IEEE Student Branch highlights Formula 1

A technical seminar from Williams F1 was the highlight of this year's IEEE student branch calendar.

Stuart O'Neill, from the Electronics Department at the Williams Formula 1 team, gave an interesting and interactive talk on the history, state-of-the art, and future of electronics in the motor sport. He brought along a number of items including steering wheels and chassis computers from F1 cars (with some historical items from the early days of the sport) which students were invited to handle during and after the talk.

Stuart has been with Williams for seven years and has worked on projects including the steering wheel, sub-dash, and embedded software design. He gave an informal history of electronics in F1, and spoke about the implications of the 2008 Concorde agreement and the development of Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems which will make an appearance in 2009. He also shared a number of anecdotes about the design of cars and the politics of the sport.

This well attended talk continues the success of the University of Southampton IEEE student branch, which has recently received accolades for its website and membership growth. The branch runs a full calendar of technical and careers seminars, along with site visits and other events throughout the year. Run by students from the School of Electronics and Computer Science, it carries out an important role in connecting students with employers and encouraging professional development.