More Papers and articles
A selection of Strategy Reports, Presidential Addresses, and other papers.
Strategy Reports
To Engineer
Strategies for solving complex problems
Authored by IES Past President Iain MacLeod
The paper discusses fundamental issues in problem solving and describes strategies used by professional engineers.
The disciplne of critical thinking
Working with complex uncertainty
Iain A MacLeod
This report discusses ideas as to how the thinking modes and principles used by those who achieve success in situations of complex uncertainty can be identified and adopted.
Engineering for Energy
A proposal for governance of the energy system
Authored by the IES Energy Strategy Group
The paper argues that government policy for energy must be based on engineered planning. The planning should be carried out by a National Energy Authority.
Other Papers
The role of professional engineers at sports events
Authored by William Dunbar, Formerly Director of Consulting Engineers Halcrow
The paper explains the role of a civil engineer in the provision of infrastructure and in the control of safety at major sporting events such as golf club championships.
The Rankine Songbook
The Rankine Songbook
A collection of humorous, romantic and patriotic songs written by Prof WJM Rankine
Mirror of History
A Millennium Commemorative Volume containing 25 of the most influential papers from the 20th Century volumes of Transactions, published in 2000 to coincide with the Millennium celebrations. Authors include Charles Parsons, John Logie Baird, Jackie Stewart and Sir James Lighthill.
Harnessing a 75 kW grinder
An important German foundry turned again to Clansman Dynamics for a solution that would improve productivity in their casting fettling department. Our 6-axis grinding manipulator provided twice the usable torque compared to their existing machine and the ability to use larger and, importantly, longer grinding tools. This paper describes the technical difficulty encountered; the design problems in achieving a solution for improving the life of the grinding tooling and the lessons learned in the painful task of innovation under severe pressure.
Engineering for net zero
IES Energy Strategy Group
The success of efforts to achieve the UK goal of net zero emissions by 2050 will be critically dependent on the actions taken by government. The paper explains why government decisions for achieving the goal must be based on proposals that have been ‘engineered’ by a specially appointed body.
Presidential Addresses
Presidential Address 1868
James M Gale comments on the removal of the weir near the Jamaica Bridge and the various discussions between interests before the construction of the Loch Katrine Works.
Presidential Address 1866
James Lawrie reflects “Whenever and whenever the action of mankind is based upon information possessed, the means by which distance- the impediment hitherto to the transmission of information- can be eliminated becomes of paramount importance” – the Transatlantic Cable
Presidential Address 1865
James Lawrie comments that “the public now feel and acknowledge that, within the whole business of engineers, no operations are more important than those assigned to them in perfecting the means for the preservation of life and health; and the cleansing of towns is imperatively required for that purpose.”
Presidential Address 1864
James Napier discusses his practical experiments and results on the subjects of superheated steam and of the rolling of ships.
Presidential Address 1862
William Johnstone reflects upon the challenges and construction of the Charing Cross Bridge in London, work undertaken by Mr Brunel and Mr Hawkshaw.
Presidential Address 1861
William Johnstone discusses the improvements made to the ‘air engine’ following a presentation by Patrick Stirling (Rev Stirling’s son). It is interesting to note that the Stirling Engine is currently generating interest as the core component of micro combined heat and power (CHP) units.
Presidential Address 1860
Walter Neilson, very much a paper of its time, Mr Neilson describes the contribution of engineering to armaments and defence and how railways, docks and ships can all make a contribution.
Presidential Address 1859
Walter Neilson reflects on papers and contributions over the last year – it reads like a who’s who of significant engineers of the time!
Presidential Address 1858
William Rankine discusses papers submitted over the last year and the successes that have followed on from the sharing of information. Way ahead if it’s time the Institution supported the adoption of the ‘metrical scale’ - the metric system was finally adopted in 1965!
Presidential Address 1857
William Rankine’s Inaugural Presidential Address 1857
Crawford Gorrie's Presidential Address 2004
We thought you might like to read Crawford's presidential address - many matters raised are still relevant today! Crawford Gorrie gives an overview of the history of G and J Weir and reflects upon the company’s successes and the importance of focus ‘on the vision and commitment to continuous improvement in whatever it does.’