Academics in Mechanical Engineering (AiME) is a Sectoral Group of the Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC). We aim to act as a forum for the exchange and dissemination of information and to promote issues of interest to, and concern of, academic leaders in departments of Mechanical Engineering in universities in the UK.
Each year, we hold a conference, jointly with PHEE, on matters of interest to mechanical and electrical engineers working in UK higher education.
Annual PHEE-AiME Conference: Post Pandemic Innovations in Engineering Education
PHEE is pleased to invite you to attend the annual PHEE-AiME Conference which will now be delivered online in a half day. The event is co-sponsored by the EPC.
The Conference takes place on the morning of Wednesday 7th June 2023 with the theme: Post Pandemic Innovations in Engineering Education. Please click here for further information and to register.
AiME has replaced PHOMME: Clive Neal-Sturgess current Chairman
First a bit of history: PHOMME stood for Professors and Heads of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineers and predates the EPC as originally the ”P” stood for Polytechnics, which became a Sectoral Group of the EPC in the late 80’s.
The name has has been wrong for a number of years when the Manufacturing Engineers became the Committee of Manufacturing Heads (COMEH).
Secondly the current situation: Originally the EPC did cater for Professors and Heads and ran appropriate events. However, it emerged that although ALL academic staff are members of EPC (not just Professors) this is not generally known. and led to a change of emphasis to the “Engineering Academics Network” (EAN). This gave us the impetus to change the name and become an EAN Community, which is where you can find us on the website, and where we will be posting future events.
At present our only annual event is a joint one-day conference in conjunction with PHEE (Professors and Heads of Electrical and Electronic Engineering), which also involves a couple of planning meetings, normally by Zoom.
The future: We are hoping that changing the name and broadening the scope will bring more people in to the network, and people will engage with website by posting topics for discussion. We currently have a small committee of four people which we would like to expand; if anyone is interested could you contact Richard Lillington (AiME Secretary) at: r.lillington@aston.ac.uk.
We look forward to hearing from you; best wishes Clive (c.e.n.sturgess@bham.ac.uk)
We are delighted to announce that EPC Committee member, Professor Kamel Hawwash (University of Birmingham) has been elected Vice President and President Elect of the European Society of Engineering Education (SEFI). SEFI is a network of 380 institutions of higher engineering education, educators, engineers, companies and international associations. It aims to contribute to the development and the improvement of engineering education and of the position of the engineering professional, particularly in Europe but also beyond. Commenting on his election, Professor Hawwash said “It is an honour to be elected President of such an important organization. The emphasis during my Presidency will be on attractiveness of engineering education and skills. I look forward to close cooperation between SEFI and the EPC and to more UK based institutions and individuals joining SEFI. I am also delighted to announce that the SEFI 2014 Conference will be held in Birmingham which gives an opportunity for colleagues from the UK and the rest of Europe to exchange effective practice and discuss ways of meeting future challenges.”
No real detail yet on how this money may be distributed. There’s still a Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) in the offing…
With fascinating insight into the parts of Britain that you hardly ever see – such as the guts of the Humber Bridge to the underground power cable tunnels housed below the Olympic park – Evan discovers why it is so essential that our infrastructure develops to keep up with our ever expanding and changing nation. Travelling across the country he meets some of the nation’s best engineers and architects and examines the scale of the challenges we face in future proofing Britain.
Dr Leslie Budd, Reader in Social Enterprise at The Open University and one of Academic Advisors for the series said, “This series follows on from the previous co-production Made in Britain and challenges the conventional wisdom that the UK cannot design, build and manage large infrastructure projects. At a time of austerity, building new and improving existing infrastructure is being promoted as a possible solution to our economic problems. The analysis and insight of Built in Britain makes a major contribution to our understanding and education of the complex challenges we all face.”
In episode one, Evan looks at the cost implications of updating our infrastructure and the complexities faced when trying to decide what to build today for the Britain of tomorrow. He meets Phyllis, one of the vast burrowing machines carving out the tunnels for London’s Crossrail and visits the valve towers of Britain’s biggest man made reservoir.
The final episode focuses on Britain’s engineering triumphs – such as the Olympic Park and High Speed One, and examines what it takes to deliver a successful engineering project. Evan visits a site where new technology is being trialed to increase the efficiency of existing motorways and railways and asks – has Britain finally rediscovered its great tradition of epic engineering?