• Health and Science 25
SCHOOL OF COMPUTER SCIENCE: WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN? William Ahmed | Computer Science Alumni The roots of Computer Science at Hertfordshire can be traced back to the earliest days of the University, or as it was known then, Hatfield College of Technology. The first computer purchase by the college was an Elliott 803 b back in 1962, which was the size of a room and cost £29,201. To put this into perspective, the average house price in 1962 was £2,670, making the Elliott computer a sizeable investment for the new College. The Elliott 803 b was far more complex than modern day computers, it had no screen or keyboard, and instead any input had to be printed onto paper tape and fed into the computer, with additional input being done via a control console.
The output was then printed onto more paper tape after it had been processed by the computer. This paper tape then had to be run through a teletype reader to get readable printed output. An interesting side note to this story, is the partnership formed with the Hatfield Grammar School for them to offer Computer Science to their students. Hatfield Grammar School was based in what we now know as the Hutton Hub on College Lane Campus, which is interestingly named after the head teacher, Dr Hutton. An agreement was formed between the school and college to allow students at the grammar school access to the Elliott computer, in return for which, students at the Technical
College would be given use of the schools swimming pool. The pool has since been filled in, but can still be seen under a classroom next to the night route on College Lane Campus. Since the days of the Elliott 803 b, the Technical College has become Hatfield Polytechnic, and later the University of Hertfordshire. The Grammar School buildings are now part of the University campus, and there is more computing power available in a phone than there was in the room sized Elliott 803 b. The University has also created some world leading computer based systems, including; Kaspar the robot, an internationally recognized robot football team, and a host of industry leading research.
Our Hatfield Our Hatfield
Left: Old Hatfield Grammar School, Above: Elliott 803 b
HERTFORDSHIRE STUDENT TO DEVELOP INTELLIGENT SOFTWARE SOLUTION WITH LOCAL COMPANY
What the swimming pool looks like now
The University of Hertfordshire and local company Advanced Collection Systems (ACS) have been awarded a Knowledge Transfer Partnership Grant (KTP). The grant will be used to co-develop and implement an innovative software solution in the field of debt collection that will enable ACS to be leaders of applied technology in their business. Paul Moggridge, PhD student from the University, has been appointed to work on a three year KTP project part funded by Innovate UK, the government’s innovation agency, supported by Dr Na Helien from the University’s School of Computer Science as Academic Supervisor. Dr Helian says the project will draw on the University’s expertise in data mining, machine
learning, and the psychology of cognitive processes to develop a new expert system. The system will be capable of absorbing, manipulating and analysing large and complex data sets, increasing collection efficiency and improving personal data confidentiality through cybersecurity measures. Dr Helian added: ‘This development challenges the accepted practise of the call-centre approach to debt collection and promises significant cost saving and increased productivity. This KTP is a great example of the scheme working in practice by sharing knowledge and unlocking the potential of local companies through co-collaborative projects with the University.’