The 6th Annual Turing Lecture

Although I became a student member of the IEE back in 2000, my involvement has been fairly minimal up until recently. After I graduated and started my career proper, I thought it was time to take my professional development seriously. So, I got in touch with my local branch Younger Members section and managed to attend a few meetings, gradually getting back into the swing of things.

Up until December 2003 I had still never visited Savoy Place, the London-based HQ of the IEE. I though it was about time I did and took the plunge with the Wheatstone Lecture entitled Forensic Investigation of Explosive Incidents and presented by Kim Simpson, a Senior Forensic Case Officer at The Forensic Explosives Laboratory. Although the topic was not related to my line of work, it seemed interesting enough and so along I went. The lecture itself was enjoyable, but I inevitably felt a bit out of place and made my way home soon after it finished.

Last night I attended the 6th Annual Turing Lecture (held jointly with the BCS) entitled Cyberworld Security - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and presented by Professor Fred Piper. The lecture itself was informative, thought-provoking, and very entertaining. Digital security is relevant to my area of work, and since I'm currently half way through reading Simon Singh's "The Code Book" I have a particular interest in cryptography at the moment.

I decided to stay for the post-lecture dinner this time and was not disappointed: the food was excellent, the company was far from the stereotypical image conjured at the mention of a room full of electrical engineers and computer scientists. The view of London from the balcony of the Riverside dining room was fantastic and was a good way to end the evening.