A Summary Description of the Computing Laboratory (1986) | NUHC – Newcastle University Historical Computing

UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE

COMPUTING LABORATORY

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Information for Candidates

Applications are invited for the post of Administrative Assistant in the Computing Laboratory. The Computing Laboratory comprises the academic department of computer science and the University computing service, and has over one hundred staff.

The duties of the Administrative Assistant will be to support the Director of the Computing Laboratory in the organization of teaching, the administration of research projects and the running of a very large computing service, as well as in the financial control of the Laboratory’s affairs.

It is hoped that apart from carrying out these important routine duties the successful candidate will respond to being in a highly technologically oriented department by exploring the application of computer technology to the management of a complex department eager to be involved in such initiatives.

The position offers a unique opportunity for a graduate with some experience of administration to practise the application of Information Technology in the Management Services area and to try out new ideas in a critical (but friendly) environment.

No forms of application are issued, but applications (three complete copies) giving full details of age, qualifications, experience and present salary, together with the names and addresses of three persons to whom reference may be made, should be lodged with the Senior Assistant Registrar, (FP), The University, 6 Kensington Terrace, Newcastle upon Tyne, NEl 7RU, not later than 17th January 1986.

The Newcastle upon Tyne Computing Laboratory was created in 1957. There are currently 2 Professors, 1 Reader, 2 Senior Lecturers, 16 Lecturers, 2 Demonstrators, an Executive Director, 1 Assistant Director, 3 Group Managers and 26 full-time graduate programmers who support the computer systems and advise users about their programming. At present there are 14 Research Associates and other graduate staff engaged in research contracts financed from external sources. Documentation, operating, data preparation, clerical and technical staff support the service and academic activities and bring the total number of staff of the Laboratory to over one hundred.

A number of senior posts (Professors/Readers) are currently being advertised funded from U.G.C. sources made available to bring the level of support for Computer Science Departments up to that prevailing in Engineering Departments. Apart from these senior posts, it is the intention of the University to increase the levels of graduate and non-graduate support staff, and of administrative and clerical staff in the Computing Laboratory.

The Computing Laboratory currently occupies some 45,000 square feet in the Claremont Tower and Bridge Block, and in the adjacent Daysh Building. An Amdahl 5860 is housed in the sub-basement of the Tower and, together with an Amdahl 470/V8 in Durham, provides the central computing service for the Universities of Newcastle upon Tyne and of Durham, and some services for the Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic. The number of terminals attached to the computer network is currently six hundred. Graphics terminals are connected via the local network, as are some departmental microprocessor systems. The Laboratory also possesses extensive facilities for teaching and research in practical hardware/software systems design, facilities which include a variety of minicomputers (e.g. two VAX 11/750s, eight ICL PERQs, ten large PDP-11s, a GEC Series 63 and a High Level Hardware ORION) and microprocessors. In addition, a VAX 11/780 provides a high quality graphics service, and the Laboratory shares a VAX 11/750 for research in VLSI design.

Teaching is undertaken at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. That for a Special Honours degree in Computing Science commenced in 1967 and classes of about 45 students are being admitted each year as potential Honours students. Some of these choose to proceed to a Joint Honours degree in Computing Science and another Science subject, alongside students admitted by other departments in the Faculty. Some 40 students each year take Computational Mathematics as a half subject in the Joint Honours degree in Mathematical Sciences. In 1973 a course leading to a Joint Honours degree in Electrical and Computing Science began. This course involved a substantial amount of work on hardware design and practice and on software construction. In 1980 the University initiated extensive further developments in this area in the form of a new undergraduate degree in Microelectronics and Microprocessor Applications, and in 1984 a new four year degree course in Microelectronics and Software Engineering was started. Computing Science is also available as a subject in the General Degree with Honours in Arts. There are about 40 candidates annually for the M.Sc. in Computing Science and the M.Sc. in Computing Software and System Design, and some 10 candidates for the Ph.D. degree. Other courses are given for students from several departments of the University.

Members of the Laboratory staff pursue their own research interests and may supervise projects for M.Sc. and Ph.D. students. The laboratory is active in a number of research areas, presently grouped into:-

(i) systems research

(ii) combinatorics and operations research

(iii) bibliographic data processing

(iv) numerical analysis.

A number of sponsored research projects are in progress. The Science and Engineering Research Council sponsors projects entitled, respectively: “Reliability and Integrity of Distributed Computing Systems”, and “Recursive Systems Architectures”, directed by Professor B. Randell; “ASPECT: Integrated programming Support Environments”, directed by Dr. P. Hitchcock. “Integrated Tools for Hardware/Software Debugging”, directed by Dr. C.R. Snow; “Monitoring and Performance Evaluation of Distributed Unix Systems”, directed by Dr. I. Mitrani and Dr. T. Betteridge: “A Programming System for Reliable Distributed Computing”, directed by Dr. S.K. Shrivastava. In addition, the SERC has provided funds for “A Computer Service for Alvey/IKBS and Software Engineering Infrastructure” under the direction of Dr. P. Hitchcock. Two further projects, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, are: “Software and Hardware for High Integrity Systems”, directed by Professor Randell, and “Formal Specification and the Design of Protocols”, directed by Dr. Shrivastava. A major SERC-financed project entitled “Design Methodology and Second Generation Design Tools for VLSI” is progressing, in co-operation with the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, under the direction of Professor D.J. Kinniment, G.R. Russell and Professor H. Whitfield.

In March 1984 the University established, within the Computing Laboratory. a Research Centre for Software Reliability, which provides a framework and focus for software engineering research in collaboration with industry and a parallel research centre at the City University, London. The Centre works closely with the Alvey Directorate to co-ordinate the national IT programme of research in software reliability and metrics; it contributed to the report that defined this programne, supports the organisation of the Alvey Club in this area, and organises an annual workshop. It is expected that further funding for research into the design and evaluation of reliable real-time systems will shortly be available.

A major initiative, in which the Computing Laboratory plays a leading role, is the Microelectronics Applications Research Institute, a co-operative venture between the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Computer Analysts and Programmers (Holdings) Limited, which is one of Europe’s leading software and system houses and the Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic. This Institute is based in Newcastle, and undertakes applied research and advanced development projects for government and industrial organisations. It was launched in 1979 with an initial pump-priming grant of £300,000 from Tyne and Wear County council, and now has a staff of over 60, with a turnover in excess of £1,000,000 per annum.