15 Transport Transport panels team up for Heathrow technology tour The IET’s Transport Policy and Sector thought leadership panels held their first ever joint meeting at London’s Heathrow Airport in June. The group was welcomed by Heathrow’s Chief Information Officer, Stuart Birrell MIET, and given an overview of the airport’s plans to implement new smart city technologies and processes. These aim to provide better security, more seamless and efficient movement of passengers and goods, a better customer experience and lower emission and noise levels. The panels also visited the control centre for the Track Transit System, autonomous pods that transfer passengers to and from the car park at Terminal 5, before having a ride on the pods themselves. They then went airside to watch Mototok tugs, remote-controlled electric vehicles that push back aircraft from the gate, which British Airways introduced last year to replace traditional diesel tugs. Also part of the tour were the busy runways, the snow centre built to ensure that Heathrow is ready for icy conditions and cargo operations. Following the visit, the panels shared updates on the progress they’ve been making with their work around autonomy, logistics, Mobility as a Service, cyber security, energy and innovation procurement. “It was good to see how we can be more productive in recognising cross-over activities, allowing greater collaboration and less duplication,” said Tim Gammons, Chair of the IET Transport Sector Panel. “We recognised that while the functions of each panel should be different, at times there can be benefit in combining expertise to improve society.” If you have an interest in transport and would like to get more involved in the IET’s work in this sector, please visit www.theiet.org/transport or contact sep@theiet.org Social round up In September, we asked our Twitter followers what the word ‘engineering’ means to them – and we loved the responses! Creatively applying #Science , #Tech , #Engineering or #Math #STEMskills to #ChangeTheWorld !?⁉️ IET SoCal @IET_SoCal Engineering is simply the act of using wisdom to create an innovative solution to address a problem or challenge. H.O.B. Makanju @HOBMakanju An interesting and fulfilling career with near endless possibilities. RS-1973 @RichS1973 It’s about being curious to understand how things work and persisting while you try to make them better! Angeliki Loukatou @AngelikiLk Get involved in future conversations by following us on social media. Also check out our new Instagram page @TheIET #FridayFact: Did you know the term engineering comes from a Latin word meaning cleverness? I know, pretty fitting! But we want to know what the term engineering means to you....let us know in the comments below! Happy #STEMFriday everyone #friyay IET @TheIET #MyIETStory – share it and inspire other engineers Have you had your story published by the IET – in Member News or elsewhere? Let people know about it on social media by: n  linking to the online article or the Member News print edition at www.theiet.org/membernews n  adding the hashtag #MyIETStory n  tagging our handle @TheIET This means we can find your post and share it, so it reaches and makes a difference to an even wider network of IET members, volunteers and partners. November 2018 – Member News www.theiet.org/member-news