Online Archives Search

Discover just some of the amazing material held in the Archives.

The Online Archives Search is a limited search of the UNSW Archives' collection - please note that it does not cover everything held by the Archives.

UNSW staff can also search for archival records through the RAMS interface.

A small selection of the Archives' digital photographs are also available for searching and viewing via UNSW Digital Collections.

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    The Department of Computer Science became the School of Computer Science and Engineering on 1/1/1991 with Professor John Hiller becoming the first head of school. Council at its meeting on 10 December 1990 resolved by CL90/108 (v) Proposed division of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science into two schools: 1. That a School of Computer Science and Engineering be established in the Faculty of Engineering from 1 January 1991; and 2. That the School of Computer Science and Engineering be based upon the present Department of Computer Science in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; 3. That the balance of the existing School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science be renamed the School of Electrical Engineering. Computer Science was established as its own school to give the Department greater academic, financial and management autonomy in order to pursue its range of academic interests and enterprises. Computer Science was by far the largest department within the School of Electrical Engineering and was teaching over half of the student load. Its student body was comprised not only of students of the Faculty of Engineering but also of the Board of Studies in Science of Mathematics. Staff of the Department of Computer Science felt the need for greater autonomy and thought that other departments of the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science could feel stifled and constrained by the needs of the Department. Growth in computer engineering and the graduate teaching and research areas of the Department was certain and the Department would be larger than many schools in the university. The range of its activities and interests and the discipline of computer science had grown rapidly and the Department also was active in areas not especially closely related to electrical engineering, eg psychology, philosophy, computer literacy, and other areas of cognitive science. One of the largest schools of its kind, in 2004 research was grouped in the following areas: algorithms, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, computer architecture, computer systems, database systems, networks, and software engineering. That year the school attracted over $4.5 million in research funding including Australian Research Council grants and grants from industry, both local and international. The school at that time was also partner in a number of external research centres including the Smart Internet Technology Cooperative Research Centre, and the national ICT Australia (NICTA), a research Centre of Excellence in Information and Communications Technologies. In 2008 the School of Computer Science and Engineering and the School of Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications had joint responsibility for the curriculum of the Computer Engineering program. Staff of the school was grouped into research groups of Artificial Intelligence, Computer Systems and Software Engineering. Courses in these areas were offered to students taking major studies in computer science or computer engineering, while introductory-level computing courses were available more generally to students studying Science, Arts or Engineering. Computer science had links with discrete mathematics, which furnished the theory behind the algorithms that computer software implemented, and electrical engineering, which supplied the then present technology underlying physical computing devices. Graduate employability was enhanced by CSE's strong and growing industry links. The Computer Science degree had a Co-op Scholarship program that gave students extensive industry experience from their second year; all Engineering degrees required industrial training experience. The School ran an Industry Liaison Office whose primary aim was to link students and employers both for in-course experience and for graduate employment. The head of school in January 2008 was Professor Paul Compton. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/01/1991-
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    The approval to purchase a Digital Electronic Universal Computing Engine was given at the Council meeting on 14 March 1955 (resolution 544) and construction began on the Computing Laboratory in August 1955 (file 00000541, CN980/12). Although UTECOM began operations in August 1956, the School of Engineering UTECOM Computing Laboratory was officially opened by the Premier of NSW, the Hon J. J. Cahill, on 11 September 1956 (SRF - UTECOM). On 14 November 1960 Council established the position of the Director of the Digital Computing Laboratory with this change replacing UTECOM Computing Laboratory (resolution 60/152). When, however, the position had not been filled by 9 July 1962, it was redesignated the Professor of Electronic Computation and Director of the Digital Computing Laboratory to accept responsibility for the development of courses and the expansion of our digital computing facilities (Council resolution 62/105). On 14 September 1964 Professor M. W. Allen was appointed to this position (resolution 64/152). The Laboratory appears to have been re-named the Computing Centre in September 1966, at around the same time as the new IBM360/50 series model was installed at the university (file 00022470, CN1160/17). On 11 August 1970 the Professorial Board approved the re-establishment of the Centre as a Computing Services Unit separate from the School of Electrical Engineering and under the control of a Manager (Computing Services), who was responsible directly to a Pro-Vice-Chancellor. Once this occurred, Professor Allen was to relinquish the title of Director of the Computing Centre (resolution 70/83). These changes took effect from 3 July 1972. The Computing Services Unit was established as a unit within the Vice-Chancellor's Unit with Professor Vowels as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor responsible and A. A. Thompson as Manager (Computing Services) (file 00026455, CN1160/222). In April 1985 the Computing Services Unit was combined with the Data Processing Section to form the Computing Services Department. As a result the Unit ceased to exist from this date (SRF - Computing Services Department). Controlling Organisation: UNSW - c. 01/08/1956-c. 31/03/1985
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    The Department of Electrical Engineering dates back to the formation of the university itself on 1 July 1949, as it was one of the departments that had much of its origins in the Sydney Technical College. The first head of department was H. J. Brown, who was appointed on the same day as the university's foundation. When the first three university faculties were established by Council on 8 May 1950 (resolution 54), Electrical Engineering became one of the initial four departments within the Faculty of Engineering. On 10 September 1951 Council changed the designation of all departments to schools and so the School of Electrical Engineering came into existence (resolution 153). On 8 September 1980 Council altered the name of the school to the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science effective from 1981 (resolution 80/139). On 10 December 1990 Council approved the creation of a School of Computer Science & Engineering from the Department of Computer Science within the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science effective 1 January 1991. The name of the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science then reverted back to the School of Electrical Engineering (resolution CL90/108v). On 9 November 1998 Council changed the named of the School of Electrical Engineering to the School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications (resolution CL98/80b). In 2006 the head of the School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications was Professor Branko Celler. Subordinate agency: UTECOM Computing Laboratory (1956 - 1960) / Digital Computing Laboratory (1960 - c.1966) / Computing Centre (c. 1966 - 1972) / Computing Services Unit (1972 - 1985) - 01/08/1956 - 03/07/1972 Subordinate agency: Department of Control Engineering (c. 1965 - 1972) / Systems and Control (1972 - 1998) - 10/06/1965 - 31/12/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Solid State Electronics (c. 1965 - 1982) / Electronics (1982 - 1998) - 01/12/1965 - 31/12/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Electric Power Engineering - 10/06/1965 - 31/12/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Communications - 20/12/1964 - 31/12/1998 Subordinate agency: Joint Microelectronics Research Centre (JMRC) - 01/02/1982 - 01/06/1992 Subordinate agency: Centre for Photovoltaic Devices and Systems (1991 - 1996) / Photovoltaics Special Research Centre (1996 - 2002) - 01/01/1991 - 31/12/1999 Subordinate agency: Key Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering (1999-2003) - 01/01/1999 - 31/12/1999 Subordinate agency: Department of Electronic Computation (c. 1965 - 1972) / Computer Science (1972 - 1991) - 26/05/1965 - 31/12/1990 Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/07/1949-
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    At the 9 July 1962 meeting of Council, a position was created entitled the Professor of Electronic Computation and Director of the Digital Computing Laboratory within the School of Electrical Engineering to accept responsibility for the development of courses and the expansion of our digital computing facilities (Council resolution 62/105). On 14 September 1964 Professor M. W. Allen was appointed to this position (Council resolution 64/152). He entered on duty on 26 May 1965 and it appears that the Department of Electronic Computation effectively came into existence at this time. At the 2 August 1972 meeting of the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee the name of the department was changed to the Department of Computer Science (file 00020416). On 8 September 1980 Council altered the name of the school to the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science effective from 1981 (resolution 80/139) The department became the School of Computer Science and Engineering on 1/1/1991 (Council meeting - 10 December 1990 resolved by CL90/108 (v)) Controlling Organisation: UNSW - c. 26/05/1965-31/12/1990
  • Start date
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    Archives Series
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    This series consists of the booklet leaflet collection of the Department of Electronic Computation / Computer Science / School of Computer Science and Engineering. The material is typed and maintained in a manilla folder and includes leaflets as released by the school, mainly relating to its courses.
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    On 13 September 1965, the appointment of Dr L. W. Davies as a visiting professor within the School of Electrical Engineering was approved by Council (resolution 65/104). When he took up duty on 1 December 1965, the Department of Solid State Electronics came into being with Professor Davies as the first head. On 8 September 1980 Council altered the name of the school to the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science effective from 1981 (resolution 80/139). On 6 May 1982 the Vice-Chancellor approved the change in name of the department to the Department of Electronics (file 027814). On 10 December 1990 Council approved the change in name of the school back to the School of Electrical Engineering effective from 1 January 1991 (resolution CL90/108v). On 9 November 1998 Council changed the named of the School of Electrical Engineering to the School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications (resolution CL98/80b). At the end of 1998 the department structure within the School was replaced by a series of discipline groups (file 973233, folio 49). The Department of Electronics thus ceased to exist from this date. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/12/1965-31/12/1998
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    Archives Series
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    Papers from the office of the Director of Information Services and Deputy Principal. After the departure of the Director of DIS all records no longer required for day to day transactions were transferred to UNSW Archives for appraisal and disposal. The papers mainly consisted of office reference files and duplicate copies of minutes and working papers for University committees the originals of which were already held in the Archives. Papers kept are those relating to the Review of Academic and Administrative Computing which document the background for the establishment of the Division; a copy of 'Outcomes and Impacts of Quality Assurance Funding' collated by the Office of Corporate Planning and Quality Development in 1997, and internal committee papers of the Electronic Recordkeeping Working Party for developing university wide policy. The Director of Information Services established and chaired the Electronic Recordkeeping Working Party to develop university wide policy for electronic recordkeeping. There was no university wide recordkeeping policy for paper or electronic records in place at the time. The papers contain the terms of reference of the committee, some correspondence and first and final drafts of the policy.
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    Representatives of IBM and the staff of the Registrar's Division held their first meeting to discuss data processing on 17 May 1963. Arising from these meetings, on 8 July 1963 the Data Processing Unit came into being in the Registrar's Division with Mr J. Fitzgerald appointed as Officer in Charge (file 00015947, CN980/75). The aim of the unit was to handle administration requirements in the area of Electronic Data Processing (file 00018444, CN980/88) and a more formal Data Processing Steering Committee was also established in November 1963 (file 370841, CN1160/280). When the Division of the Registrar was restructured in 1981, the Unit was re-named the Data Processing Section and moved into the newly formed Data Processing & Statistics Office, which reported to the Head of the Management Services Branch and Deputy Registrar, P. J. Wildblood. In April 1985 the Data Processing Section was combined with the Computing Services Unit to form the Computing Services Department. As a result the Section ceased to exist from this date (SRF - Computing Services Department). Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 08/07/1963-c. 31/03/1985
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    The Joint Microelectronics Research Centre was founded in February 1982 under Research Centres of Excellence Commonwealth Government funding as a joint project between UNSW and the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) (V524 - 1982 Annual Report). At UNSW the Centre was located within the School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. The first director of the Centre was Professor G. A. Rigby. The disestablishment of the Centre, among a number of other inactive centres, was recommended at the 9 October 1991 meeting of the Vice-Chancellor's Advisory Committee. This was later approved by the Vice-Chancellor to be effective from 1 June 1992 (file 840204). Controlling Organisation: UNSW - c. 01/02/1982-
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    The Faculty of Engineering was established on 8th May, 1950 under Council resolution 54. Through a ruling by the Developmental Council engineering courses had already been in operation at Sydney Technical College from 1st March, 1948, but this resolution officially created the Faculty. Initially the Faculty contained four departments - Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Mining Engineering - and was administered by Dean H. J. Brown. The inaugural meeting of the Faculty took place on 7th June, 1950. In 2013, the Faculty, under Dean Professor Graham Davies, included nine schools and nineteen Centres. Subordinate agency: Higher Degree Committee of the Faculty of Engineering - 09/03/1964 - 13/12/1999 Subordinate agency: School of Highway Engineering - 08/09/1958 - 17/01/1977 Subordinate agency: Department (1949 - 51) / School of Civil Engineering (1951 - 97) / Civil & Environmental Engineering (1997 - ) - 08/05/1950 Subordinate agency: Department (1949 - 51) / School of Electrical Engineering (1) (1951 - 80) / Electrical Engineering & Computer Science (1981 - 90) / Electrical Engineering (2) (1991 - 98)/ Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications (1998 - ) - 08/05/1950 Subordinate agency: Department (1949 - 51) / School of Mechanical Engineering (1951 - 67) / Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (1967 - 90) / Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering (1990 - ) - 08/05/1950 Subordinate agency: Department (1) (1949 - 1951) / School of Mining Engineering (1) (1951) / Mining Engineering & Applied Geology (1951 - 1963) / Mining Engineering (2) (1963 - 1985) - 08/05/1950 - 14/05/1956 Subordinate agency: School of Surveying (1970 - 1994) / Geomatic Engineering (1995 - 2001) / Surveying & Spatial Information Systems (2001 - 2012) / Surveying & Geospatial Engineering (2012 - 2013) - 11/05/1970 - 02/07/2013 Subordinate agency: School of Traffic Engineering (1957 - 1972) / School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering (1972 - 1977) - 13/05/1957 - 25/07/1977 Subordinate agency: Undergraduate Studies Committee of the Faculty of Engineering - 27/03/1968 Subordinate agency: School of Chemical Engineering & Industrial Chemistry (1980 - 2006) / Chemical Sciences & Engineering (2006 - 2010) / Chemical Engineering (2) (2010 - - 01/07/1997 Subordinate agency: Centre for Biomedical Engineering (1976 - 1994) / Graduate School for Biomedical Engineering (1994 - ) - 08/05/1981 Subordinate agency: School of Computer Science and Engineering - 01/01/1991 Subordinate agency: Centre for Advanced Numerical Computation in Engineering & Science (CANCES) - 02/06/1992 - 30/06/2002 Subordinate agency: Energy Research, Development and Information Centre (ERDIC) - 01/01/1997 - 31/12/2005 Subordinate agency: Graduate School of Engineering - 09/11/1964 Subordinate agency: Centre for Health Telematics (1999 - 2000) / Centre for Health Informatics (CHI) (2000 - 2014) - 21/10/1999 - 31/05/2004 Subordinate agency: Centre for Interactive Cinema Research (iCinema) - 01/01/2005 Subordinate agency: Centre for Waste Management - 12/02/1986 - 27/03/1990 Subordinate agency: Centre for Manufacturing and Automation - 19/02/1986 - 02/07/1987 Subordinate agency: Co-operative Research Centre for Waste Management and Pollution Control Ltd - 06/08/1991 - 30/06/2004 Subordinate agency: Centre for Petroleum Engineering Studies (1984 - 1998) / School of Petroleum Engineering (1998 - ) - 01/07/1997 Subordinate agency: Australian Photonics Cooperative Research Centre - 01/04/1992 - 30/06/2006 Subordinate agency: Centre for Groundwater Management and Hydrogeology (1987 - 1993) / UNSW Groundwater Centre (1993 - 2002) - 04/03/1987 - 06/11/2002 Subordinate agency: Centre for Membrane and Separation Technology (1987 - 1992) / UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology (1992 - ) - 01/07/1997 Subordinate agency: Centre for Remote Sensing (1981 - 1992) / Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Systems (1992 - c. 2005) - 12/08/1981 - 21/04/2005 Subordinate agency: School of Nuclear Engineering - 01/05/1961 - 31/12/1985 Subordinate agency: Electron Microscope Unit (2) - 01/02/1997 - 14/11/1997 Subordinate agency: Centre for Advanced Macromolecular Design (CAMD) - 20/02/2001 Subordinate agency: Centre for Energy and Environmental Markets (CEEM) - 19/07/2004 Subordinate agency: Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety (CIES) - 05/12/2006 Subordinate agency: Connected Waters Initiative - 31/10/2006 Subordinate agency: Australian Centre for Construction Innovation (ACCI) - 02/02/1999 - 19/12/2003 Subordinate agency: Centre for Photovoltaic Engineering (2000-2005) - 01/01/2000 - 31/12/2005 Subordinate agency: School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering - 01/01/2006 Subordinate agency: Engineering Dean's Advisory Committee (EDAC) ( - 1986)/ Dean's Advisory Committee (DAC) of the Faculty of Engineering (1986 - 2008) / Dean's Engineering Management Committee of the Faculty of Engineering (2008 - 2010) / Dean's Executive Management Committee of the Faculty of Engineering (2010 - ) - 01/01/1971 Subordinate agency: Department of Mining Engineering (2) - 01/07/1997 - 01/12/1997 Subordinate agency: School of Mining Engineering (3) - 01/12/1997 Subordinate agency: Centre for Safety Science - 01/01/1986 - 31/12/1990 Subordinate agency: School of Transport and Highways - 25/07/1977 - 30/06/1980 Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 08/05/1950-