About the Division of Information and Communication Sciences
History
The Division of Information and Communication Sciences (ICS) comprises four academic departments, Computing, Electronic Engineering, Mathematics and Physics; a separate academic unit Postgraduate Professional Development Program (PPDP) responsible for developing and delivering the Division's postgraduate coursework programs; several Research Centres lying within and across departmental boundaries; and a major service unit, Macquarie Engineering and Technical Services (METS). The Division has firmly established itself as a strongly integrated academic unit, growing steadily in size and reputation since its foundation in 1967 as the School of Mathematics and Physics, which in turn became the School of Mathematics, Physics, Computing and Electronics in 1987 and the Division of ICS in 1999.
Aim
The Division actively seeks to maintain and further develop the strengths of individual departments and to benefit from the established cultures of the disciplines they represent, but also to develop within the Division a cohesive group of complementary disciplines which can deliver, nationally and internationally, significant outcomes in teaching and research, in the broad areas of information and communication sciences. This deliberate combining of the four key disciplines underpinning modern information and communication technologies in the one academic unit is unique among Australian universities.
Vision
The overall vision of the Division is to become the leading centre in Australia and a leading centre internationally, for teaching and learning, research and service, in new and advanced information and communication sciences and technology arising out of the Division's unique grouping of allied and complementary disciplines.
As with Macquarie University as a whole, the urge to innovate is an intrinsic and important aspect of the Division's own internal culture. The Division has regularly pioneered new degree programs, such as Australia's first undergraduate programs in Optoelectronics and in Natural Language Technology. The Division hosts a number of internationally recognised research centres focusing on seeking and demonstrating innovative developments in lasers and their application, optical computing, quantum computing, cryptography and security, natural language technology and category theory. It is not by accident that the Division has been able to provide advanced technology - laser micro-machining - that has been pivotal in the production of the Olympic torches used in both the 2000 and 2004 games.