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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    Agencies Series
    Description
    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-
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    Agencies Series
    Description
    The Department of Mechanical 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. Initially, J. F. D. Wood - lecturer-in-charge of the department while it was still under the control of the college - continued as the de facto head of the unit until a Foundation Professor of Mechanical Engineering could be appointed (OH34). When the first three university faculties were established by Council on 8 May 1950 (resolution 54), Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineering came into existence (resolution 153). On 19 June 1954 A. H. Willis was appointed as the Foundation Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Head of School. On 11 September 1967 Council altered the name of the school to the School of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (resolution 67/167). On 2 April 1990 the name of the school was changed again by Council to the School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering (resolution CL90/36). From 1999 - 2002 the Head of School was Professor Kerry Byrne. At the beginning of 2003 A/Professor Robin Ford briefly became Head of School, but by mid-2003 Professor Hartmut Kaebernick had taken over as Acting Head of School and shortly afterwards became permanent in this position. In 2007 the Head of the School of Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering was Professor Hartmut Kaebernick. Subordinate agency: Head of School's Advisory Committee (HOSAC) of the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - 26/09/1986 Subordinate agency: Thermodynamics Committee of the School of Mechanical Engineering - 23/04/1956 Subordinate agency: Course Revision Committee of the School of Mechanical Engineering ( - 1967) / School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (1967 - ) - 00/01/1900 Subordinate agency: Course Revision Working Party of the Education Committee of the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - 21/08/1986 Subordinate agency: Higher Degree Committee (HDC) of the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - 04/02/1987 Subordinate agency: School Assembly of the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering - 11/06/1987 Subordinate agency: School Advisory Committee of the School of Mechanical Engineering - 23/11/1960 Subordinate agency: Department of Production Engineering (1949 - 1959) / Industrial Engineering (1959 - 1989) - 01/07/1949 - 08/11/1989 Subordinate agency: Department of Agricultural Engineering - 26/07/1967 - 31/12/1985 Subordinate agency: Department of Applied Mechanics - 26/07/1967 - 08/11/1989 Subordinate agency: Department of Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics - 26/07/1967 - 08/11/1989 Subordinate agency: Centre for Manufacturing and Automation - 02/07/1987 - 31/12/1996 Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/07/1949-
  • Start date
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    Agencies Series
    Description
    The Department of Civil 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, including the first head of the department, C. H. Munro. Initially Munro only worked part-time as head of department, but from 1 January 1951 he became full-time head and an associate professor (Technology, Vol. 1, No. 2). When the first three university faculties were established by Council on 8 May 1950 (resolution 54), Civil 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 Civil Engineering came into existence (resolution 153). On 14 September 1964 three departments - water engineering, structural engineering and surveying - were created within the school (Council resolution 64/180). On 21 April 1997 Council changed the name of the school to the School of Civil & Environmental Engineering (resolution CL97/27d). From 1996 - 2005 the Head of School was Professor Ian Gilbert. In 2005 Professor Nicholas Ashbolt took over in this position. Subordinate agency: Management Committee of the School of Civil Engineering - 01/03/1979 Subordinate agency: Department of Water Engineering - 14/09/1964 - 30/06/1998 Subordinate agency: Centre for Wastewater Treatment (CWT) (1987 - 1997) / Centre for Water and Waste Technology (CWWT) (1997 - 2007) / UNSW Water Research Centre (WRC) (2008 - ) - 01/07/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Structural Engineering - 14/09/1964 - 30/06/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Structural Mechanics - 02/12/1968 - 12/01/1972 Subordinate agency: Department of Engineering Construction (1973) / Engineering Construction and Management (1973 - 1998) - 08/10/1973 - 30/06/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Civil Engineering Materials (1971 - 1988) / Geotechnical Engineering (1988 - 1998) - 24/03/1971 - 30/06/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Transport Engineering - 10/03/1980 - 30/06/1998 Subordinate agency: Water Research Laboratory (WRL) - 10/05/1954 - 14/09/1964 Subordinate agency: Water Research Laboratory (WRL) - 30/06/1998 Subordinate agency: Department of Surveying - 14/09/1964 - 11/05/1970 Controlling Organisation: UNSW - 01/07/1949-
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    Agencies Series
    Description
    The Biomedical Engineering Centre is of a multi-disciplinary nature. During 1973 several committees were concerned with the drafting of a proposal to establish a Centre for Biomedical Engineering within UNSW. As a result the university submission made to the AUC refers to this centre as one of the few major development projects proposed for the 1976-1978 Triennium. The university's activities in this area had steadily increased involving staff from the faculties of Medicine, Applied Science, Biological Sciences, Science and Engineering. Academic staff members felt at the time that the existence of such a centre as a formally established entity would help those involved to attract funds from outside sources. The centre was seen as providing a consolidated foundation for work in this area by conducting and sponsoring research; establishing postgraduate programs; sponsoring the development of appropriate undergraduate subjects; and organising conferences, meetings and discussions on biomedical engineering. On 27 August 1974 the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Myers, agreed to the informal establishment within the university of a centre for biomedical engineering and to the establishment of a management committee under the chairmanship of Prof Svensson. The committee comprised Profs NL Svensson (Mechanical Engineering), Chairman, R Huckstep (Orthopaedics), Drs J Loughman (Anaesthetics), M O'Rourke (Cardiology), P Farrell (Chemical Engineering), and Mr P Bason (Electrical Engineering). One of ithe committee's briefs was to plan the future structure and functions of the centre. The Vice-Chancellor provided initial funding of $750 for use by the centre in 1975 with the expectation that the various participating faculties would take over full responsibility for the associated costs in subsequent years. The centre had the support of the deans of the faculties of Biological Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. The major activities of the centre fell in the areas of teaching, research and clinical application. On 24 September 1976, after consideration of the management committee's proposals, the Vice-Chancellor formally approved the establishment of the Centre of Biomedical Engineering in the University of New South Wales as a centre for interdisciplinary studies and developments involving engineering, medicine and the biological sciences. He also approved the management structure of the centre involving an Advisory Board to be responsible for the overall operating policy of the centre and a Management Committee to be responsible generally for the execution of policy objectives, for the control of the staff and financial management of the centre and for the proposals of further research and development projects. In 1977 Professor Peter Farrell was appointed Director of the Centre of Biomedical Engineering. Growth of the centre was rapid. Within a few years the centre had attracted considerable interest in its research activities and received extensive funding from industry, government and private research foundations. Its international reputation in artificial organs research meant that already in 1979 most of its funding for artificial organs research came from sources outside the university (AMA Gazette, 19 July 1979). In 1980 the centre offered postgraduate programs in biomedical engineering for students with either an engineering/ scientific or medical background; it also co-ordinated biomedical engineering research in schools of the university and in hospitals in biomechanics, medical instrumentation, cardiology, physiology and rehabilitation engineering. The centre's growth and success meant that in 1980 it was suggested by senior staff that the Centre for Biomedical Engineering should be located within a faculty to put on it on a more permanent footing. The faulty of Engineering, which had coordinated all the centre's activities since its establishment, was suggested as an appropriate home. In 1981 the centre became a faculty unit within the faculty of Engineering. The position of Director, Centre for Biomedical Engineering in the faculty unit, faculty of Engineering, was established and Professor Peter O'Farrell was seconded to that position effective from 8 May 1981. Administratively within the faculty the unit operated and was treated like any other school. A review of research centres at UNSW by Professor Alan Gilbert in 1990 defined the role of research centres at the university. The Centre for Biomedical Engineering lay outside the guidelines of research centres in respect to the teaching function it provided. Resulting from this the centre sought to have its name changed to the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering. At its meeting on 5 July 1994 the Academic Board resolved that it be recommended that Council approve the proposed change of status of the centre. Council at its meeting on 29 August 1994 resolved as follows: (CL94/72)(b) That Council approve the proposed change of status of the Centre for Biomedical Engineering to the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering. The head of school in 2008 was Associate Professor Anne Simmons. Controlling Organisation: UNSW - in year of 01/01/1974-
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    Agencies Series
    Description
    Production Engineering dates back to the formation of the university itself on 1 July 1949, as it was a discipline that had much of its origins in the Sydney Technical College. Initially after the founding of the university, C. A. Gladman - head of the department while it was still under the control of the college - continued as the head of the unit. When the first three university faculties were established by Council on 8 May 1950 (resolution 54), Production Engineering appears to have been placed under Mechanical Engineering, one of the initial four departments within the Faculty of Engineering and over the next couple of years Production Engineering became gradually more integrated with the university. On 10 September 1951 Council changed the designation of the main departments to schools and so the School of Mechanical Engineering came into existence (resolution 153). On 11 May 1955 the first Associate Professor to join the department - N. A. Hill - was appointed to head the department. On 9 November 1959 Council approved the change in name of the department to the Department of Industrial Engineering (resolution 59/217). On 11 September 1967 Council altered the name of the school to the School of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering (resolution 67/167). On 8 November 1989 the Acting Vice-Chancellor approved the disestablishment of all the departments within the School of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, including the Department of Industrial Engineering (file 00892512). Controlling Organisation: UNSW - c. 01/07/1949-08/11/1989
  • Start date
    Type
    Archives Series
    Description
    This series consists of the booklet leaflet collection of the School of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering / Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering. The material is typed and maintained in a manilla folder and includes booklets, leaflets, reports and other material as released by the school, including program information.
  • Start date
    Type
    Archives Series
    Description
    This series comprises the School's annual report to the Committee and minutes of the meetings of the Visiting Committee of the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering as presented to Council. Occasionally there are minutes only for the reporting year. These 'minutes only' documents seem to originate from a different source, most likely a Secretariat or Registry file, and may have been used to complement the Visiting Committee Minute part of this series. Annual reports by the head of school for these years can be found in S711. Some minutes in this series, either in the reports presented to Council or the 'minutes only' copy, have been signed. In 1990 the report changed to cover the calendar year, so minutes of the meeting of the Committee are dated the following year. Related to Reports to the Visiting Committee of the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering / School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering from 29/10/1969
  • Start date
    Type
    Agencies Series
    Description
    The exact starting date of the Course Revision Committee of the School of Mechanical Engineering (1951 - 1967) and the School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (1967 - ) is unknown but it was in place by 6th October 1965, which was the earliest meeting of the committee the University Archives holds minutes of. The committee's primary functions included (a) the examination and monitoring of the structure and content of all undergraduate programs offered by the school, and (b) the provision of recommendations for the revision / modification of the programs in order to keep them relevant to community needs and industry demands.
  • Start date
    Type
    Archives Series
    Description
    This series comprises the agendas, papers and minutes of meetings of the School Executive Committee of the School of Mechanical Engineering (1951 - 1967) / School of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering (1967 - 1990). The meetings discussed all aspects of the school's operation including syllabus, students' performance, exam results, staffing, teaching programmes, recruitment of academic staff, post-doctoral fellowship, finance, and the efficient administration of laboratory and equipment.
  • Start date
    End date
    Type
    Archives Series
    Description
    This series consists of the booklet leaflet collection of the Department / School of Mechanical Engineering. The material is typed and maintained in a manilla folder and includes booklets, leaflets, guides, reports and other material as released by the department / school, including program information.