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.

Coffee and construction: an unlikely pairing

November 6, 2019 3:28 pm
Could the used coffee grounds from your morning coffee have a second life? Melbournian engineers think so — they have found the perfect use for coffee waste. In the future, houses and roads may have traces of coffee in them. Concrete contains up to 80% sand, which is one of...Read More

Australia’s crown achievement of engineering set to expand

November 6, 2019 3:20 pm
Snowy Hydro is an energy company that provides electricity to one million homes in Australia. They are the fourth-largest retailer in the energy market in Australia. Their crown achievement is the Snowy Mountains Scheme. The Snowy Mountains Scheme was the most significant public works engineering scheme ever undertaken in Australian...Read More

Turning to biogas in the face of load-shedding

October 31, 2019 11:17 am
Volkswagen Group South Africa intends to take its manufacturing plant in Uitenhage, a town in the Eastern Cape Province, off the national electricity grid. It is not surprising that companies are looking at more sustainable (and renewable) means of powering their facilities in South Africa. The country’s state-owned electricity utility...Read More

To infinity and beyond (with Australia)

October 30, 2019 3:29 pm
Australian and American engineers are working on a series of space missions that could ultimately culminate in putting humans on Mars. The first mission, named Artemis, will involve getting humans back on the moon in 2024. It is expected to see the first woman walk on the lunar surface. Australian...Read More

Engineers skip work to protest for climate change

October 30, 2019 2:41 pm
“Engineers can be a part of the solution. We all need to get together as a planet and do it collectively.” Those were the words of engineer and sustainability consultant at BuroHappold Engineering, Trevor Keeling. He was taking part in the Global Climate Strike along with 1,799 other employees of...Read More

American Factory focuses on globalization, multiculturalism, unionization in engineering

October 29, 2019 4:22 pm
During the Great Recession of 2008, in the United States engineering companies began closing down. General Motors in Dayton, Ohio, was one such company that had to shut its doors due to the economic downturn. This meant a factory was left empty and ready for a new tenant, and  2,000...Read More

Making fuel out of a world of plastic

October 29, 2019 3:54 pm
Turning waste into a source of power is a big opportunity in the modern age. With the amount of plastic that is produced every day, building a cyclical ecosystem that can reuse plastic quickly is one way to reduce waste. Emerging technologies invented by collections of scientists and engineers are...Read More

Making fast food even faster with industrial automation

October 29, 2019 3:04 pm
Globally, the fast-food industry generates revenue of more than US$570 billion, an amount higher than the economic value of many countries. With no signs of slowing down, fast food is an unbeatable global leader amongst industry, and they are now looking to automation to make their food even faster. McDonald’s,...Read More

Resin-infused aircraft wing wins top engineering award

October 22, 2019 1:55 pm
The Royal Academy of Engineering MacRobert Award is the UK’s most prestigious honor for engineering innovation, recognizing “teams that demonstrate outstanding innovation, societal benefit and commercial success”. In 2019, the award went to the Bombardier team in Ireland that have developed and are now manufacturing the world’s first resin-infused wing...Read More

How automation is changing the mechanical engineering industry

October 22, 2019 11:32 am
Digital technologies are surpassing the more traditional methods of running engineering companies. As industrial automation begins to infiltrate engineering sectors, companies are drastically changing the way they operate to keep up. On the 26th of September 2019, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) opened a new automotive creation and development center in...Read More