Quintessential Engineering

Solar Impulse 2. It was the plane that did a round-world trip using only the sun as fuel. Utilizing 17,000 solar panels and four lithium-ion batteries, the plane crossed some of the world's largest oceans and visited some of the world's most recognizable landmarks. One of the electrical engineers on the ground crew - responsible for catching the landing plane and the housing of the plane in a mobile hanger - joins us on Quintessential Engineering to talk about being part of one of the most significant projects of engineering and aviation history. We talk to Forbes 30 Under 30 inductee, Paige Kassalen.

The Australian government has abolished their famous immigration visas that allow a vast array of workers in several industries to migrate to Australia. They have made it tougher for certain professionals to get into Australia, except, for engineers, it seems that immigration may be more accessible than ever before. We talk to Sam Hopwood from global immigration company Sable International about the engineer shortage Australia is facing, and how foreign engineers can forge a path into a lucrative career in one of the greatest corners of the globe.

The future of engineering higher education and training is online. So says the Dean of Engineering and the College Manager of a global higher education institution known as the Engineering Institute of Technology. The Engineering Institute of Technology is ready to be the alternative, offering internationally recognized and accredited qualifications. They offer four Bachelors of Science in Engineering programs: BSc in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial Automation, and Civil and Structural. The institution uses cloud-based laboratories that can be viewed and utilized from across the globe. Live, online, interactive classrooms are a hub of activity where industry-experienced lecturers hold live sessions with students.

Tom Davies, is an asset and sewerage manager in Australia. He is working on the implementation of a lower budget online monitoring system for a rural wastewater/sewerage scheme in the Shire of Moora. He studied his Masters of Engineering at the Engineering Institute of Technology.

Since 2012 the North-West University (NWU) has been competing in solar car challenges. The NWU solar car project stands out as a symbol of engineering excellence in the pursuit of energy efficient transport technology. This flagship inter-disciplinary project of the Faculty of Engineering not only focuses on research and the application of new technologies in renewable energy, but also aims at inspiring communities and prospective students to engage with renewable technology.

With a nuclear deal canceled, four coal power stations to be closed, and renewable power projects uncertain to be completed, we talk to Bright New World's Ben Heard about why South Africa needs nuclear energy in the energy mix.

South Africa has a little known South African National Antarctic Programme. The program is run in conjunction with the South African National Space Agency. Every year South African engineers and science professionals descend on Antarctica to assist with Space Weather Research. We talk to an electrical engineer who overwintered at the SANAE IV base in Antarctica.

In-ear EEG devices have become increasingly popular in the later stages of the last decade. Carel Wessels, the top student of Electronic Engineering at the University of Pretoria has now taken on a new challenge. He is designing and developing an in-ear EEG device for his master's studies at Stellenbosch University. He says the device will revolutionize industries such as the truck driving industry and the infant care industry. We find out more.

Ensight Energy Solutions (http://www.ensight.solutions/) assists industrial operations with becoming more energy efficient and lowering their carbon footprint. We sit down with three members of the company via Skype to find out how they are actively working to ensure that, through a multi-disciplinary engineering approach, a cleaner energy future can be produced.