Useful engineering websites

 

 

The latest engineering news highlighted by the Internet Resources Newsletter includes:

Conference notification:

SEB ‘09 - International Conference on Sustainability in Energy and Buildings. Hosted by the University of Brighton and taking place on 29th -30th April and 1st May 2009. “Organised by the KES International research and knowledge transfer organisation, SEB’09 will be a major opportunity for researchers in subjects related to sustainability, renewable energy technology, and applications in the built environment to mix with industrialists and other stakeholders in the field”. [from website].

New journal:

The International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacuring Systems

The first issue of this new journal is now available in print and online. Publication will be four times a year and all papers are refereed.

Webcast:

A total of 2338 presentations are currently available free of charge from IET.tv, the webcast division of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. Coverage is from 2002 and  search categories include corporate presentations, research seminars, communications, electronics, manufacturing, power and transport.

Free subscription to technical magazine:

You may like to take advantage of the free subscription currently being offered by TechXtra to Production Engineering Solutions. Geographical eligibility is the UK and Ireland. “The editorial team on Production Engineering Solutions is dedicated to covering all of the technological areas pertinent to mechanical and production engineers everywhere” [from website].

Environmental publisher:

For books and journals on the environment, development and sustainability Earthscan is the highly-regarded and world-leading publisher. Specific topic areas covered include climate change, energy, business and environmental management, cities and built environment and natural resource management.

Knowledge network:

‘Find, share, connect’ is the strapline of the knowledge network created by the Institution of Engineering and Technology.  IET Discover is a good place to search for information that other people in your field of interest are finding useful. Or, you may have some helpful material you’d like to share with others. You can also join or create groups with other engineers in your sector.

The ASTM databases are here!

ASTM ( American society of testing and materials)

ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world a source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. ASTM International standards have an important role in the information infrastructure that guides design, manufacturing and trade in the global economy.

Loughborough University now is pleased to announce that it now has access to two databases from ASTM

 

ASTM’s Digital Library, provides you with instant access to the digital edition of nearly every ASTM International book and paper spanning 140+ industries and 100+ years. 

ASTM’s standards cover metals, petroleum, construction, the environment, and more.

 

If you would like to use the databases off-campus access is via the username and password available from the Library’s Electronic journal and information services passwords web page. You will need your University Active Directory username and password to access the Library password page.

 

 

Greater access to core texts for your students!

Are your students always complaining that the stuff they need is never in the Library?  Do you need a large number of students to read the same printed book chapter or journal article at the same time?  Well, we may have the answer!

Under the CLA digitisation licence, we are able to scan most UK or US book chapters and journal articles and link them to your reading lists.  Just submit the details of the chapter or article via the Reading List system (http://bookworm.lboro.ac.uk/) in the usual way, adding a note that you want it as an “Electronic Reserve” item.  We will do the rest.

Under the terms of the licence, items may only be linked to Reading Lists, not listed on the LIbrary OPAC, and whilst they can be viewed by all students, they should only be printed by students registered on the module for which they are requested.  Notices are attached to each item to this effect.  It is important, therefore, that you add the item to all the relevant module Reading Lists.

Any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Exciting SAE news

A significant and welcome addition has been made to the Library’s electronic resource collection. We’re delighted to tell you that the SAE Digital Library is now available! (Previously SAE papers were only available as CDs or in print within the Library building.)

 

With coverage from 1990, you can find the SAE Technical papers online from: http://www.elecpubs.sae.org/

Access is freely available on campus.

From the SAE homepage, select full text products, and then follow the link to the SAE Digital Library.

You can keyword search or use a Document number. There are also Advance search and Field search options. Once you have found the technical paper you are interested in, click on View Document to see the full text. You can read the documents on screen, or print them is you prefer.

The SAE Digital Library also features abstracts from a variety of other related professional bodies and publishers. If you find interesting articles which are not available in full text - you can always use our Inter Library Loans service: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/library/services/ill-home.html

If you require any assistance, or have any comments, please contact Becky Jones (Ext. 2344, email: R.Jones2@lboro.ac.uk or Tracy Marshall (Ext. 2344, email: T.M.Marshall@lboro.ac.uk). Feedback via the comments box below is also welcomed.

Internet news

Here are the latest engineering ‘bits and pieces’ from the Internet Resources Newsletter. If you find any of the links particularly helpful please take a moment or so to let us know via ‘Comments’ at the foot of the post.

Conference news:

Two for the civil engineers this month - The Fourth International Conference on Forensic Engineering takes place on 2-4 December 2008 at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Westminster, London. “This international conference will focus on moving from failure to understanding of built environments in order to help with managing sustainable life-time performance of constructed assets” [from website].

The Ninth International Conference on Computational Structures Technology, Athens, Greece, 2-5 September 2008. Please note, this conference is running alongside the Sixth International Conference on Engineering Computational Technology and attendees will be permitted to attend events from both conferences.

New journal:

The International Journal of System of Systems Engineering has published its first edition. with the following remit:

“IJSSE proposes and fosters discussion on the evolution and current developments in the field of system of systems and systems engineering concepts, with emphasis on the implications of the fact that new developments on technical and non-technical systems are merging” [from website]

Open-Access journals:

Are you aware of Biotechnology for Biofuels and Drinking Water Engineering and Science (DWES)? Both are Open Access (i.e. free and internationally accessible) online journals. Biotechnology for Biofuels features ”high-quality studies describing technological and operational advances in the production of biofuels from biomass” [from website] and DWEA is interactive and encourages online debate.

Online web directory:

To help you locate subject specific information, try the Online Library of Civil and Environmental Engineering website. Materials are subdivided into helpful categories including software source codes, technical drawings and documents/e-Books. Free registration is required.

Biological engineering:

OpenWetWare is an information-sharing portal created to encourage collaboration between those involved in biology or biological engineering. The site aims to promote the sharing of knowledge and expertise.

Updated subject guide to Standards

If you’ve ever encountered problems locating Standards, your job has just been made easier! A fully updated guide to Standards has been made available by the Library Engineering Team.

This guide covers a comprehensive range of Standards bodies on a national, international and professional basis. British, French and German Standards are all included, as is the major publisher of international standards, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Specifically, the professional organisations featured are: IEEE, ASME, SAE and ASTM.

To view the guide, go to the Standards category in MetaLib and click on Subject Guide - Standards. Alternatively, it can be viewed directly via new Learn (Learn-pilot).

As ever, we’d very much like to receive your feedback. If you feel the guide can be enhanced in any way, we’re happy to oblige.

 

V&A exhibition

If you’re planning on visiting the fascinating Victoria and Albert Museum this summer you might like to take a look at one exhibition in particular. 

Celebrating the centenary of the founding of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and entitled ‘Unseen Hands -100 years of structural engineering’, this exhibition focuses on the unique role played by engineering in the formation of a number of truly symbolic buildings from the last 100 years. Included in the eclectic mix of those featured are New York’s Empire State Building, France’s Millau Viaduct and Britain’s popular Eden Project. 

The underlying themes of the exhibition are towers, bridges and large enclosures with a range of media being utilised, including models , CAD imagery and video.

Admission is free and the exhibition runs until 7th September.

More information is available from the V&A website 

If you’re a Blog addict, read on….!

 

For those of you who find Blogs informative and enjoyable to read, you may be interested to know that Intute have their own Science, Engineering and Technology Blog. Posts are added on a regular basis and cover anything from key historical events to forthcoming conferences. 

The information is categorised in a helpful manner, so if you prefer to focus on engineering-specific material, there is a link on the right-hand side of the page to allow this. Currently there are 41 postings in this category. 

Of course, it goes without saying that we’d like you to carry on reading us too!

Looking for legal information? Try Westlaw UK

 

If your field of interest lies within the construction and engineering industries and you need to know about any aspect of legal systems and the law, you may find Westlaw UK a useful database to search. 

This extensive resource features international legislation, case-law (including US), full-text journal articles, current awareness information and EU resources. Content includes:

Uk court decisions from 1865: The Law Reports series, the Weekly Law Reports and Industrial Law Reports, Lloyds Law Reports, Sweet and Maxwell Law Reports, etc.

Legislation: full-text Acts from 1267 and Statutory Instruments since 1948.

Journals: full-text coverage of 38 specialist Sweet and Maxwell journals including Criminal Law Review and and the European Intellectual Property Review.

Current awareness: a thrice-daily updated service covering in excess of 1000 information sources, including official publications and press releases.

Commentary titles: including Archbold, Palmer’s Company Law and Civil Procedure Rules (The White Book).

Access to Westlaw is via the Find Database link on MetaLib. If you wish to access the database from off campus, you will need to log into the Remote Working Portal  with your University username and password.

If you require any assistance with Westlaw, please contact your Academic Librarian. 

 

 

 

 

More golden nuggets

We’re really on a roll at the moment! It’s only April 29th and we’ve already got the latest ‘hot and happening’ engineering-related news from the May edition of the Internet Resources Newsletter.

 Quite a lot to report this month, so let’s head straight in:

Three new journals - inaugural issues this month:

• International Journal of Nanoparticles - published quarterly
• Journal of Computing Science and Engineering: JCSE - published quarterly
• SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences: SIIMS - currently offering free electronic access

Women in engineering - two noteworthy sites:

Interested in joining a campaign to inspire school-age girls to enter the industry? If so, take a look at Wise: Women into Science, Engineering and Technology a site devoted to doing just that.

Uk Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology: offering information and advice, this site does exactly what it says on the tin.

One for the chemical engineers:

ICIS connect is an online meeting and discussion point for anyone connected with the chemical industry. Your views on a wide variety of industry-related issues are welcomed.

IMechE subject-related guide:

The Construction and Building Services Subject Guide has been produced by the IMechE and added to their list of occasional subject guides. These publications are intended to consolidate the information sources available from IMechE.

Ideas for impoving your research methods:

Methodology.co.uk -

“Methodology.co.uk provides a free resource to researchers, students and university teachers who are interested in learning more about anything to do with research methods.

Methodology.co.uk is run by SAGE and will be a vital resource for anyone conducting qualitative or quantitative research and statistics” [from website].

Design tool newsletter:

Are you aware of ESDU’s quarterly newsletter? Issue no. 19 of ESDU Engineer is now available.

Engineering blogs and RSS feeds:

The Aslib Engineering Group operate their own blog AEG News.

An IMechE RSS feed keeping you abreast of its events is available at: http://www.imeche.org/imeche_dev/RSSFeed.aspx?cat=events

As always, we’d be delighted for feedback on any sites of particular interest.