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NEWS
June/July 2013 www.esb.ie/em
STEM in action across the network
STEM STANDS FOR SCIENCE, technology, engineering and maths; core subjects if you want a career in electrical engineering. Due to the ongoing skills shortage in the sector, NIE is investing in a number of initiatives to encourage students to study these subjects and consider engineering as a career. Here are some of our recent campaigns:
• We hosted a Teacher Insight Day at our Ballymena training facility. The teachers met a third year overhead lines apprentice and a second year graduate to hear about their experiences and the training and development opportunities offered by NIE. They were also given a tour of the training school during their visit. Raymond McMenemy, NIE Training Manager, welcomed the teachers to the centre and said: “Events like this allow us to make links with schools and provide teachers with an insight into STEM careers. It also enables teachers to see how the subjects they are teaching can lead to exciting careers and we hope they pass on their experience to their pupils so as they can make informed choices about their future careers.”
• An A-Level technology class from St Malachy's School, Belfast, spent the day at our Campsie training school, meeting NIE apprentices and graduates and gaining more of an understanding of how the electricity network operates.
• Dalriada School, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, and their NIE mentor, Brian Moorhead, a student engineer, are celebrating winning, not only the local First Lego League competition, but also the national Raspberry Pi competition held near Cambridge, England. The Dalriada students created an automated pill dispenser using a Raspberry Pi (a £20 credit card-sized computer), linked with a newly designed prescription website, to stop elderly people forgetting their medication. Brian Moorhead was delighted when he got the phone call from the pupils to let him know they had won. He said: “I'm so happy for the team to have won such a prestigious competition. Over the last few months I've helped them with the electronics of the project to create a real prototype and was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and technological thinking.”
• In a first for NIE, we hosted a work placement for maths teachers from New-Bridge Integrated College in Loughbrickland, Co. Down. During the weeklong placement Bronagh Mone had a whistle-stop tour of NIE, from the apprentice training centre to the office of engineers planning the future of the electricity network and was able to see how STEM subjects can lead to diverse careers.
• Together with Queen's University Belfast, NIE has purchased a DeLorean car that will become a mascot for electrical and electronic engineering and represents the future of electricity networks. The DeLorean is currently residing in a cow shed in Leitrim, but will soon be brought to Queen's, where work will begin on rebuilding it and turning it into a roadworthy electric vehicle.
Don't have an electric start to the fishing season
» WITH THE FISHING SEASON UNDERWAY AND MANY ANGLERS TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE ODD SPELL OF GOOD WEATHER TO CAST A FEW LINES, NIE HAS LAUNCHED A FISHSAFE 2013 CAMPAIGN TO REMIND ANGLERS ACROSS NORTHERN IRELAND TO LOOK UP AND LOOK OUT FOR OVERHEAD ELECTRICITY EQUIPMENT BEFORE THEY START FISHING.
EVERY YEAR ANGLERS are injured or killed because they accidentally come into contact with overhead electricity lines and equipment, and NIE wants anglers across Northern Ireland to cast with care. Hal Steele, NIE Safety Engineer, says anglers can keep themselves safe by following a few simple safety precautions. “Everyone should look up and look out for overhead electricity lines before assembling fishing rods and keep at least 30 metres away. Electricity can jump gaps and even bringing a fishing rod close to overhead electricity equipment is very dangerous. Many modern fishing rods are very long and contain carbon fibre, which conducts electricity. Contact or near contact with electricity lines can lead to burns or even fatal injuries.
“We will be distributing fishing safety leaflets to angling clubs across Northern Ireland and we hope that our awareness campaign will encourage all anglers, young and old, to put safety first before they fish.”
Local angler Patrick Carson, former captain of the Irish Fly Fishing team, welcomed NIE's campaign. Patrick says: “All it takes is one lapse of concentration and you could put yourself at great risk. Any campaign to remind anglers to take note of their surroundings before piecing together their fishing rods and casting is to be welcomed. If your fishing line becomes entangled in overhead lines, drop your fishing rod immediately, keep others away and contact NIE on 08457 643 643.” Visit nie.co.uk for more information on staying safe around electricity equipment.
Electric advice at the Balmoral Show
NIE EXPERTS WERE ON hand at this year's Balmoral Show to discuss how to connect renewable technologies to the network, how to stay safe when working near the electricity network, and to answer any queries customers had.
Michael Atkinson, NIE Head of Generation Connections, said: “The Balmoral Show is a great meeting place and every year we have the opportunity to talk to a range of our customers about what we do and how we can help. This year, one of our focuses is on renewable connections. The interest in generating your own electricity has grown steadily in recent years and NIE experts were at the show to advise landowners of the process for connecting a range of large and small-scale renewable technologies to the electricity network.”
Head of Health, Safety and Environment at NIE Kevin McDowell believes the show is always a great time to speak to the farming community about staying safe. Kevin says: “This is a busy time of the year for farmers and agricultural contractors and we'd like to remind everyone working near the electricity network to follow safety guidelines and keep themselves and everyone on site safe.”
For more information on connecting renewable technologies to the grid and safety information, visit www.nie.co.uk.
Balmoral Show
• Balmoral Show is Ireland's largest agricultural and food Show
• This was the 145th show
• The show used to be held at the King's Hall Belfast, but this was the first year at its new showgrounds at the Maze - a former prison site near Lisburn
