The U.C.C. Computer
 
UCC Record, 1966

In recent years the application of transistors to the computer technology field brought about a useful reduction in prime cost, space requirements and maintenance costs of high-speed digital computers. The possibility of procuring such a unit for U.C.C. was investigated by a small committee, consisting of the Registrar, the Professor of Maths Physics and the Professors of Civil and Electrical Engineering. In September 1963 this committee recommended the purchasing of a £50,000 I.B.M. 1620 computer with a 40K storage and punched card input-output. The nett cost to the College, was, however, only £20,000 due to the very generous 60 per cent educational discount offered by I.B.M. at the time.

The Governing Body adopted this recommendation and also authorised the building of an extension to the Electrical Engineering Building to accommodate the computer installation. In due course the necessary capital grant covering the College Expenditure both on the computer and on the building was provided by the Government.

The computer was installed during the summer of 1964 and already in October 1964 was utilised to cope with the student enrolment and production of class lists. The student enrolment facilities and all the related statistical information are now an integral part of the work of the computer, and it is hoped in the near future to acquire extra peripheral equipment which will further rationalise this type of application.

Undergraduate courses in computer operation and programming are to-day accepted as an essential part of the curriculum for students of engineering, mathematical science and applied science in general. Such courses have been in operation at U.C.C. for the last two sessions, having been introduced in autumn 1964 as part of the Third Year Engineering course, the lectures being also attended by various students from the mathematical and science departments. A full-time statutory lectureship in Computer Science has recently been constituted by the Governing Body, and it is hoped to fill this post by autumn 1966, thus ensuring that this important aspect of modern education in the applied science field becomes firmly established at U.C.C.

Regarding post-graduate activities it can be pointed out that both students and staff have availed themselves of the computer facilities with ever-increasing enthusiasm. At present the installation is in operation some sixteen hours per day on average, and quite an appreciable fraction of this time is devoted to post-graduate research problems. The range of problems covered is quite wide, covering such topics as the statistical analysis of experimental data, Laguerre function studies, heat flow, electron physics, skew plates, stability of electrical networks and many others.

Access to the computer has also been given to various outside academic and industrial organisations. As typical examples could be quoted and correlation for Dunsink Observatory of H-alpha shift data from spectrographic records, and the preparation of Critical Path Analysis information for a building organisation.

For extensive problems, which exceed the present capacity of the U.C.C. installation, liaison has been established with the computer departments in some of the British universities. In such instances the preliminary work can be carried out locally and the final processing is undertaken in England; in particular the universities of Manchester and Sheffield have been co-operative in this regard and we look forward to the continuation of this fruitful collaboration.

The I.B.M. 1620 installation at U.C.C. was officially opened in November, 1965, when Dr. J. J. McHenry, President of the College, introduced the Minister for Finance, Mr. J. Lynch, to perform the opening ceremony.

C. Dillon

Professor of Electrical Engineering --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Computer Centre, University College, Cork. 1997