Key 80: Computer Science 1956; 1974
In 1955 the first automatic electronic computer built in Australia was transferred to the University of Melbourne. The only computer in Australia at the time, CSIRAC became the centrepiece of a new Computation Laboratory, located in the Physics Department, under the leadership of Dr Frank Hirst.
[Source: University of Melbourne Archives Image Catalogue, UMA-I-1701]
From 1956 the Laboratory (later the Computation Department) provided academic courses within the Faculty of Science as well as computing services to the University and the wider community.
[Source: University of Melbourne Archives Image Catalogue, UMA-I-1460]
[Source: University of Melbourne Archives Media Photograph Collection, Photograph No 18087]
When the newly created Computer Centre took over the provision of computing services in the early 1970s the Computation Laboratory was renamed the Department of Information Science. In 1974 P.C. Poole was appointed foundation professor and the name changed again in 1975 to Computer Science.
[Source: University of Melbourne Archives Media Photograph Collection, Photograph No 17376]