ImechE-Uniten Club T-Shirt

As a way to establish our club's identity it was proposed that we have our own club t-shirt, so that it can we worn to functions we will be attending. So far the pricing of the haven't been confirmed yet as the price will vary according to the design of the t-shirt. What is confirmed is that it will be a collared t-shirt. The t-shirt will also be sold to club members as a mean to raise funds for our club.
As i mention earlier, so far the design for the t-shirt haven't been finalized yet. So I'm asking all club members to contribute a design for our club t-shirt.

IMechE Affiliate Form

Affiliates can access a range of IMechE services, for example, use of the Information and Library Service, access to the Business Centre at One Birdcage Walk, and much more. For a full range of services please view the Affiliate Member Guide.

To those who have not register, please print out a copy and do so. The forms can be downloaded here.

Leading UK academic Bill Banks becomes 123rd IMechE President

Institution of Mechanical Engineers

NEWS RELEASE

Leading UK academic Bill Banks becomes 123rd IMechE President

28 May 2008, Leading UK academic and energy expert, Professor William Banks, was today (Wednesday 28 May) appointed the 123rd President of a global engineering body, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).

He will step down as Professor of Advanced Materials within the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Strathclyde later this year. He will continue the IMechE’s nationwide campaign to encourage more young people into engineering as the sector faces a shortfall of skilled staff.

He replaces out-going IMechE President John Baxter, a world leading energy engineer and Group Engineering Director of BP. Prof Banks has been a leading advocate in the education sector calling upon the urgent need for Government and industry to work together to develop the next generation of engineers. Currently tens of thousands of engineers are estimated to be needed to fill vacancies in the UK from engineering technicians to senior engineering posts in transport, energy and manufacturing sectors.

Prof Banks focused on how to encourage the uptake of engineering as a career, in his inaugural speech before 200 engineers, titled Educated Engineers the Only Basis of a Sustainable Society. ‘’There has been an eight percent drop in the number of registered engineers in the UK in the past decade and the IMechE are working hard to reverse this trend. We are focusing our efforts on working with leading UK businesses including Jaguar Land Rover, BAE, MBDA, universities and Government organisations to ensure appropriate accreditation processes are in place.’’

He added: ‘’I am committed to drive the development of the curriculum and ensuring that the content of courses reflects the real requirements of industry. Above all, I will be ensuring that school students are enthused with the value of engineering as a potential career in the context of our sustainable society.’’ Prof Banks also promised to use his year in office to champion all the IMechE’s key themes: Energy, Environment, Transport and Education.

END

Notes to Editors:

• •For a copy of Prof Banks’ Presidential Address, biography, picture or any media enquiries on this release, please contact the IMechE Press Office on 020 7304 6888 or email media@imeche.org.
• Bill Banks graduated from Strathclyde University with a First Class Honours BSc Degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1965 and an MSc Degree in 1966. He was a Senior Research Engineer at Weir Pumps Ltd but since 1970 he has been in Academia gaining his Doctorate in 1977. Prior to his appointment as President, he was Chairman of Advanced Materials in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. He is also a past Chairman of the Engineering Professors’ Council.
• The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) is one of the world’s leading engineering institutions. Established in 1847 it has some of the world’s greatest engineers in its history books. It currently has around 80,000 members in 120 countries representing mechanical engineers working in groundbreaking areas such as automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries to name a few. Visit www.imeche.org for more information.

Source: www.imeche.org

IMechE President William Banks

IMechE Energy Supplement

Institution of Mechanical Engineers
PATRON HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN
May 2008

As you may know, the Institution has decided to focus many of its activities on four key themes (Energy, Education, Environment and Transport) with Q2 of 2008 being our energy quarter.

As a key part of this theme, IMechE has been working with the Independent newspaper on producing an energy supplement for this Saturday's edition. (If you miss Saturday's edition, we will have the supplement in PDF format on the IMechE website from Monday.)

The supplement will cover many of the issues surrounding energy supply and demand, and will give an insight into the many activities undertaken by engineers in this sector.

In addition to the supplement, IMechE has also been working with several hundred members on developing content, videos and imagery for a new IMechE energy portal. Stage one of the portal will go live tomorrow morning with stages 2 and 3 completed by 15 June. We also plan to have an 'opinion' forum built in June which will enable the public to read, and comment, on the views of professional engineers working within the energy sector. Your input and support for this online debate would be greatly appreciated.

The purpose of the portal is to provide the public with information on energy demand and supply and try to answer many of the questions which are commonly raised by the media and government. It has the additional task of demonstrating that engineers really are the key to solving many of the issues we have today and will help achieve our vision of 'improving the world through engineering'. The portal can be found at www.imeche.org/energy from this Saturday.

Finally, I would like to thank all the members who have assisted us with this supplement and portal. It is, without question, your assistance that has made this possible. As always, we welcome any additional content or comment.

Yours truly,

Richard Campbell
Communications Manager

2006 Institution of Mechanical Engineers. IMechE is a UK registered charity number 206882

History of IMechE

Engineering Heritage

Institution of Mechanical Engineers' heritage

The IMechE held its first meeting in 1847, at the Queen's Hotel, Birmingham. One Birdcage Walk, the purpose built headquarters of IMechE, was completed in 1899. Before moving here, the Institution had bases in Birmingham, and moved to London in 1877.The following are the list of the chronological events:

1847-1877

The present headquarters of the IMechE, 1 Birdcage Walk in London, was completed in 1899. Prior to this the Institution was based in Birmingham.

The first meetings were held at the Queen’s Hotel in Birmingham, with larger Ordinary Meetings held at the Philosophical Institution’s lecture theatre, which was on Cannon Street. A year-long lease was arranged for holding Council meetings in the Temple Buildings, but the Institution soon needed more room, and the Secretary, William Prime Marshall, was instructed to look for new premises, ‘as will afford full accommodation as a residence for himself, with a Room for the meetings, a Library, and if possible a third room for the use of the Institution.’ 54 Newhall Street was selected, and a three-year lease was arranged.

1851, the year of the Great Exhibition, saw the Institution hold its first meeting in London, in the Society of Arts’ Adelphi Rooms. The Institution retained its permanent base in Newhall Street for 14 years, with Ordinary Meetings being held at the Midland Institute. Eventually, in 1871 Council formed a committee to investigate building an entirely new house, where all meetings could be held. It considered three potential sites in Birmingham, but finally recommended staying in Newhall Street, where the existing building should be either revamped, or a new building constructed on the corner with New Edmund Street, where sufficient land was available. Events dragged on for some time, and although William Marshall had been instructed to negotiate and prepare a preliminary plan for the building, eventually, in 1877, the decision was made to move the Institution entirely to London.

1877-1898

Moving to London

Upon its move to London, the Institution rented premises at No 10 Victoria Chambers, where it remained for 20 years. In 1895, the Proceedings report that, ‘On the motion of Mr Mair-Rumley, seconded by Mr Head, it was resolved that the President be requested to represent to the next Council Meeting that the time had now arrived when the question of a House for the Institution should again be seriously entertained.’

Choosing a site

The President, Alexander Kennedy, immediately drew the attention of the Committee to the availability of land on Storey’s Gate. The row of houses facing St James’s Park had been demolished, leaving prime building land. Alternatives also considered were Delahey Street, Whitehall, Artillery Row or Victoria Street, but the Finance Committee soon agreed on the Storey’s Gate site.

House Committee

A House Committee was then formed to work on the new headquarters. On 14 June 1895, the Institution made an offer of £9,500, which was accepted. Hoardings were erected, and excavations commenced. In 1896, Builders’ tenders were received, and the firm of E. Lawrence and Sons were selected. The foundations were completed by 1896, despite difficulties thrown up by the discovery of running water 22 feet underneath the site. Disputes with neighbours meant that work on the building itself could not begin until 1897, when London County Council approved the plans. Construction took two years, funded by the sale of stock debentures. On 22 June 1898, the House Committee was able to hold an informal meeting in the building.

1899

The original land owners, The Storey’s Gate Syndicate, had believed that the best use of the site would be for flats. Basil Alfred Slade was the vendor’s architect, and he had already developed a plan for the residential building. He was also employed by the HM Office of Works building, which shared the Storey’s Gate site. The original plan, a symmetrical block with a single entrance, in the Queen Ann-revival style, was adapted for the headquarters building. Slade’s final design incorporated details and inspiration from Renaissance, Jacobean, Elizabethan, Venetian and Georgian styles. Inside, there were many state-of-the art features, such as a telephone; a 54-inch fan in the lecture theatre, for driving St James’s Park air into the building; an electric lift from the Otis Company, and a Synchronome master-clock, which controlled all house timepieces.

The building was officially opened on 16-17 May 1899, celebrated by a two-day conversazione for members and 750 guests, drawn from government, industry and academia. A carriage awning was erected in St James’s Park, and there were entertainments inside from the Meister Glee singers, London Concert Orchestra, and Cinematographs.

1909-1913

Storey’s Gate Tavern

Storey’s Gate Tavern adjoined 1 Birdcage Walk. While the main building was under construction, various proposals had been made to the effect that the Tavern should be purchased, and used as part of an extended club facility. James Beale, solicitor acting for the Institution in the building of headquarters, advised against it. His main argument was on financial grounds, but he also pointed out that engineers had no business running a pub. The premises were finally purchased in 1909, and this, along with the earlier purchase of 5 Princes Street, allowed the Institution to extend eastwards.

Extension to the East

A New Building Committee was formed, and proposed a new wing. 4 architects were invited to submit ideas. Although the architect of the original part of the building, Basil Slade, submitted a design, Scottish architect James Miller was selected to design the extension. Miller was also the architect for the Institution of Civil Engineers’ headquarters, across the road on Great George Street. He had worked in the civil engineering department of the Caledonian Railway, where he gained experience of station-building. In 1901, he designed the Glasgow Exhibition buildings. He also worked as consultant on interior designs for the Lusitania, and later the Aquitania.

The new wing was to hold Secretary’s offices on the ground floor, general office facilities on the mezzanine, and an expanded Council Room adjacent to the Library on the second floor. A large, formal staircase was also included as far as the second floor. Work was completed by 15 November 1913, but there was no grand opening as there had been for the main building.

1914-1945

During the First World War, IMechE headquarters were taken over by the Office of Works, and the National Relief Fund. The IMechE moved into 11 Great George Street as tenants of Armstrong, Whitworth & Company.

After the war, various schemes were considered for remodelling the building. In 1933, James Miller was asked to undertake the remodelling. In the Lecture Theatre, all natural light sources were removed in favour of electric lighting. The three original windows were blocked up and the walls panelled with Austrian oak wainscoting. The ceiling dome was removed and the library expanded to fill the space. 220 tip-up seats were installed.

At the outbreak of the Second World War, the Institution moved out of London to occupy The Meadows at Bletchworth in Surrey. Here, 'the bulk of the Institution's work (Accounts, Records, Membership, Examinations, National Certificates, National Service and general correspondence' was being carried out...with about twenty-eight members of the Staff (fourteen sleeping on the premises).' In July 1940, The Meadows was requisitioned by the military, and the IMechE moved back to Storey's Gate, by then a much altered building. The entrance and roof was sandbagged, and the windows netted. The basement had been turned into day and night air raid shelters by the local council.

During this time, IMechE headquarters acted as a meeting place not just for the Institution, but for other bodies including the Royal Netherland Institution of Engineers, the Association of Polish Engineers in Great Britain and the Society of Engineers and Technicians of the Fighting French Forces. Government departments also made use of the building, and in January 1943, a group of senior REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) used the building to plan the mechanical engineering support for Operation Overlord and the invasion of Normandy.

1960-1999

In 1960, Nos 1 and 3 Birdcage Walk were formally joined, and the building was remodelled. The President's and Secretary's offices were moved to the ground floor of 3 Birdcage Walk. More committee rooms were created on the mezzanine floor of 1 Birdcage Walk, and these were named after some of the Institution's most illustrious members, Joseph Whitworth, Frederick Lanchester and Charles Parsons. This theme would be continued in the 1980s, when the Hinton and Whittle rooms were created.

This was the last major structural change to the building, but from 1996 to 1998 a series of measures was taken to ready the building for its centenary. The electrical systems were overhauled. A Business Centre was created for the use of members visiting London. The Lecture Theatre was also completely overhauled, incorporating modern lighting, audio-visual technology and acoustic panelling.

(Source of information was obtained from : www.imeche.org)

The Story of IMechE - Past Presidents

IMechE Past Presidents

As of 2006, there has been 122 presidents of the Institution, who since 1922 have been elected annually for one year. The first president was George Stephenson, followed by his son Robert. Joseph Whitworth, John Penn and William Armstrong are the only persons to have served two terms. Pamela Liversidge in 1997-1998 was the first - and so far only - woman president.

Past presidents include:

(Click thumbnail to enlarge the picture)

Here are some of the Past Presidents (Images from : www.imeche.org)

George Stephenson (1781-1848)

Robert Stephenson (1803-1859)

Sir William Fairbairn Bt (1789-1874)

Sir Joseph Whitworth (1803-1887)

Lord Armstrong (1810-1900)

Jeremiah Head (1835-1899)

Sir Alexander B W Kennedy (1847-1928)

Sir William Henry White (1845-1913)

Professor William Cawthorne Unwin (1838-1933)

Sir William Arthur Stanier (1876-1965)

George Horatio Nelson, First Baron Nelson of Stafford (1887-1962)

Professor Owen Saunders (1904-1993)

Vice-Admiral Sir Frank Trowbridge Mason (1900-1988)

Sir Bernard Crossland

Brian Kent

Andrew Ives