Barrow Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 1HH
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
The Surprise Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
On 7 December 1941, units of the Japanese 1st Air Fleet launched a massed surprise attack on the US Pacific Fleet based at Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States of America into World War II.
- Speaker:
- Dr Scott M Lindgren
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 2nd April 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Location:
- Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2LD
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Cracking the Lorenz Cipher: Tutte, Flowers and the Birth of Colossus
This talk tells the story of how engineers and mathematicians at Bletchley Park overcame the formidable Lorenz cipher. You'll discover how Bill Tutte deduced the machine design, how Max Newman and Tommy Flowers turned a problem into an engineering challenge, and how their creation, Colossus, the first programmable electronic computer transformed codebreaking.
- Speaker:
- Matthew Wylie
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 15th April 2026 @ 6:30 PM
- Location:
- Engineering Inovation Centre - University of Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2XS
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Titanic - Seaman's perspective
A life-time seaman's view of what caused the World's most famous shipwreck, which uses an experienced and professional eye to eliminate the misunderstandings and focus on what really happened. The talk is followed by an optional lunch.
- Speaker:
- Captain Julian Blatchley
- Date/Time:
- Tuesday 19th May 2026 @ 11:00 AM
- Location:
- Glendower Hotel, Lytham St Annes, FY8 2NQ
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
The Sun and Climate Change
Our Earth has shown wild variations in climate over the last few hundred million years. The ultimate driver of climate is the Sun, which has increased in luminosity by 30% over it's 4,500 million year current life. We will see how the sun works and how it influences the Earth and our climate on ever shorter time scales, including the 11 year sunspot cycle. Finally, we will see how recently CO2 has become increasingly important and look at the most likely future.
- Speaker:
- Dr Robin Catchpole
- Date/Time:
- Tuesday 8th September 2026 @ 6:30 PM
- Location:
- EIC University of Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2XS
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
The Sun and Climate Change
Our Earth has shown wild variations in climate over the last few hundred million years. The ultimate driver of climate is the Sun, which has increased in luminosity by 30% over it's 4,500 million year current life. We will see how the sun works and how it influences the Earth and our climate on ever shorter time scales, including the 11 year sunspot cycle. Finally, we will see how recently CO2 has become increasingly important and look at the most likely future.
- Speaker:
- Dr Robin Catchpole
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 9th September 2026 @ 10:30 AM
- Location:
- Wesley Hall, Lytham, FY8 5LU
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
The Sun and Climate Change
Our Earth has shown wild variations in climate over the last few hundred million years. The ultimate driver of climate is the Sun, which has increased in luminosity by 30% over it's 4,500 million year current life. We will see how the sun works and how it influences the Earth and our climate on ever shorter time scales, including the 11 year sunspot cycle. Finally, we will see how recently CO2 has become increasingly important and look at the most likely future.
- Speaker:
- Dr Robin Catchpole
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 9th September 2026 @ 5:30 PM
- Location:
- Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 2LD
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
The Sun and Climate Change
Our Earth has shown wild variations in climate over the last few hundred million years. The ultimate driver of climate is the Sun, which has increased in luminosity by 30% over it's 4,500 million year current life. We will see how the sun works and how it influences the Earth and our climate on ever shorter time scales, including the 11 year sunspot cycle. Finally, we will see how recently CO2 has become increasingly important and look at the most likely future.
- Speaker:
- Dr Robin Catchpole
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 10th September 2026 @ 6:00 PM
- Location:
- Lakes College, Workington, CA14 4JN
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
The Rise and Rise of the Cameraphone
More and more photographs are taken each year yet the vast majority of those are snapped using a smartphone and not a traditional dedicated camera. It is amazing how the camera has become such an essential feature of the mobile phone.
- Speaker:
- Professor Emeritus Nigel Linge
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 8th October 2026 @ 6:30 PM
- Location:
- Engineering Inovation Centre - University of Lancashire, Preston, PR1 2XS
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Wings Over Windermere - A Story of Two Seaplanes at Windermere
This illustrated talk will detail the technical development of the Waterbird 'hydro-aeroplane' which first flew at Windermere in 1911 and of the replica which first flew at Windermere in 2022.
- Speaker:
- Ian Gee
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 3rd December 2026 @ 11:00 AM
- Location:
- The Netherwood Hotel and Spa, Grange-over-Sands
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
Recommended events from around The IET
Online
From Advice Notes to Intelligent Automation - The Evolution of Telecom Operations (online)
Dave Milham is uniquely placed to tell this story and has held pivotal roles in the development of OSS/BSS architectures and standards. With more than 35 years at BT and the GPO and approaching 20 years at the TM Forum Dave was "in the room" as many key developments emerged. Dave will tell a story of increasing IT automation. From manual processes he will chart the rise of end to end process automation.,
- Speaker:
- Dave Milham Chief Architect TM Forum
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 14th January 2026 @ 7:00 PM
- Venue:
- Online via Microsoft Teams
- Hosted By:
- IET Anglian Coastal
Online
AI Translation between Sign and spoken language
Using AI techniques to interpret sign language.
- Speaker:
- Prof. Richard Bowden - University of Surrey
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 14th January 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Venue:
- Online via YouTube
- Hosted By:
- IET Surrey
In-Person
Technical Visit to Glass Futures
Discover the forefront of green manufacturing at Glass Futures 165,000 sq. ft. research and technology centre. Engage with a 30 tonnes per day pilot furnace using next-generation fuels, sensors and automation to transform glass production, bringing together low-carbon glass production, process optimisation, and industrial decarbonisation across Foundational Industries in a real industrial setting. Join us to connect with this team shaping zero-carbon processes and driving sustain
- Speaker:
- To-be Advised
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 25th February 2026 @ 10:00 AM
- Location:
- Glass Futures Ltd, St. Helens, WA9 5DT
- Hosted By:
- IET Mersey and Western Cheshire
In-Person
Routes To Registration
Join us for an evening to help further your career. The event will cover in detail the requirements for professional registration, concentrating on CEng and IEng.
- Speaker:
- John Lorriman
- Date/Time:
- Tuesday 21st April 2026 @ 6:00 PM
- Location:
- IET Austin Court, Birmingham, B1 2NP
- Hosted By:
- IET Birmingham