IET Lancashire and Cumbria Events
Upcoming events - reserve your place now!
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
Sir Thomas Bouch, Cumbria's forgotten Engineering Genius
Born in Thursby, Sir Thomas Bouch designed over 300 miles of railway and large bridges throughout Scotland and northern England. As well as telling something of Bouch's life and times, John will show that many of his earlier works in Cumbria were particularly ambitious & innovative although he now remains the main scapegoat for the Tay Bridge disaster.
- Speaker:
- John Mather
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 17th September 2026 @ 7:15 PM
- Location:
- Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, LA9 6RG
- 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
The Mosquito Reconstruction
Mosquitos were an essential part of Britain's Air Force in WW2 but, being made of wood, none had survived. This project was to build a new one and regain its 'Airworthiness Certificate'
- Speaker:
- Ross Sharp
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 14th October 2026 @ 7:30 PM
- Location:
- Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness, LA14 1HH
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
Bellringing
The talk will include a brief history of English Bell ringing with a particular emphasis on its development at the time of the Reformation, We will use explanation, a few practical activities, pictures, very short films, stories, artifacts, models, diagrams and discussion etc
- Speaker:
- Adrian Page
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 15th October 2026 @ 11:00 AM
- Location:
- Ribby Hall Village, Wrea Green, PR4 2PR
- Hosted By:
- IET Lancashire and Cumbria
In-Person
The Edwardian Steamboat: SL Shamrock - Messing about in boats or Working under pressure?
The Edwardian Gentleman's Launch was the Rolls Royce of steamboat luxury. This is the story of the SL Shamrock, where she came from and where she is now, and the issues of restoring, maintaining and operating her. We also follow the various propulsion systems she has had over the years.
- Speaker:
- Roger Calvert
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 15th October 2026 @ 7:15 PM
- Location:
- Castle Green Hotel, Kendal, LA9 6RG
- 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
Object Based Media
For over 15 years various organizations have experimented with Object Based Media (OBM), starting with audio, other media objects such as subtitles date back well over 100 years.
- Speaker:
- Various
- Date/Time:
- Thursday 30th July 2026 @ 4:00 PM Local time (BST/CET/ UTC +1 hours)
- Venue:
- Online via Zoom
- Hosted By:
- Media TN
Online
Space-Based Solar Power: From Vision to Reality - Technology, Spectrum and Regulatory Challenges
As interest grows in clean, resilient energy solutions, space-based solar power is moving from science fiction towards serious engineering reality. This webinar brings together experts from industry, government, and academia to examine the latest developments, key technical and regulatory challenges, and the UK's potential role in this emerging sector. Join us to explore whether space solar power could become a transformational contributor to future energy security and Net Zero ambitions, or whether significant barriers still stand in the way.
- Speaker:
- Harvinder Nagi
- Date/Time:
- Tuesday 4th August 2026 @ 12:00 PM Local time (BST/CET/ UTC +1 hours)
- Venue:
- Online via Zoom
- Hosted By:
- Satellite TN
In-Person
Digital Hearing Aid Technology
Hearing is the detection and interpretation of pressure waves. It attempts to answer the what and where questions, as well as interpreting the sound. Human hearing is complex and very sophisticated. The talk will review how hearing works from the outer ear to the auditory cortex. Complex systems like hearing can fail in many different ways and hearing aids can help for some of these. The speaker will discuss the basics of digital hearing aids and which hearing impairments they can and cannot help with.
- Speaker:
- Professor Leslie Smith
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 16th September 2026 @ 2:00 PM
- Location:
- Napier University Craiglockhart campus, Edinburgh, EH14 1DJ
- Hosted By:
- IET Scotland South East
In-Person
Visit to Penicuik Papermaking Heritage Museum
Learn why Penicuik was once the papermaking capital of the world, track the rise and fall of the mills along the River Esk, and view the many papermaking exhibits. Visitors can also learn how paper is made and then make a sheet themselves.
- Speaker:
- Volunteers from the Penicuik Development Trus
- Date/Time:
- Wednesday 7th October 2026 @ 1:45 PM
- Location:
- Penicuik Papermaking Heritage Museum, Penicuik, EH26 8LL
- Hosted By:
- IET Scotland South East