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Jeff Whittle AO FACS passed away on 5th February 2024 at the age of 93. His legacy is profound and not only in IT. He was
made an Officer (AO) of the general division of the Order of Australia for "Distinguished service to the information technology sector and
the mining industry, particularly through the development of industry standard computer programs for strategic mine planning and
optimisation”.
Professor Ariel Liebman was a key supporter of Australia 4.0. He worked at the intersection of ICT and the future renewable grid. Ariel was going to moderate one of the Australia 4.0 sessions but, since he was to be overseas at the time, he arranged for other colleagues to assist. Sadly, Ariel passed away after a brief illness on November 9th 2023 and will be sorely missed by his family, friends and colleagues.
Ada Lovelace Day honours all the innovative women in STEM, commemorating their ingenuity that has changed the course of
history.
Proudly sponsored by the Pearcey Foundation.
The Monash University Faculty of IT is exploring the role of Australian women in early digital computing – and the opportunities in the
future. Join us for insightful speeches, a thought-provoking panel discussion and networking over a light lunch in our celebration ‘Australian
women in IT yesterday, today and tomorrow’
which will be opened by Professor Ann Nicholson, the first female Dean of our faculty. It will then venture into the life of Ada
Lovelace and how women can carry on her legacy of impact today and tomorrow.
Many of us recall Harry as the crusty but jovial former head of TRL – Telecom Research Labs, for many years. His passing on 31 July at age 93 marks the end of an era when Telecom Australia dominated all aspects of Telecommunications in Australia.
Max was a graduate of the University of Melbourne and spent four years at Weapons Research Establishment in Salisbury (South Australia) before returning to Melbourne to start Digital Equipment’s Australian operations in 1967. Max was pioneer in the recognition and retention of our computing heritage and an authority on early Australian-made computers.
One of Australia’s outstanding ICT pioneers, Brian Finn passed this week.
On June 3, 2022, the Graeme Philipson History of Computing Library was launched. The keynote was given by Dr Peter Thorne AM, Chair of the Heritage Committee project run by the Pearcey Foundation.
Pearcey Conversations online seminar 12 October 2021 celebrated Ada Lovelace Day with a look at some remarkable achievements that women have made in STEM.
One of Australia's foremost computer scientists passed away peacefully in Perth on the 12th September 2021. Recognised for his work in defining Information Engineering, when he presented the concept at the 1980 IFIPS conference in Melbourne. Clive was elevated to the Pearcey Hall of Fame in 2008 at a memorable ceremony in Sydney.
Reg Coutts, 2018 Pearcey Hall of Fame, was an ebullient character, well known in telecommunications and ICT circles, always self-deprecating, always positive and constructive about his colleagues. Reg was an effective, well-liked and respected leader in Australian ICT, whose sense of humour was infectious. Reg will be missed by many Australians - he made a real contribution to our great nation.
In August 1951, a group of scientists gathered at the University of Sydney to attend the first Australian conference on automatic computing machines.
In 1951 there was a major conference held at the University of Sydney which marked the beginning of a new science in Australia, Computer Science.
On June 14, 1956 the computer CSIRAC was officially recommissioned at the new Computation Laboratory at the University of Melbourne.
The recent publication of A Vision Splendid – The History of Australian Computing is a timely reminder of the seventy years or so Australia has been involved in the digital revolution.
It’s with great sadness that the Pearcey Foundation learnt of the sudden death this week of renowned IT journalist, historian, writer and researcher Graeme Philipson.
This is a remarkable book. It is frank, insightful and at times hard hitting.
It traces the life, loves and career path, in UK and Australia, of a courageous and very competent woman from the earliest days of the computer age, through to the current times.
Nobody much remembers it now, but 40 years ago Australia built one of the world’s largest computer networks. In 1981 Australia’s Department of Social Security (DSS) began planning an ambitious network to connect all of its 210 Australian offices in real time.
Sydney Uni's Nano Centre in Department of Physics was awarded the 2020 Eureka Prize for Outstanding Science in protecting Australia. By harnessing the delicate interaction between light and sound, Professor Ben Eggleton and his team have produced a microchip that provides a unique advantage for defence platforms.
Dr Cathy Foley AO, currently CSIRO Chief Scientist, and from December 2020, will become Chief Scientist of Australia. Cathy has made distinguished contributions to the understanding of superconducting materials and to the development of devices using superconductors for a number of applications including to detect magnetic fields and locate valuable deposits of minerals.
Recognising the amazing contributions of female Australians to the digital age. Held on Ada Lovelace Day and supported by the Tech Girls Movement Foundation.
So you’ve decided to become an IT professional when you grow up? Good choice! You’ve already discovered the satisfaction of getting a program to work – that will continue to excite you for the rest of your life. You’ll also find that debugging the things that don’t work is equally rewarding.
This is an extract from Ann Moffatt’s book, The IT Girl, which is to be published in November 2020.
This graduation season, we are proud to announce that Skaidrite Darius has received an honorary doctorate from the ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science.
