b'Member News March 2020 9IET@150Preparing for our 150th yearFrom October 2020 to October 2021 we celebrate our 150th anniversary and havesome big plans to mark the occasion.The IET can trace its foundations backWe currently have more to the Society of Telegraph Engineers, which held its first meeting in Londonthan 20 activities planned in 1871. You can read more about ourthroughout the anniversaryExpo 2020 Dubai, UAEinteresting history and our forty-plus predecessors, which have come togetheryear, including a global to form what today we know as the IET,campaign involving young on our website: theiet.org/iet-history. people, souvenir editions of We have been planning how best tosome of our publications, mark the milestone for some time. Last Spring, we started to researchvolunteer events, a presence how members and other stakeholdersat the World Expo in Dubai, wanted us to celebrate the anniversary. Through surveys, group sessions andthe establishment of an IET interviews we discovered that, whilejunior club and parents portal, celebrating our history was important, people really wanted the celebration tothought leadership activities focus on supporting the organisationsand even a social impact mission to engineer a better world and inspire the next generation. programme.Further public research highlightedWell continue to work with our a problem with the perception ofvolunteers and members in the coming engineers, with people of all agesmonths to further develop our plans unable to explain what engineers do.and will be sharing more details as and More worryingly for the future of thewhen we can, so watch this space. Professor Danielle George MBE FIETprofession, we heard how many parents are struggling to describe the impact engineers have on society, as well asMatch-funding supporting their children with STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) homework.Were delighted that so many of our members have Our Board of Trustees last year established a Programme Team tojoined companies and charities in giving to our STEM oversee the delivery of a range ofprogrammes over the past 18 months. Because of this activities during our 150th year. The team is led by IET Programmegreat generosity, were inspiring more children and Director Christine Losecaat MBE andyoung people, as well as supporting those embarking is sponsored by Professor Danielleon a career in engineering through their degree or George MBE FIET, Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering at theapprenticeship. University of Manchester, who will be our President for the IET@150As part of the IET@150 celebrations,Thank you to all who have given on anniversary year from October 2020.weve been matching these donations behalf of the children, young people, The team is also supported by a Projectpound for poundand are well on students and apprentices who are already Advisory Group, led by former Trustee,the way to reaching our 1m target benefitting. Help us reach the 1m mark: Dr David Evans FIET. The Trustees haveby October 2020.theiet.org/developmenturged the team to be ambitious.'