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.

The 2018 TEQSA Conference – EIT’s Dean of Engineering presents a paper

December 14, 2018 8:18 am
At TEQSA’s third annual conference in Melbourne, at the end of November, Dr Steve Mackay presented a paper on the Development of a Career Advisory Site; it summarised his research to date - applying machine learning techniques to millions of job adverts around the world. Caroline Patterson also attended the...Read More

Holographic lectures now a reality

December 13, 2018 4:02 pm
The technological advancement in education has lagged behind other industries. Yet there are technologies available that would transform the classroom, the lecture hall, or even a person’s home, and ultimately transform learning. The Future of Management Education Alliance wants to bring these technologies to the learners of the 21st century....Read More

Mechanized warfare: Remembering the introduction of the tank in WWI

December 11, 2018 8:05 am
2018 marked 100 years since the end of World War I. On the eleventh day, of the eleventh month, of the eleventh hour in 1918, the Allies of World War I and Germany signed a treaty that ended the war. World War I was a turning point in warfare. In...Read More

An undersea hotel room is the latest civil engineering marvel

December 10, 2018 3:48 pm
With the festive season just around the corner, it might be time to start planning your next vacation. While on holiday, you might be able to admire some impressive feats of civil engineering. That much is true if you're visiting the Maldives this year. A structural engineer from Auckland is...Read More

Trump says Navy must use steam, not electromagnetism

December 10, 2018 3:13 pm
President of the United States, Donald Trump, phoned American Navy service members on Thanksgiving to discuss their aircraft catapult system. On the phone with the commander of the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier, Trump asked a few questions about the system they were using. Catapults are used to get the...Read More

Powering ships in a new (rotten) fashion

December 5, 2018 9:13 am
It's the year 2021. You are on a cruise ship, soaking in the sun, inhaling crystal clean air, and drinking a cocktail. While you're on this vacation, it never occurs to you that the very ship you are on is being powered by rotten fish. Yep. The Norwegian cruise liner...Read More

Fix it or replace it? Troubleshooting engineers save a city $10 million

December 4, 2018 3:47 pm
For 15 years, the city of Gweru in central Zimbabwe has been increasingly dry, with water failing to flow into one of their reservoirs. However new water infrastructure would cost the council US $10 million. Since Zimbabwe is enduring extraordinarily tough economic times, an expense of this magnitude was daunting....Read More

Fix it or replace it? Troubleshooting engineers save a city $10 million

December 4, 2018 3:47 pm
For 15 years, the city of Gweru in central Zimbabwe has been increasingly dry, with water failing to flow into one of their reservoirs. However new water infrastructure would cost the council US $10 million. Since Zimbabwe is enduring extraordinarily tough economic times, an expense of this magnitude was daunting....Read More

3D printing building technique takes construction into digital future

December 4, 2018 2:10 pm
Can a construction crew finish building a house in a week? What about in 24 hours? Winsun (also known as Yingchuang Building Technique) is a Chinese construction company that can 3D print a house in 24 hours. The company is at the forefront of 3D printing architecture. Founded in 2003,...Read More

A day in the life of a systems engineer

November 29, 2018 4:03 pm
Friday 30 November is Systems Engineer Day! A systems engineer's job is to create and manage complex systems. They ensure that the system has a good life cycle and that all systems are running efficiently. This celebration debuted in 2012, lauding the engineers who, through design and implementation of digital...Read More

Engineering Students from the Universiti Putra in Malaysia visit EIT

November 21, 2018 8:09 am
The Engineering Institute of Technology was delighted to welcome representatives from the Universiti Putra Malaysia, on the 29th October 2018. The delegation was made up of a wonderfully enthusiastic group of ten students, the university’s principal, Dr B.T. Hang Tuah Baharudin, and the students’ chaperone. For an education provider dedicated...Read More

To solve our energy crises interdisciplinary engineering becomes critical

November 20, 2018 4:13 pm
Future generations will judge us for not taking the necessary precautions to offset the effects of climate change on our world. The blame will inevitably involve our reticence to cut down on fossil fuels. In reality, however, the task is massive and will rely on science, technology, engineering and government...Read More

Number of women in engineering still low

November 20, 2018 3:10 pm
By all accounts engineering remains a male-dominated industry. In 2015, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that women fill 47 percent of all jobs, while men take up the other 53 percent. However, according to more recent figures from the National Science Board, women only filled 24 percent of STEM...Read More

Higher Education Practical Engineering Experience

November 14, 2018 3:30 pm
The EIT remote and virtual lab platform The EIT lab hosting platform, Electromeet, connects students with lab computers in real time using TeamViewer software. Once connected, students will have access to a wide range of engineering software and connected hardware, which will be used in practical assessments throughout their course....Read More

Higher Education Practical Engineering Experience

November 14, 2018 3:30 pm
The EIT remote and virtual lab platform The EIT lab hosting platform, Electromeet, connects students with lab computers in real time using TeamViewer software. Once connected, students will have access to a wide range of engineering software and connected hardware, which will be used in practical assessments throughout their course....Read More

Grand Egyptian Museum nearing completion

November 9, 2018 1:56 pm
At the foot of the pyramids of Giza, a new museum is taking shape. Five thousand Egyptian civil engineers are hard at work to complete the Grand Egyptian Museum. Construction began 16 years ago, and the doors are expected finally to open in early 2019. One of the firms attached...Read More

Startup unveils purely mechanical bowling machine

November 9, 2018 12:19 pm
Mechanical engineers are flexing their eco-friendly and business savvy muscles in the startup industry. Pratheek Palanethra was a mechanical engineering student in Bengaluru and is also passionate about cricket. During his student years - studying for his Master of Technical Entrepreneurship at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania – he was sad...Read More

Automation won’t replace skilled workers, say experts

November 9, 2018 11:59 am
As 2018 comes to a close, the industrial automation market is preparing to further digitize and automate industries into 2019. McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) reports that by 2030 about 15 percent of workers around the world will be displaced by automation. However, they also note that employees are unaware that...Read More

The UK electric vehicle deadlines may be too ambitious

November 9, 2018 11:32 am
Is the move to electric vehicles on track? Last year the UK government pledged that the manufacture of petrol and diesel cars would cease by 2040. In July, they then amended their pledge to also exclude hybrids (cars powered by electricity and petrol/diesel).  MPs in the United Kingdom are, however,...Read More

3D printed bridge debuts

November 8, 2018 3:02 pm
At this year's Dutch Design Week, the world's first 3D printed stainless steel bridge was unveiled. The bridge was produced by a Dutch robotics company named MX3D. It will serve as a crossing over one of Amsterdam's oldest and most famous canals, the Oudezijds Achterburgwal. Its construction utilized optimization software...Read More

A Scholarship Reminder

November 8, 2018 2:52 pm
Are you planning to study towards a degree with EIT during 2019? Our 2018 scholarship winners - students online and on-campus - are working hard, making the most of the windfall they received. If you plan to study with us next year you should consider sending in your application very...Read More

Hop aboard the self-driving fleet of ships

November 8, 2018 9:01 am
Rolls-Royce and Intel have joined forces to develop an Intelligent Awareness System for future autonomous shipping projects. The first entirely unmanned, crewless ships, with the self-sailing tech, are set to hit the oceans in 2025. Inevitably, they will see crewed vessels working alongside them. Don’t assume that this technology has...Read More

Engineers design tape measure for the blind

November 8, 2018 8:44 am
Innovation is sometimes all talk and no action. What actually gets engineers inventing and creating novel solutions to everyday problems? Handsome rewards, of course. The James Dyson Award is an international design competition that ‘celebrates, encourages and inspires the designers of new problem-solving ideas.' A curious advent of engineering design...Read More

EIT Graduation Rebate

October 31, 2018 2:57 pm
Enroll in an Advanced Diploma with the Engineering Institute of Technology between 31 October 2018 and 28 February 2019 to be eligible for our Graduation Rebate Studying with the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) is guaranteed to be an exciting and rewarding journey, given that student success and satisfaction is...Read More

The 2018 graduates in Africa are celebrated by the Engineering Institute of Technology

October 26, 2018 3:04 pm
On the 18th October the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) hosted their 2018 African Graduation Gala, in South Africa. Almost 60 graduates attended; having completed either a Master of Engineering degree or an Advanced Diploma, and in a couple of instances, a Professional Certificate course. Despite the tyranny of distance,...Read More

Industry Presentation: Ethics in Engineering

October 19, 2018 2:17 pm
EIT alumnus Allan Butler conducted a presentation on “Ethics in Engineering” for our students at our East Perth campus last Thursday. Allan, who is currently a SCADA Engineer at Australian Gas Infrastructure Group, graduated from EIT’s Master of Engineering (Industrial Automation) in 2018. His main role is to manage the...Read More

EIT’s Rolf Baum and David Gadjus on the road

October 15, 2018 8:05 am
Both men recently visited a number of countries, taking with them the passion for education and engineering that marks the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT). They have travelled to share the opportunities EIT offers students who want to further their engineering studies, or who dream of becoming engineers - online...Read More

A small engineering college makes waves across the Indian Ocean

October 9, 2018 3:13 pm
This week the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT) received some important visitors. A delegation of three (the CEO and two supporting managers) from the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) spent two days at our head office and on our campus in Perth, Western Australia. ECSA is the equivalent of...Read More

Innovation amidst adversity

October 4, 2018 3:01 pm
The fourth industrial revolution is disrupting so many engineering industries, the civil engineers are beginning to call it ‘Civils 4.0.' Mark Hansford, writing for New Civil Engineer, says the industry is on "the cusp of a technological revolution." In a year of high-profile bridge collapses, the civil engineering industry has...Read More

What are engineers doing to save the planet?

October 4, 2018 11:09 am
September has come and gone, and it has given us something to contemplate as we venture towards the final three months of the year. Investigative journalism show, Vice aired an episode in September entitled: Engineering Earth. The episode alluded to the fact that engineers and scientists are looking to a...Read More