Celebrating Fifty Years of Computing Education at the University of Melbourne

In June 2006 it will be fifty years since the re-commissioning of the CSIRAC computer after it was moved to the University of Melbourne from Sydney, where it was developed by Maston Beard and Trevor Pearcey beginning in 1947. The arrival of CSIRAC was the first step along a pathway of rapid technological development that has been one of the most consistently urgent themes of the last fifty years. CSIRAC is now on display at the Melbourne Museum, and is an important artifact that represents the beginning of the digital age.

The year 1956 also marked the commencement of computing education at the University, and the genesis of what we now know as the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering in the Faculty of Engineering, and the Department of Information Systems in the Faculty of Science. To commemorate a half-century of computing education and research at the University, and in Victoria more generally, The University of Melbourne is pleased to announce a 50th "birthday" celebration -- a day of reflection, reminiscences, memories, and optimistic future-guessing, to be held on Friday, June 16, 2006.

The anniversary event will take place in the University's ICT Building at 111 Barry Street. The program for the day will include presentations by some of the people who were involved with CSIRAC in the 1950s; viewing of movie footage of CSIRAC in action; performance of music created using CSIRAC; a review of the history of the Departments of Computer Science and Software Engineering, and of Information Systems; and an overview of current research programs and achievements in the two departments. Attendees will also have an opportunity to visit CSIRAC at the Melbourne Museum.

The day will conclude with a birthday dinner at University House.

Current and former staff, current and former postgraduate students, current and former undergraduate students, and members of the public are invited to express their interest in attending this event via the Registration of Interest web page.

Further details of the event, including a registration form, a program, and details of cost, will be circulated by email during May to people who have expressed interest via the web page.

This event is part of a larger program coordinated by the Australian Computer Society and the ICT Victoria Committee, under the banner "Celebrating Fifty Years of Computing in Victoria". For details of other events, see the ICT Victoria web page.

For further information about the "Fifty Years of Computing Education" event, contact Alistair Moffat, alistair@csse.unimelb.edu.au.

Register your interest in attending.