The mission of this publication is primarily to provide news and insight that can be used each and every day by our readers in their business-to-business interactions and transactions.

But we also see ourselves as providing something of a bridge between scientists, researchers and innovators and the real economy.

In this week’s edition of Engineering News, we stretch that mission to its very limits as we attempt to offer you a glimpse into the workings of the so-called Large Hadron Collider, which lies beneath the borders of France and Switzerland, and the role that some of South Africa’s leading scientists will play in what is now, unquestionably, the greatest experiment on Earth.

Our cover story introduces you to some of these scientists and the experiments they will be conducting.

More specifically, we home in on the role of a team of scientists at the University of Johannesburg, which will be involved with the flagship ‘Atlas’ experiments, as well as on a team from the University of Cape Town and the iThemba Laboratory for Accelerator Based Sciences, which is participating in an experiment named ‘Alice’.

Lest it be forgotten, this $9-billion scientific apparatus is itself also something of an engineering marvel, with our writer describing it as “a mighty machine” and a “monument to modern technology”.

In the balance of this week’s edition, we serve our usual wholesome mix of news and insight into everything from the electricity and energy economy, through to developments in transport, manufacturing, property development and infrastructure.

We have an especially strong emphasis this week on renewable energy and wind power in particular.

Once again, the debate is raised about the appropriate level of tariff for stimulating renewable-energy investments in South Africa; an issue that featured strongly during public hearings this week hosted by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.

Our features, meanwhile, cover developments in electrification and distribution, the Eastern Cape province and aerospace. Next week our attention turns to civil engineering and construction, heating and cooling and rubber.

Don’t forget to log on to Engineering News Online, where we provide real-economy news in real-time. We can also keep you up-to-date through our daily email, a free service for which you can register at www.engineeringnews.co.za.