Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a prominent multi-campus institution located in Acton, Canberra, known for its extensive research and academic programs. It caters to approximately 21,000 students pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate degrees across various fields, including arts, sciences, and multicultural studies. ANU has established exchange partnerships with over 150 universities in thirty countries, enhancing its global academic presence. The university is home to notable research facilities, including the Mount Stromlo Observatory and Siding Spring Observatory, which are integral to its astronomy department.
ANU's history dates back to its establishment in 1946 as a postgraduate university, building on the legacy of the Mount Stromlo Observatory. It has since expanded its offerings, merging with Canberra University College in 1960 and forming seven colleges by 2006. ANU is recognized for its commitment to innovative education, allowing students to pursue flexible degree combinations through programs like the Double Degree. Additionally, the university emphasizes environmental studies through its Climate Change Institute and Energy Change Institute, reflecting a focus on sustainability and future energy technologies. With a strong research orientation, ANU has produced Nobel Prize winners and continues to contribute significantly to scientific discoveries, particularly in astrophysics.
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Subject Terms
Australian National University
Date founded: 1946
Colleges or faculties: College of Arts and Social Sciences; College of Asia and the Pacific; College of Business and Economics; College of Engineering and Computer Science; College of Health and Medicine; College of Law; College of Science
Location: Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Type: Public
Size: 20,892 students; 3,753 faculty and staff
Australian National University (AUN) is a multi-campus centre for higher learning with headquarters in Acton, a suburb of Canberra. About 21,000 students attend undergraduate and postgraduate classes at the various campuses and research units around the country. The university has exchange partnerships with more than 150 universities in thirty countries. Associated facilities include the Kioloa Coastal campus, on the south coast of New South Wales and the North Australia Research Unit, in Northern Territory. Mount Stromlo Observatory, on Mount Stromlo, just outside Canberra and Siding Spring Observatory, on Siding Spring Mountain, near Coonabarabran, in New South Wales, are foundational research facilities of ANU’s world-class astronomy department. AUN is also known for its National Centre for Indigenous Studies.
History
ANU has associations with both Mount Stromlo Observatory (MSO) and Siding Spring Observatory (SSO). The university traces its history to the Oddie Dome, MSO’s original observatory and the first federal building constructed in the new Australian Capital Territory, in 1911. ANU was developed in coordination with the observatory, with the university’s first PhD degree being awarded in astronomy. In 1930, Canberra University College was established. The observatory continued to encourage celestial exploration, adding larger telescopes at periodic intervals. During World War II the facility was used as a munitions factory, but once the war ended, Government began working on plans for a national university. An Act of Parliament in 1946 created ANU, as a postgraduate entity. Acton, in the Australian Capital Territory, was chosen as the site for the new university's headquarters. Construction began in 1949, and the first academic staff arrived the following year. Lord Bruce, the university's first chancellor, began serving in 1952, as the first permanent buildings opened. MSO was transferred from the Commonwealth Department of the Interior to ANU in 1957.
Technology advanced as well, and the university got its first computer in 1960. In the same year, Australian National University merged with Canberra University College; the result was a university that offered both undergraduate and postgraduate learning tracks. SSO, the university's second observatory, came onboard in 1964. Large bushfires largely destroyed the observatory facilities on Mount Stromlo in 2003, but work continued at Siding Spring. MSO was subsequently rebuilt and upgraded, and research started again.
In 1992, the university absorbed the Canberra Institute of the Arts, with its School of Art and School of Music. The School of Medicine was established in 2002. In 2006, the university formed its existing seven colleges. In 2018 ANU was the target of a puzzling data hack, apparently from China, which last for seven months.
Impact
Australian National University offers both undergraduate and graduate programs, in the arts and the sciences. In the area of multicultural studies, students can earn a Bachelor of Languages degree with a specialization in up to twenty-seven languages. The National Centre for Indigenous Studies offers not only undergraduate degrees but also a Master of Philosophy and a PhD program.
Students at AUN can pursue a fast-track approach to education by joining the Double Degree program. At both the undergraduate and postgraduate level, students can pursue a course of study in two degrees at the same time and end up with two qualifications. The Flexible Double Degree program allows more than 750 degree combinations. Also available is the Vertical Double Degree, which allows students to pursue a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree at the same time, either in the same field or in different fields.
Much of the focus on teaching and learning at AUN is on the cutting edge. At a handful of Innovation Institutes, students pursue research in high-tech fields like robotics, vehicle automation and wearable devices. Front of mind for many environmentally focused students and faculty is climate change, and the university has its own area of focus in this area, the ANU Climate Change Institute. In the same vein, the ANU Energy Change Institute offers programs that focus on future energy technologies such as those that emphasise renewable resources. In both of these institutes, part of the work that students do involves petitioning the Australian Government to pursue more environmentally friendly policies.
Combining the resources of the two well-known observatories, university students and faculty continue to pursue the mysteries of the universe. MOS is a contributor to the Giant Magellan Telescope and SkyMapper, two of a series of very large telescopes projects around the world. It was at SSO in 2007 that university scientists discovered comet C/2006 P1, which is brighter than the famous Halley's Comet. Professor Brian Schmidt and his team were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2011 for key discoveries that helped prove that the universe is not only expanding but also that that expansion is accelerating. Six faculty and alumni have won Nobel Prizes, including astrophysicist Schmidt, who was made Vice-Chancellor in 2016; the number of faculty or alumni who have been Rhodes Scholars is forty-nine.
Bibliography
“Australian National University.” Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, Jan. 2019, p. 1. EBSCOhost, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=anh&AN=134501746&site=ehost-live. Accessed 13 Feb. 2019.
“Australian National University.” University of Maryland. https://research.umd.edu/anu. Accessed 4 Oct. 2018.
“Chinese Hackers Infiltrate Systems at Australian National University.” ABC Premium News, 7 June 2018. EBSCOhost, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=anh&AN=P6S357052729518&site=ehost-live. Accessed 13 Feb. 2019.
Davis, Glyn. The Australian Idea of a University. University of Melbourne Press, 2017.
Forsyth, Hannah. A History of the Modern Australian University. NewSouth, 2014.
“Our Alumni.” Australian National University. http://www.anu.edu.au/about/our-alumni. Accessed 4 Oct. 2018.
“Our History.” Australian National University. http://www.anu.edu.au/about/our-history. Accessed 4 Oct. 2018.