The International PCT conference (Perceptual Control Theory) was held at Gregynog, with support from the College Research Fund. The proceedings were published as a book.

The WDA Welsh Centres of Expertise programme is extended. The department's Centre for Intelligent Systems (CIS) and the Apllied Math's Non-Newtonian Centre are funded out of 5 bids from Aber.

New Vice-Chancellor: Derec Llwyd Morgan

UCW Statistics: 580 academics, 690 other staff, 4405 undergrads, 904 postgrads.

Telematics Research Group active with MICE project (etc... more)

Dr Mike Hopkins is appointed Director of Information Services (combined library and computing services). This marks the end of the Computer Unit.

WDA Welsh Technology Prize to Brian Seymour

Mark Lee goes on tour of Japanese and Australian departments and research labs.

UCW becomes UWA - the University College of Wales becomes University of Wales, Aberystwyth.

Research Assessment Exercise - RAE 1996, Now seven grades 1, 2, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 5*. CS was grated 4A (as were Cardiff and Swansea). All volume-based evaluation was removed to account for the criticism that volume rather than quality was being rewarded. The 1992 exercise also stipulated that the staff submitted for assessment had to be in post by a specific date (the "census date") in order to counter the criticisms that the staff that had moved on were still counted in the assessment. This led to the phenomenon of "poaching" of highly qualified staff by other Universities ahead of the census date.

The first MEng students graduate.

The book "Intelligent Assembly Systems" was published by several department members and the royalties were donated into a fund for prizes for postgraduate research students.

Statistics: 670 academics, 636 other staff, 4956 undergrads, 910 postgrads.

Ifan Moelwyn Hughes retires in September after 26 years as head of the Computer Unit. Roger Matthews moves over as Deputy Director of Information Services.

£10k from College Research Fund for D. Kell, G. Griffith & J. Rowland, Robotic Recovery of Uncultured Microbes. Robot food production in news.

The Arts Centre wins funding for a major revamp. This work physically connects the theatre to the great hall, and creates a cinema, bookshop, etc to provide the current indoor complex.

The Welsh Agricultural College (WAC) is merged with the Deptment of Agricultural Science, and named the Welsh Institute of Rural Studies. New buildings and a large equine arena are created on the Llanbadarn Campus.

The departmental spinoff company FirstEarth Ltd is started up. This produced novel model-based software for diagnostic analysis of engineering systems. See article

Tim Cairnes, with CS from 1986, moves to Information Services

Telematics Group news

The Monet research network started in July. Funded by the EC this network supports all European research into model based systems. Staff: John McCardle - Manager, Suzy Shipman - administrator. Runs from June 1997 to June 2000 (and then funded again for another 3 years.)

Tuition fees first introduced across the UK. These were means tested on families.

A new laboratory to accomodate robotics and vision projects, the Intelligent Systems Lab (ISL), is to be converted from the old Earth Sciences library stacks.

Our first Beowolf cluster set up, first in Wales, 25 Intel P2 machines, Red Hat, funded by £24k from BBSRC

Student reunion for 125th year of UWA, held in the Spring

PhD Graduate (1990), Jan Pinkava won an Oscar for his short animated film Geri's Game.

Google is founded.

The Advanced Reasoning Group is formed, Chris Price is the head of the group.

A serious fire in seafront halls Caerleon and Plynlumon, 110 students homeless.

In news: Neat project. Robot sandwich assembly, AutoSteve FMEA.

David Barnes returns from Salford. He undertakes much of the planning of the new ISL (Intelligent Systems Laboratory).

The Y2K bug raises fears of major computer failures and societal disruption at the turn of the millennium.

Ada UK, first prize to Robert Walker

Maintenance grants replaced with loans.

We have largest computer power in Wales: 20 processor SUN 6500 plus 25 Intel node Beowolf.

Mike Tedd appointed Chair of Consumer Panel of Oftel.

AberMUD, the first popular internet-based MUD, was written in the department by then-student Alan Cox. Did Alan graduate here? Swansea claims him...

Robot Scientist project in news, also Beagle-2 Mars lander.

Chris Price becomes the Head of Department.

Dr Myra Wilson becomes a judge for the fourth series of BBC TV's Robot Wars. The show was broadcast in 2002, first on BBC Choice and later in the year on BBC Two.

Myra has some photos from the series on her university web pages.