Gown invites Town to Ilam campus

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34123, 8 April 1976, Page 19

Gown invites Town to Ilam campus

I he I nixersity of Gantcrhur x , now established on its spacious new campus at Ham, xxill open its doors to the public of (Zliristcluirch on Saturday xvith a comprehensixe programme illustrating its teaching and research activities.

The university, with more than 7000 students and a teaching staff of about 500. is anxious to retain in its new home the close links between town and gown that characterised its century - long occupation of the old city site. “Going public" on Saturday is one of the methods it has chosen to achieve that aim.

But the public day, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is more than an exercise in public relations. It is designed to demonstrate the wide and continually iincreasing range of university activities. A large number of teaching departments have combined to produce an interlesting, informative and enjoyable programme of laboratory demonstrations, lecture-demonstrations, illustrated lectures, displays of teaching and research equipment, music, painting, sports and students entertainment that will be of wide public interest. Major displays will be mounted by the Chemistry and Physics Departments — the chemistry display’ will open on Friday afternoon and evening — and computers, lasers, a big X-ray diffraction machine and scores of other pieces of scientific equipment will be demonstrated. But science will not be the only attraction. Numerous arts departments will make a major contribution. In history, for instance, brief illustrated lectures will be given on a range of topics ■varying from the West Coast gold rush — the lecturer will be Philip Ross May. the leading authority

on the subject — to the Munich crisis or the Christchurch tramway strike of 1931. Philosophers and political scientists will explain their subjects and sociologists will discuss social work training as well as providing a range of brief lectures on abortion, bikies, justice and television electioneering. In addition to. demonstrating a laryngograph. enabling visitors to “see” their voices, the English Department will present book and printing displays and a light-hearted poetry reading, “Love and Laughter.” In the Classics Department the Logie collection of Greek pottery, some dating back to 2000 8.C., will be on display and there will be brief lectures on ancient history. Visitors may try their tongues on Japanese, Mandarin Chinese. French, German, Russian and Maori in the language laboratories, .listen to sample lessons and lec-

Itures or watch foreign docu'mentary or feature films — (without subtitles. One of the smallest faculties, Music and Fine Arts, is expected to attract considerable interest. In the School I of Fine Arts, visitors may watch a life class in paintjing. under Mr W. A. Sutton, (inspect student work in (painting and sculpture, or ' watch films produced by students. The university’s Camerata [Quartet will be rehearsing in (the School of Music and the rehearsals, together with rehearsals by the University (Singers and individual stu[dents, will be open to the (public. Harpsichord recitals will be given by John Jennings and visitors will be, [shown studio equipment, including an electronic synthesiser, which is capable of producing a wide variety of electronic sounds. I In the Law Faculty a public moot will be held. Four; 'students will argue an appeal by a woman convicted of! battering a baby and a geniuine Supreme Court atmosphere will be provided. The judge will be the dean of the; faculty, Professor R. A. Caldwell. ' Animals and fish will be '

■features of the display in •the Zoology Department, which will also screen a ~ Film about bird life in the /Snares Islands, taken during . a departmental expedition. [ Brief lectures and problems will be presented by math[ematicians, the Geology Department will have displays [ in its teaching museum and . first-year laboratory and there will be a wide-ranging display illustrating the work of botanists, including elec--1 tron micrographs of plant [ cells and demonstrations on ‘ the use of electron microscopes. The School of Forestry [and the Education and Geography Departments will also demonstrate their teaching and research activities. The Psychology Department plans to provide an accurate, ! up to date picture of psychology in contemporary [society and will involve visitors in a wide range of [tests should they wish to do [so. They may be interviewed (by computer, or have their senses of taste, smell and perception tested in the re-i search laboratories. They may also try to beat the department’s "lie detector.” Rats, pigeons and ferrets 'will be part of an animal: Idisplay and demonstrations

will show experiments m the teaching ot animals. Films on clinical psychology and sociology w ill be screened in the department s t heat ret te.

f«-alur<-Computers ha\e be< ■ an essential tool of teaching and research at the Unucisity of Canterbury and they will feature in several displays and demonstrations at the University's public day on Saturday. I he big RG7IB mat lune in the Computer Centre will give demonstrations during (he day; and though access to the centre is limited, visitors will be given an appieciation of the computers -peed and adaptihihty In lhe Psychology Department. visitors may be inter(viewed by computer. And in the Geography Department they’ may become governors of an ancient civilisation with the aid of the “Wang” computer, a similation game enabling the operator to make decisions about the population, economy, food supplies and future of an ancient state. The player may order disasters affecting the country and the operator must learn to adjust the 'country’s resources to < ope wi the situations that have been created. Another application of [computers will be demonstrated in the Accountancy Department. Recent reseau h by Professor B. J. Clarke

has shown that it is possible i for a business computer system to understand messages lin plain English and decide I for itself whether or not the accounts of the business are affected. One display in the 'department will show the I sort of English messages the I system can understand. Another display with an inter--active computer terminal j will show a sophisticated I management information I system with facilities for .accountancy, production conItrol and general management queries.