IES is a multi-disciplinary engineering body, founded in Scotland in 1857, that provides a forum in which individuals from all engineering and related disciplines can discuss and exchange information, generate ideas and encourage young engineers. IES works with kindred bodies to promote a wider understanding of the role of the professional engineer in society.
Have you thought about joining?
Have a look at our 2025-2026 programme!
IES Events
Other Institutions’ Events
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ICE - Short-term cash injections fail to deliver improvements to local roads.
6th May 2026 2:07 pm -
IMarEST - Managing Risks during Monopile Installation
7th May 2026 9:00 am
Opinion
The AMOC tipping point: why Scotland’s engineers must prepare for the ‘Hemispheric Seesaw’
29 April 2026
In engineering circles, the climate conversation is usually framed around one dominant assumption: a steadily warming world. We talk about heatwave resilience, cooling demand, overheating in buildings, and the long-term consequences of rising sea levels. Those risks are real. But new modelling around the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) points to a scenario that appears to defy that logic entirely.
Featured Event
21st May 2026 10:00 am
CeeD - AI for business: how it works
This session provides a clear, jargon-free introduction to the world of artificial intelligence (AI). It’s perfect for those exploring AI for the first time and for anyone who previously attended our AI mini-series and now wants an…
Publication of the Month
Great ships, solitary waves, and solitons
John Mellis
John Scott Russell was one of the foremost naval architects of his time. Born near Glasgow in 1808, he became a noted and popular lecturer, before moving away from academia to focus on industrial engineering. Among his many achievements, two stand out. First, the design and construction of the SS Great Eastern in collaboration with Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Second, the discovery and study of a strange wave phenomenon he acutely observed on the Union Canal near Edinburgh. Scott Russell’s ‘Wave of Translation’, now known as Solitary Waves or solitons, turned out to have significance and application in many fields, including optical telecommunications.
