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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-

On 12 March 1956 Council approved the appointment of Dr Dennis Frank Orchard as Foundation Chair of Highway Engineering. (resolution 687) The Chair was established through an endowment of 5,000 pounds per year provided by the Government of New South Wales through the Commissioner of Main Roads. Professor Orchard, an engineering graduate from the University of London, had previously worked in the United Kingdom for Surrey County Council, the Ministry of Works, the Road Research Laboratory of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Harlow Development Corporation. At the time of his appointment Orchard was working for Sir William Halcrow and Partners, Consulting Engineers, at Accra in Ghana (then known as the Gold Coast). (BRF-Orchard, DF; OH42) The School of Highway Engineering was established by Council on 8 September 1958 (resolution 58/120). It was primarily postgraduate in nature. It offered courses leading to the degrees of Master of Technology and Diploma in Highway Engineering. Its research program led to the degrees of Master of Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy. The School also participated in undergraduate courses in the School of Civil Engineering and the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering. The main subjects of instruction were road location and design, pavement design and soil analysis, road construction, bridge design, traffic engineering, highway law, contract documents, hydrology and plant. It drew its students from throughout Australia, Asia and New Zealand. The School also developed 10-week short course for international students which proved popular. The School commenced classes at the Broadway campus but was later transferred to the Kensington campus. (SRF - Highway and Traffic, Schools of; The University of New South Wales, c.1961: 117; V329) At a meeting on 17 January 1977 Council resolved (resolution 77/4) that the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering and the School of Highway Engineering would form a new school to be known as the School of Transport and Highways, effective from 25 July 1977. Professor Ross Blunden from the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering was appointed as Head of the new School. (BRF - Blunden; CN956/30 File: 5601071E) Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 08/09/1958-17/01/1977

At a meeting on 17 January 1977 Council resolved (resolution 77/4) that the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering and the School of Highway Engineering would form a new School of Transport and Highways in the Faculty of Engineering, effective from 25 July 1977. Professor W. R. Blunden was appointed as Head of the new School. (BRF - Blunden; CN956/3 File: 5601071E) During 1979 discussions took place between the Schools of Civil Engineering and Transport and Highways concerning the proposed amalgamation of the two schools to form an enlarged School of Civil Engineering. An agreement between Professor Blunden, Head of the School of Transport and Highways, and Professor I K Lee, Head of the School of Civil Engineering, setting out the conditions for the amalgamation was signed by both parties on 19 February 1980. At its meeting on 10 March 1980 Council resolved (resolution 80/51) that the amalgamation between the two schools should proceed, effective from 1 July 1980. This necessitated the formation of a new department within the School of Civil Engineering, to be known as the Department of Transport Engineering. The School of Transport and Highways therefore ceased to exist from this time. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 25/07/1977-30/06/1980

During 1979 discussions took place between the Schools of Civil Engineering and Transport and Highways concerning the proposed amalgamation of the two schools to form an enlarged School of Civil Engineering. An agreement between Professor Blunden, Head of the School of Transport and Highways, and Professor I K Lee, Head of the School of Civil Engineering, setting out the conditions for the amalgamation was signed by both parties on 19 February 1980. At its meeting on 10 March 1980 Council resolved (resolution 80/51) that the amalgamation between the two schools should proceed, effective from 1 July 1980. This necessitated the formation of a new department within the School of Civil Engineering, to be known as the Department of Transport Engineering. Professor Blunden became the head of the department reporting to the head of the School of Civil Engineering, Professor Lee. (SRF - Highway and Traffic, Schools of) Professor Blunden retired from the University on 30 June 1981. On his retirement he was made an Emeritus Professor of the University. (BRF - Blunden, William Ross) Dr John Black assumed the position of head of the department and in October 1984 became the first Professor of Transport Engineering in Australia. (BRF - Black, John) On 21 April 1997 Council resolved (resolution CL97/27(d)) to change the name of the school from the School of Civil Engineering to the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (SRF - Civil Engineering). In mid-1998 all departments within the School of Civil Engineering were disestablished. The Department of Transport Engineering thus ceased to exist from this time (file 970913). Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/07/1980-c. 30/06/1998

At its annual meeting in Adelaide in 1955 the Australian Automobile Association passed a resolution calling for active steps to be taken in the training of traffic engineers. The Association also resolved to fund a Chair of Traffic Engineering to a sum of 25,000 pounds through an annual grant of 5,000 pounds for five years at a university to be nominated by the Prime Minister, Robert Menzies. Mr Menzies selected the New South Wales University of Technology as the site for the new program. (SRF - Highway and Traffic, Schools of) On 12 March 1956 Council approved the appointment of W. Ross Blunden, Scientific Adviser to the Australian Military Board, as Foundation Chair of Traffic Engineering. (resolution 687) Professor Blunden commenced his duties on 20 August 1956. He then spent approximately three months at the Institute of Transportation and Traffic Engineering at the University of California - Berkeley and afterwards visited other universities in the United States as well as traffic agencies and research organisations in Washington DC. He also visited a number of city and state traffic departments and various automobile and traffic control equipment manufacturers. (BRF - Blunden; CN956/30 File: 5601071E) The School of Traffic Engineering within the Faculty of Engineering was approved by Council on 13 May 1957 (resolution 57/64). From the time of its inception the School was primarily postgraduate in character. It defined traffic engineering as the science of measuring traffic and travel, the study of the basic laws relating to traffic generation and flow and the application of this knowledge to the professional practice of planning, designing and operating traffic systems to achieve safe and efficient movement of persons and goods. The School's primary objectives were: (1) The evolution of a basic technical discipline for the phenomena of traffic and travel; (2) The application of this in the whole field of transportation, seeking integrated solutions to transport problems of all kinds. (The University of New South Wales, c.1961: 122) Each year the School offered a full-time course of 14 weeks duration in traffic planning and control. The course also included introductory material on statistics, the theory of traffic behaviour, town planning and road traffic law. By the early 1960s over 90 students had undertaken the course from Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia and India. Extension courses were also taught in cities throughout Australia. (The University of New South Wales, c.1961: 122) In 1959 a Master of Technology degree program was introduced for students with undergraduate degrees in engineering or science. It consisted of formal lectures in the theory of statistics, the theory of traffic behaviour, the application and practice of traffic engineering, operational analysis, data reduction, road location and design, town planning, and traffic law. There was also a thesis component which consisted of a specific traffic study. (The University of New South Wales, c.1961: 122) On 13 November 1972 the name of the School was changed to the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering to broaden the focus of the school. (resolution 72/225; SRF - Highway and Traffic, Schools of) At a meeting on 17 January 1977 Council resolved (resolution 77/4) that the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering and the School of Highway Engineering would form a new School of Transport and Highways, effective from 25 July 1977. The School as a separate entity thus ceased to exist from this date. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 13/05/1957-25/07/1977

On 9 May 1960 Council approved the establishment of an Institute of Highway and Traffic Research. (resolution 60/52) This followed a joint study conducted by the University and the Department of Main Roads into the need to extend the scope of road research in New South Wales along the lines of similar research programs operating in the United States of America. On 2 August 1960 the NSW State Government on the recommendation of the Minister for Highways, the Hon. P F Hills, authorised the payment of 200,000 pounds from the County of Cumberland Main Roads Fund and the Country Main Roads Fund to establish the Institute of Highway and Traffic Research. The money was to be used for buildings, equipment, furnishings and fittings. Professors W R Blunden (Traffic Engineering) and D F Orchard (Highway Engineering) were put in charge of the Institute. Its aim was conduct research on highway and traffic engineering on behalf of agencies such as the NSW Department of Main Roads and the Australian Road Research Board. (SRF - Highway and Traffic, Schools of; V328) Howard M Sherrard, the former Commissioner of the Department of Main Roads, was appointed Executive Director of the Institute (resolution 62/64). On 10 May 1963 the Institute of Highway and Traffic Research commenced operations. The Board consisted of Professor A H Willis as Chairman, Professors Blunden and Orchard as Directors, and Sherrard as Executive Director. The Institute was located in King Street, Randwick on the site of an old tram depot previously under the control of the Department of Government Transport and which had been transferred to the University by the State Government. (V328) On 14 March 1966 Council adopted a resolution (resolution 66/37) reconstituting the management of the Institute of Highway and Traffic Research. The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor A H Willis, remained as Chairman of the Board; Professor Blunden was appointed part-time Director for an initial period of two years, with duties commencing on 27 May 1966; and Professors D F Orchard, A G Hammer, C J Milner and R H Myers were appointed members of the Board. These duties as part-time Director were in addition to Professor Blunden's usual ones as Professor of the School of Traffic Engineering and as Head of that School. By 1969 the Institute had, apart from Professor Blunden as Director, sixteen professional and support staff members associated with it. On 30 September 1969 the Board of Directors decided to suspend the operations of the Institute because of financial concerns and its research activities were transferred to the Schools of Traffic Engineering and Highway Engineering. (980/81 File: 00016779) Professor Blunden's appointment as Director ended on 14 October 1969. (CN956/3 File: 5601071E) Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 09/05/1960-30/09/1969

The Visiting Committee for the School of Traffic Engineering was constituted under Resolutions 68/126 and 68/137 of the University Council as a means of establishing a close liaison between industry and appropriate schools of the university. This committee, comprising distinguished members of the professional fields related to the school's activities, replaced the Traffic Engineering Advisory Panel. The chairman, appointed by Council, was chosen from members external to the university. The primary function of the committee was to appraise the educational programmes of the school in relation to the needs of the industry and professional practice. The inaugural meeting of the Committee was held on 9 April 1970 with Mr R. A. French in the Chair. Following the change in name of the school to the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering on 13 November 1972, the name of the Visiting Committee was also changed to the Visiting Committee for the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering. At a meeting on 17 January 1977 Council resolved (resolution 77/4) that the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering and the School of Highway Engineering would merge to form a new School of Transport and Highways, effective from 25 July 1977. Following this merger, the Visiting Committee appears to have ceased to exist. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 09/04/1970-?25/07/1977

Visiting Committees, including the one for the School of Highway Engineering, were constituted under Resolution 68/137 of Council as a means of establishing a close liaison between industry and appropriate schools of the university. A report by A.H. Willis to the Professorial Board in May 1968 had found that the advisory panel system, dating from March 1950, no longer held any benefits. The report also recommended the abolition of advisory panels by the end of 1968 and the panels to be replaced by Visiting Committees. Resolution 68/126 of the Professorial Board requested A.H. Willis to present more specific proposals on the membership and terms of reference of the proposed Visiting Committees. His following recommendations to the Professorial Board from 11 June 1968 were put to Council though the recommendations of the Academic Committee in their document from 17 June 1968. Council at its meeting on 8 July 1968 resolved 68/137 - that Council adopts the terms of reference and membership of Visiting Committees as set out in the document presented dated 17th June 1968. The document recommended to Council that the Visiting Committees be established by Council on the recommendation of the Vice-Chancellor who consulted with deans and heads of school regarding the establishment of the committee and the chairmanship. The chairman, appointed by Council, was chosen from members external to the university. The terms of reference for Visiting Committees were 1. to appraise the educational programmes of the School in relation to the needs of industry and professional practice 2. to receive and discuss the Annual Report of the Head of the School 3. to report to the Council on the special problems facing the School 4. to aid the development of the School in any way possible The Visiting Committee for the School of Highway Engineering was comprised of distinguished members of the professional fields related to the school's activities. The Committee met annually and held its first meeting on 26 June 1969 with Mr R. J. S. Thomas in the Chair. The Committee was reconstituted every three years. At a meeting on 17 January 1977 Council resolved (resolution 77/4) that the School of Transportation and Traffic Engineering and the School of Highway Engineering would merge to form a new School of Transport and Highways, effective from 25 July 1977. Following this merger, the Visiting Committee appears to have ceased to exist. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 26/06/1969-?25/07/1977

This series comprises the School of Highway Engineering's annual reports to the Committee and minutes of the meetings of the Visiting Committee for the School of Highway Engineering as presented to Council. Occasionally there are minutes only for the reporting year. Annual reports by the head of school for these years can be found in S718.

This series consists of the Joint Report of Activities 1955 - 1977 of Visiting Committees for the Schools of Highway Engineering and Transportation and Traffic, as submitted to Council. The report is typed publication of the history of both schools, as well as a set of minutes for the meeting of the two visiting committees.