MICROWAVE ENGINEERING-EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA

The emergence of Australian science/engineering is presented in its historical and socioeconomic milieu. Engineering education is then considered in tertiary educational institutions where microwave engineering is taught at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The Australian educational system provides education of a high standard for technicians, engineers, and scientists.While there was no indigenous microwave industry in Australia, microwave engineering has been actively pursued in academia and in several quasi-government organizations/laboratories. In fields related to microwave engineering, Australia excelled in the areas of radioastronomy and microwave landing systems. In the 1980's indigenous microwave engineering firms appeared as a result of a determined effort to augment and strengthen the Australian manufacturing base. The recent emergence of the many centers described here and the appropriate fiscal policies put in place by the present government will aid the above process. In these new thrusts, universities and quasi-government organizations are destined to play a pivotal role.