The power academy in the UK: a successful initiative to attract graduates to the power industry

The power industry in the UK faces major challenges over the next two decades to renew ageing networks and accommodate new generation, especially renewables. As a consequence, the industry needs to recruit a new generation of well-qualified electrical engineering graduates. This paper describes the IET Power Academy, established in 2004 to attract engineering graduates into employment within the power industry. In 2008, 17 companies and 7 leading UK universities are collaborating in the scheme with over 60 scholarships being offered each year. The scholarship package includes a bursary, a contribution to university fees, paid vacation training and an annual seminar. The scheme can be judged to have been a success to date, though challenges still remain, including persuading greater numbers of school and college leavers to study electrical or electronic engineering at university. As time goes on, while the industry can expect to have largely addressed issues associated with graduate recruitment, mid-career support and retention is likely to emerge as a key concern

Wet etch methods for InAs nanowire patterning and self-aligned electrical contacts

Advanced synthesis of semiconductor nanowires (NWs) enables their application in diverse fields, notably in chemical and electrical sensing, photovoltaics, or quantum electronic devices. In particular, Indium Arsenide (InAs) NWs are an ideal platform for quantum devices, e.g. they may host topological Majorana states. While the synthesis has been continously perfected, only few techniques were developed to tailor individual NWs after growth. Here we present three wet chemical etch methods for the post-growth morphological engineering of InAs NWs on the sub-100 nm scale. The first two methods allow the formation of self-aligned electrical contacts to etched NWs, while the third method results in conical shaped NW profiles ideal for creating smooth electrical potential gradients and shallow barriers. Low temperature experiments show that NWs with etched segments have stable transport characteristics and can serve as building blocks of quantum electronic devices. As an example we report the formation of a single electrically stable quantum dot between two etched NW segments.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

A Short duration Industrial Project Scheme

The aims and implementation of a short-duration industrial project program run at the University of Sheffield is discussed. The project is designed for second-year undergraduates studying electronic and electrical engineering and lasts for seven days. Topics covered include the selection of suitable projects, the project briefing, the investigation of a problem, the project presentation, report, and project appraisal. Examples of specific problems that have been tackled are included, and the future of the program is examine

A Short duration Industrial Project Scheme

The aims and implementation of a short-duration industrial project program run at the University of Sheffield is discussed. The project is designed for second-year undergraduates studying electronic and electrical engineering and lasts for seven days. Topics covered include the selection of suitable projects, the project briefing, the investigation of a problem, the project presentation, report, and project appraisal. Examples of specific problems that have been tackled are included, and the future of the program is examine

Berry Phase Transition in Twisted Bilayer Graphene

The electronic dispersion of a graphene bilayer is highly dependent on rotational mismatch between layers and can be further manipulated by electrical gating. This allows for an unprecedented control over electronic properties and opens up the possibility of flexible band structure engineering. Here we present novel magnetotransport data in a twisted bilayer, crossing the energetic border between decoupled monolayers and coupled bilayer. In addition a transition in Berry phase between pi and 2pi is observed at intermediate magnetic fields. Analysis of Fermi velocities and gate induced charge carrier densities suggests an important role of strong layer asymmetry for the observed phenomena.Comment: 20 pages main paper + 10 pages supporting informatio

Towards a TCT-inspired electronics concept inventory

This study reports on the initial work on the use of Threshold Concept Theory (TCT) to develop a threshold-concept inventory – a catalogue of the important concepts that underlie electronics and electrical engineering (EE) – and an assessment tool – to investigate the depth of student understanding of threshold and related concepts, independent of students’ numerical ability and knowledge mimicry in the first-year course in electrical engineering. This is both challenging and important for several reasons: there is a known issue with student retention (Tsividis, 1998; 2009); the discipline is relatively hard for students because it concerns invisible phenomena; and finally it is one that demands deep understanding from the very start (Scott, Harlow, Peter, and Cowie, 2010). Although the focus of this research was on electronic circuits, findings regarding teaching and learning of threshold concepts (TCs) will inform lecturers in three other disciplines who are part of our project on threshold concepts

Computers from plants we never made. Speculations

We discuss possible designs and prototypes of computing systems that could be based on morphological development of roots, interaction of roots, and analog electrical computation with plants, and plant-derived electronic components. In morphological plant processors data are represented by initial configuration of roots and configurations of sources of attractants and repellents; results of computation are represented by topology of the roots' network. Computation is implemented by the roots following gradients of attractants and repellents, as well as interacting with each other. Problems solvable by plant roots, in principle, include shortest-path, minimum spanning tree, Voronoi diagram, $\alpha$-shapes, convex subdivision of concave polygons. Electrical properties of plants can be modified by loading the plants with functional nanoparticles or coating parts of plants of conductive polymers. Thus, we are in position to make living variable resistors, capacitors, operational amplifiers, multipliers, potentiometers and fixed-function generators. The electrically modified plants can implement summation, integration with respect to time, inversion, multiplication, exponentiation, logarithm, division. Mathematical and engineering problems to be solved can be represented in plant root networks of resistive or reaction elements. Developments in plant-based computing architectures will trigger emergence of a unique community of biologists, electronic engineering and computer scientists working together to produce living electronic devices which future green computers will be made of.Comment: The chapter will be published in "Inspired by Nature. Computing inspired by physics, chemistry and biology. Essays presented to Julian Miller on the occasion of his 60th birthday", Editors: Susan Stepney and Andrew Adamatzky (Springer, 2017

High Tech Professionals Are Hard to Organize Too

[Excerpt] It is unlikely that any technical and professional employees will be organized in non-union high tech firms until more blue-collar production workers become union members. There are, however, some high technology companies which already have heavily unionized blue-collar workforces. Two industrial unions have recently tried to recruit new members among the engineering and computer personnel at such firms. The experiences of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) at AT&T Technologies and the International Union of Electronic, Electrical, Technical, Salaried, & Machine Workers (IUE) at Raytheon indicate that the obstacles facing unions in this type of high tech organizing are formidable