Dawn Ohlson joined E+T for a podcast at the start of her presidential year, promising added support and recognition for the IET's volunteers.

Now, as her year is coming to an end, Dawn returned to the podcast studio to report back on the progress made in volunteering, but also to answer any questions that IET members had sent in. It was quite a varied mix and sometimes quite direct!

In this episode of E+T Off the Page, hosts Tim Fry and Jack Loughran sit down with Professor Siddartha Khastgir, head of safe autonomy at WMG, University of Warwick, to explore the real-world arrival of robotaxis on the streets of London.

The episode covers why it took a full decade to move from early experiments to commercial driverless fleets, highlighting the immense engineering required to solve the final 5% of safety challenges. Prof Khastgir breaks down the milestone global UN safety regulations and explains why London’s historic, chaotic road network has become the ultimate commercial testbed for autonomous technology.

The discussion also dives into the biggest hurdles facing public trust, from cybersecurity "computers on wheels" to debunking the famous Trolley Dilemma. Prof Khastgir also addresses the broader societal impacts, examining how autonomous vehicles can revolutionise accessibility, elevate job quality across the transport sector, and why human driving will always have a place on the road.

Is deep geothermal energy the missing piece in the UK’s green transition?

In this episode of E+T Off the Page, hosts Tim Fryer and Jack Loughran sit down with Dr. Ryan Law, CEO of Geothermal Engineering Limited, to look inside the UK's first operational deep geothermal power plant at United Downs in Cornwall.

The episode covers how geothermal energy succeeds as a reliable, green, 24/7 base-load power source where intermittent options like wind and solar face daily challenges. Dr. Law also explains the massive "lithium bonus," detailing how extracting critical minerals directly from deep geothermal fluids is completely reshaping the economic landscape of clean energy.

The discussion also dives into the real-world logistics of deep-earth engineering, exploring the unique financial, planning, and scaling hurdles facing the industry in the UK today.