The previous page shows the new entrance to the School of Physics and part of the newly landscaped Russell Lawn.

The School of Physics is housed in the Old Main Building, the first permanent building to be built on the Kensington campus of UNSW. Over fifty years the university campus has grown around this building. However, what was once the main entrance of the Old Main Building now faced away from the main concourse and most students and visitors entered through courtyards which were also used as loading docks. This was not a welcoming impression of the School! In these same fifty years, teaching methods and technologies have changed. ITET Fellowships and U21 awards had provided staff of the School with opportunities to investigate some of the innovative teaching practices in use around the world, and to implement new teaching methods at UNSW would require new laboratory facilities.

Over the last two years, the School’s store, loading dock and gas storage facilities were moved from the courtyard which faced the rest of the campus, to the other side of the building. The first year optics lab was demolished and replaced with a flexible study area which could be used for the newly introduced exploratorials, group work and student presentations. A new entrance to the building was constructed, and the First Year Office was moved downstairs to be near the entrance and the first year labs. The courtyard was landscaped, and Jaycar Electronics donated a gas barbeque, for the use of UNSW staff and students.

In 2004, all construction was finally completed, and in September the official opening was held. The courtyard has been named ‘The Russell Lawn’, after the late A/Prof Graeme Russell who had been the first year physics director for twenty years. We were honoured to have his family and some of his classmates from the UNSW physics classes of 1958-1960 attend the dedication. After the formalities Gary Johnston, the CEO of Jaycar, and undergraduates from the Physics Student Society fired up the first of what will be many barbeques.

We hope to continue renovating the Old Main Building, and improving our facilities for teaching physics in the 21st century. Hopefully soon we will be able to renovate our second and third year teaching laboratories!