Dr. Steve Mackay is the founder of the Engineering Institute of Technology. He firmly believes in Nelson Mandela’s mantra that, “Education is the most powerful weapon which we can use to change the world.” His leadership has inspired EIT’s unique and distinctive approach to engineering education.

Since 2008 three core objectives define the essence of the institute:

Collaborating comprehensively with industry to ensure graduates are job-ready.
Employing platforms of learning to facilitate student accessibility and engagement.
Keeping the business of education student-centric.

Dr. Mackay has enjoyed a varied career in engineering, having worked in automation, data acquisition, instrumentation, data communications, and process control throughout Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America over the past 35 years. He has successfully pioneered the application of new technologies in Australia and overseas, installing industrial data communication systems and implementing live online education, (including remote laboratories), for engineering students worldwide. Dr. Mackay has been involved in a range of industries, including power stations, mining, mineral processing, oil/gas/petrochemical plants, and platforms. He has presented courses on industrial data communications, data acquisition, instrumentation, and process control to over 30,000 engineers and technicians worldwide for clients such as NASA, Rolls Royce, and BP. He has also co-authored and edited 25 engineering books that have been published across the world. Dr. Mackay is a Fellow of Engineers Australia with a license to practice as a Chemical, Mechanical, and Electrical Chartered Professional Engineer. As Dean of the Engineering Institute of Technology, Dr. Mackay leads the institute in providing microcredentials and engineering qualifications to over 2000 students per year from 140 countries. He has an unswerving focus on student outcomes and on excellence in education.

Why is battery technology so slow in growing up?

March 13, 2008 9:05 am
Dear Colleagues 1. First of all - thanks for the further stream of comments/corrections and additions to the engineering safety document. I will acknowledge everyone shortly and we will update this booklet by late next week. 2. As engineers and techies we are required on a daily basis to stretch...Read More

Common Sense with safety isn’t so common around here

February 25, 2008 8:59 am
Dear colleagues As an old engineering colleague of mine, wryly remarked to me recently - engineering and technical graduates are often like babes in the wood when newly on-site as their practical and safety knowledge is almost non-existent. Despite an intensive 4 year (or longer) study program. My retort was...Read More

Power Travails of Africa or Don’t let your local politician walk over you

February 14, 2008 8:58 am
The first few weeks in Jan’08, with rolling power cuts, have been hell for industry and mining in South Africa. There is a feeling that the genie has escaped from the bottle and with it a sense of reality.  And solutions to the recent developments seem elusive. The 2010 World...Read More

Testing engineering systems: But only perfunctorily

January 23, 2008 8:57 am
The Art of Support: EIT’s Learning Support Officers InformationCategory Education10 September 2020Written by: Quintus Potgieter The Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) is a unique global institute, delivering online engineering short courses, diplomas, and degrees. Students around the world log into EIT’s synchronous online virtual campus to network with other... Read...Read More

Engineering and the ‘Long Tail’ Distribution

January 16, 2008 8:55 am
The Art of Support: EIT’s Learning Support Officers InformationCategory Education10 September 2020Written by: Quintus Potgieter The Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) is a unique global institute, delivering online engineering short courses, diplomas, and degrees. Students around the world log into EIT’s synchronous online virtual campus to network with other... Read...Read More

Welcome to another brilliant year!

January 15, 2008 8:54 am
I trust 2008 is kind to you. A short one today, as I have to cope with the aftermath of two weeks of lying around on the beach with family and reading copious numbers of books and magazines. And now I am catching up here in the office. Despite the...Read More

Can we make engineering safety standards work?

December 12, 2007 8:53 am
Dear Colleagues On my travels in Southern Africa; this morning I witnessed a horrible car accident with a little kid being tossed into the air after running across a road. Later, a good client working for one of the largest companies in the world, commented that a smelter component had...Read More

The myth of bottling your experienced techie’s know-how before they leave

November 28, 2007 8:52 am
Dear colleagues The myth of bottling your experienced techie’s know-how before they leave My engineering peers often shake their heads ruefully when remarking on the wasted results of the last knowledge management exercise they have done. Often costing millions. A complete waste of time, they exclaim. Trying to bottle knowledge...Read More

Are we tilting at windmills with solar and wind energy

November 23, 2007 8:50 am
Dear Colleagues Two items today:  1. Over 300 shareware software programs available Thanks for the superb responses of a few hundred programs to my request for shareware and free software. We are finalising the list and should have it out next week with a free CD or easy-to-download from the...Read More

Why nanotechnology is important to engineers

November 14, 2007 8:48 am
Dear Colleagues Thanks for the inevitably bulging mail bag of responses to my previous newsletters. Some very thoughtful engineers. And as per the suggestions, I am trying to add more engineering oriented musings. Three items today: 1. Amazing collection of free engineering software I am always amazed by the incredible...Read More